Everything you need to know about ultra-processed food

The debate around ultra-processed food, what it is, and how it could possibly impact our health, continues.

Brazilian researcher, Carlos Monteiro, has led the way on campaigning against so-called ultra-processed food and ingredients, writing numerous papers on the association between their consumption, and adverse health outcomes. His NOVA scale (which we’ll get to shortly) has become adopted worldwide by a number of scientists, nutritionists, wellbeing experts and even the general public, as a guide to minimise interaction with heavily processed foods and ingredients.

But it’s not without its critics, and this year it seems the industry is fighting back. In a recent open letter, signed by academics and nutritionists, Professor Dr Daniel Hannelore and Professor Thomas Henle called out what they think are troubling issues with the term ultra-processed food (UPF) and the NOVA scale. They say science should be verifiable, objective and neutral, arguing the scale does not meet these criteria, calling Monteiro’s creation (particularly NOVA classification 4 – which includes soft drinks, fast food, cereal and snacks) subjective and inconsistent.

Big food giants are stepping up to the plate too, it appears. In response, The Soil Association has recently drafted an online petition, calling on the UK Government to resist the influence of the ultra-processed food industry. This comes after the organisation submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, discovering that plans to back promotions on minimally processed and nutritious foods (including fruit, vegetables, beans and wholegrains) were to be halted – they say influenced by major manufacturers and industry bodies.

In a statement, the Soil Association said, “It’s outrageous that food giants have such influence over our health and our diets. We have written to the secretary of state for health and social care, Wes Streeting, requesting urgent action to make healthy, minimally processed foods more accessible and affordable.”

Whatever the outcome of any of the above, one thing’s for certain, British consumers are, generally, being more conscious of what they’re buying, and are more determined than ever to eliminate UPFs from their diet, especially in light of what they’ve heard and seen on TV, radio and podcasts from experts including Professor Tim Spector and Dr Chris van Tulleken.

A YouGov survey this year showed 60% of Brits take claims made about the health effects of UPFs seriously, with 19% saying they take them very seriously.

It was the youngest demographic (18 to 24-year-olds) that felt most strongly about UPFS and their potentially negative effects (53%).

Why is everyone talking about ultra-processed food at the moment?

Laurie Fermor, co-founder of Freddie’s Farm, says people are starting to finally take notice of the impact what they eat can have on their health. “Parents especially are waking up to what’s really in the foods we’re feeding our kids. Voices like Dr Chris van Tulleken have really helped shine a light on it. It’s not just ‘noise’ - it’s momentum.”

Laurie’s brand, she adds, was born out of her own frustration trying to find genuinely healthy snacks for her children. “Once I started looking at the ingredients, I realised how many so-called ‘healthy’ options were actually ultra processed - full of concentrates, additives, or things you’d never have in your kitchen cupboard. That’s what pushed us to do something different – and do it properly.”

Some consumers are also concerned about how their diet may impact their overall health. Like Laurie, Andrea Kazan took matters into her own hands, launching Good Mess after falling seriously ill with an autoimmune disease, and looking more closely at what she was eating. “Although it can be quite easy to find healthy savoury options, I was constantly shocked by the length and complexity of the ingredients lists in the baking aisles,” she says. “Since when does cake need more than 20 ingredients, half of which we don’t even understand?”

Andrea worked with her mum, spending a year experimenting with her original recipes, transforming them into healthy mixes for banana bread, brownies, pancakes and waffles – all free from grains, refined sugar and additives.

Dr van Tulleken’s book, Ultra-Processed People certainly seems to have struck a chord amongst those who’ve read or listened to it, including Bread & Jam and Oh So Wholesome co-founder Jason Gibb, who calls the tome “a real turning point”. “It brought the conversation about UPFs into the mainstream in a way that was accessible, deeply compelling and linked a lot of the dots in terms of health, diet and the way we’re genetically programmed.”

Jason believes the book made consumers question the foods they assumed were healthy, turning over packets to see what was really in their kitchen cupboards. “Influencers like Tonic Health and Sophie Morris have added fuel to this fire by ‘exposing’ the truth about ingredients and suggesting easy swaps for UPFs.

Sakshi Mittal, founder of Foodhak (a food business that’s launched a free app allowing consumers to scan food and see how processed it is) says she’s noticed a sharp increase in interest around UPFs in the last few years, fuelled in part by a renewed interest in nutritional health.

It’s one of the key drivers for the brand’s app which, “allows consumers to have access to nutritional knowledge so they can make the best choices for their personal health. We encourage our customers to interrogate what they eat, turning to the back of the pack and reading the ingredient list for themselves. We say that if you can’t imagine the ingredient, you shouldn’t be eating it”.

Is there more demand for UPF-free products?

It’s a resounding yes from many working in the food and drink industry – both retailers and brands. “And that’s a really positive shift,” says Laurie, adding that in an ideal world, there wouldn’t be a need for processed foods because, “we’d all be feeding our kids whole fruit and veg, and that would be enough!”

Consumers, she continues, are looking for honesty, simplicity and whole ingredients – especially, in her opinion, parents. “Parents don’t want to feel tricked by health halos or clever branding. They want to pick up a snack, turn it over, and see a short list of things they actually recognise. That’s exactly how we’ve built Freddie’s Farm – British fruit and veg, as close to its natural state as possible, and made using our unique method to keep processing to a minimum.”

Jason agrees that UK consumers are becoming more interested in food that not only tastes good, but aligns with their health and lifestyle values - “something they could in theory cook themselves at home”.

His brand, Oh So Wholesome, has been built on the idea convenient food can still be nourishing. “We’ve created a plant-packed ingredients called Veg’Chop, which is made with natural ingredients, is minimally processed, and is free from any additives,” he says, adding that the vegan category has gone through a boom and bust because shoppers saw a plant-based diet as the healthier option, “but the conversation around ultra-processed foods has focused on heavily processed meat alternatives and sent the category into decline”. It’s up to brands like his, he thinks, to change the narrative, and re-evaluate formulations and processes to revive the vegan sector. 

Ying Man, senior national account manager at The Groovy Food Company, says ‘clean’ is a buzzword that retailers should not ignore, and the brand has seen this reflected in its recent growth. “For instance, our Organic Date Syrup saw a 54% increase in sales year-on-year between 2023 and 2024, and our Organic Coconut Sugar is up by 38%. These figures highlight how consumers are moving away from traditional refined sugars and synthetic sweeteners, choosing naturally derived options instead.”

Products that are flourishing, Ying adds, “cater to people who want to cook from scratch but don’t want to compromise on flavour or quality. Brands have a responsibility to respond to the growing body of research and consumer demand calling for better food standards. Investing in naturally-led product development not only builds trust with consumers, but also future-proofs businesses as legislation and public health guidance evolve.” There’s a real opportunity, she thinks, “for brands to lead by example, offering clean label, nutrient aware options that don’t rely on unnecessary additives”.

Why do retailers need to be more considerate of ultra-processed foods?

Jason says speciality retailers, in particular, have a major role to play in driving the conversation around UPFs. “By curating ranges that prioritise natural, minimally processed options, retailers can build trust and held educate. They should champion better choices, and support brands that are trying to do things better.”

Laurie agrees, adding that reformulation by brands alone isn’t enough. “Right now, brands are being pushed to hit certain nutritional targets – lowering sugar or fat, for example – but sometimes that’s happening at the expense of ingredients.” What we need, she says, is a shift in how food is made in the first place. “Transparent manufacturing should be the baseline, not the exception.” Retailers that embrace this, “will be the ones building real trust and meeting the growing demand for genuinely better food”.

Independents should make sure they can support healthier choices at scale, not as a gimmick, thinks Ying. They need to stock natural, recognisable ingredients which align with the growing wellness movement. “We’ve seen this first hand. Our Organic Date Syrup, for example, launched in Waitrose and Holland & Barrett last year, and has been embraced by consumers looking to upgrade their everyday sweeteners.”

Retail will “have no choice” but to adapt to the appeal of whole and minimally processed foods to shoppers, who will vote with their wallets, adds Andrea.

What is ultra-processed food?

Ultra-processed foods are those which tend to be, according to NOVA classification, “formulations of ingredients, mostly of exclusive industrial use, made by a series of industrial processes, many requiring sophisticated equipment and technology”. The types of food typically associated with UPFs include sweets, cakes, biscuits, maize and corn snacks, ready meals, and ice cream.

The worst offenders, according to the NOVA system, will be packed with gums, emulsifiers and additives our grandparents wouldn’t recognise as ‘food’.

Is ultra-processed food bad for you?

As ultra-processed food is reported to make up nearly 60% of the average European’s daily diet (rising to nearly 80% in children), consumers are rightly concerned about what goes into them.

UPFS tend to have high levels of saturated fat, salt and sugar, and some studies have shown the processing of certain foods could change how our bodies absorb them, but experts agree more research is needed to understand their influence on our health.

There are certainly foods to avoid, but it’s not always black and white. As well as classifying most vegan products as UPF, the NOVA system also labels foods such as packaged bread and breakfast cereals as ultra processed, and these can offer more nutrition compared to other UPFs such as cakes or additive-filled ready meals.

What is the NOVA classification system?

Foods within the scale are split into four groups. Group 1 is unprocessed or minimally processed foods (fresh fruit, vegetables). Group 2 is processed culinary ingredients (salt, vinegar, honey). Group 3 is processed foods, usually made through traditional methods of baking, brining, salting, smoking and canning (tinned fruit and vegetables, cheese, tinned fish, biscuits, cakes). And Group 4 is UPFs – products largely made at scale and introducing substances such as hydrogenated oils, modified starch, protein isolate, high-fructose corn syrup, flavours and colourings (with examples across the industry, from soft drinks, to sweets, ready meals and snacks).

UPFS tend to also have high levels of sugar, saturated fats or calories.

What is ZOE’s Processed Food Risk Scale?

While the NOVA system has been useful, it was designed to classify foods according to the way they are processed, not their impact on health, says ZOE nutrition, whose most vocal board member is co-founder Professor Tim Spector – a major proponent of moving away from ultra-processed foods, which account for around half of the average Brit’s diet. Though, he said, we mustn’t scaremonger the public.

ZOE has unveiled its own Processed Food Risk Scale, taking into account factors including a food’s energy density, energy intake rate, hyper palatability (how quick it is to eat), and any non-culinary additives. This scale, ZOE says, “provides a new way to assess the likely health impact of processed foods”.

They are split into five categories:

Unprocessed – in its original form or as close to original as it can be.

No Risk – Minimally processed with little risk to health.

Low Risk – The processing has no or very low impact of health.

Medium Risk – Where processing could make it less healthy.

Highest Risk – Where processing makes a food less healthy which could have a high impact on your health.

“We’ve designed ZOE’s Processed Food Risk Scale to help people understand the true health risks linked to processed foods,” the organisation said. Its app, which consumers can use to scan products before they buy to show their position on this scale, is available to download now.

New awards launched in celebration of minimally processed foods and ingredients

Pip Martin tells Speciality Food about the launch of the NatureMade Food & Drink Awards.

Why did you set up the awards?
I set up the awards in no small part because I want to recognise the food and drink producers that are doing the hard yards. We know how easy it is to bulk out, formulate, and preserve food using ultra processed shortcuts - but making food naturally takes real commitment. These awards exist to highlight that effort and celebrate producers who prioritise integrity, nutritional quality and sustainability. In a market dominated by convenience and shelf life, it’s essential we recognise those who do things differently. Shining a light on them helps consumers make better choices and gives producers the recognition they deserve.

Why you think the public are thinking more about what they’re putting in their baskets?
We’re all waking up to the fact that what’s convenient isn’t always what’s good for us. From documentaries to social media, there’s now far greater awareness of the impact food and drink has on our health, wellbeing, and the environment. Consumers are reading ingredients lists, asking more questions - and brands don’t want to be found wanting. We’re seeing a shift away from ultra-processed foods towards more honest, recognisable ingredients. The public mood is noticeably changing and people are beginning to make different choices, whether for their kids, their health, or the planet. They just need clearer signposting and brands they can trust.

Should retailers be checking labels more carefully?
Retailers are gatekeepers. They influence what ends up in our homes and on our plates. As consumer demand for natural, clean-label products grows, retailers who respond early will build loyalty and future-proof their ranges. Stocking products with shorter, recognisable ingredient lists won’t just be good for brand image, it will be good business. Shoppers increasingly want food that’s nourishing, transparent, and minimally processed. If retailers ignore that, they risk being left behind. The NatureMade Food & Drink Awards is there to help them (and brand owners) on this journey. It’s time to raise the bar, not just to tick boxes, but to meet real consumer expectations, and to do something good for the world.