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New research in the academic journal, The Lancet shows that ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, are becoming a big part of what people eat around the world – and a huge public health problem that our kids will be paying for.
In some places, like the United States, these foods can make up more than half of a person’s daily calories.
Other countries, including Canada and Spain, have also seen a large rise in UPF purchases over the past few decades. We know it’s all over Latin America too. I know when I have visited my homeland in Latin America, I immediately notice the increase in ultra processed food in cans, boxes, and plastic.
It wasn’t always like this. I remember growing up in the 80s in Chile, food at the market was usually whole, and you never got anything from a box – except for noodles maybe. Things were made from scratch, but it was easy stuff: sopitas, cazuelas, mashed potatoes. You bought bread form the corner bakery like Europeans (and I have that smell seared into my mind) meats from the deli, and veggies from the farmers market.
It was normal to live like this.
I am old enough to distinctly remember starting to see “American foods” arrive at the local supermarket and slowly make their way into the majority of the aisles. It was sad for me to go back each year and see more and more junk food where there used to be good ingredients, some of which is important to our cultures, like quinoa, beans, corn, etc.
@citynewsto A new report is warning about the danger of eating ultra-processed foods. Shauna Hunt with the research that might make you think twice about what you buy at the grocery store. #UltraProcessedFoods #UPFs #Health #Food
The researchers explain that this shift is happening because UPFs are often cheap, fast, and easy to find — which makes them very common in busy families and communities. This makes is really hard for many of us to cut back, especially if we don’t understand the differences.
To help us understand the difference between foods, the researchers use a system called NOVA ,and this night help you figure out what’s what.
Basically, it has four groups:
Group 1: Fresh or only lightly changed foods, like fruits, vegetables, eggs, beans, meat, and grains. These foods may be washed, cut, frozen, or dried but nothing extra is added.
Group 2: Ingredients used for cooking, like oil, butter, sugar, honey, and salt.
Group 3: Foods made by combining Groups 1 and 2, like bread, cheese, canned vegetables, and plain yogurt.
Group 4: Ultra-processed foods. These are products made mostly from ingredients you wouldn’t use in a home kitchen, such as artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, and stabilizers. Examples include sodas, packaged snacks, flavored yogurts, instant noodles, frozen meals, and hot dogs.
In our book, Radical Señora Era, we talked about the disturbing transition in our homelands to ultra processed “comida chatarra” from America and used a simple example. I also talked about how I did an edit of the foods I eat because I was getting close to pre-diabetic, and my husband had a worrisome test result. We slowly started getting rid of junk food – it took us maybe a year – and now, at 46, we feel better than we ever have: even in our 30s. And I am eating more of my country’s authentic recipes than I ever had before.
Here’s an example using corn:
Corn can appear in every NOVA group depending on how it’s processed. Fresh corn on the cob or frozen corn kernels fit into Group 1 because nothing is added. When corn is turned into cooking ingredients like corn oil or corn starch, it becomes Group 2. If that same corn is used to make simple foods like tortillas or canned corn with a little salt, it falls into Group 3. Delicious and nutritious.
But when corn is broken down into things like high-fructose corn syrup or modified starch and then used to make sodas, sweetened cereals, or puffed snacks with added flavors and colors, it becomes a Group 4 ultra-processed food.
The research shows that as people eat more UPFs, they usually eat fewer fresh or simply processed foods. The papers note that UPFs are often designed to be very tasty, come in colorful packaging, and are marketed as quick and convenient. They can also contain many additives that help the food last longer or change its texture or flavor.
For everyday shoppers, the papers offer simple ways to tell the difference between food types:
Look at the ingredient list. If most ingredients are things you would use in your own kitchen, the food is likely minimally or simply processed.
If the list includes many items you don’t recognize, or lots of additives, it is more likely to be ultra-processed.
Foods with long shelf lives, bright packaging, or cartoon characters are often UPFs.
Foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, eggs, and plain dairy usually fall into the less-processed groups.
The researchers say their goal is not to blame families, but to help people understand how the modern food system has changed. Their main message is that ultra-processed foods are becoming more common everywhere, and that having clear information can help people make choices that feel right for them, their homes, and their communities.