Ultra-processed foods (UPF)

Ultra-processed foods (UPF) are industrially manufactured products made mainly from isolated ingredients such as sugar, oils, starch, protein isolates and additives – emulsifiers, flavourings, colourings, sweeteners, modified starch. The term comes from the NOVA classification developed by Brazilian researcher Carlos Monteiro, which sorts foods into four groups according to how processed they are. Typical examples: soft drinks, crisps, sweets, ready meals, many breakfast cereals, sausages, packaged sliced bread and fruit yoghurt.

Not all processing is bad: frozen vegetables, wholegrain bread from the bakery, yoghurt, cheese or canned tomatoes are processed and still valuable. The problem with ultra-processed products is the combination of high energy density, lots of sugar, salt and fat, little fibre and a texture that can be eaten quickly without much chewing.

An experiment at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) led by Kevin Hall in 2019 showed this strikingly: 20 adults spent two weeks each on an ultra-processed and an unprocessed diet offering identical amounts of calories, sugar, fat and fibre – and were allowed to eat as much as they wanted. On the ultra-processed diet they ate around 500 kcal more per day on average and gained almost a kilogram in two weeks; on the unprocessed diet they lost a corresponding amount.

Large observational studies also link a high proportion of UPF to more overweight, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Whether this is down to the nutritional values alone or also to additives and texture is still being researched. In Germany, an estimated third to half of all calories come from such products – in children, likely even more.

The everyday test: does the ingredients list contain five or more ingredients you wouldn't have in your cupboard at home? Then it's probably ultra-processed. Cooking more yourself – even simply – is the most effective counter-strategy, and children who help with the cooking go on to eat measurably more vegetables.