Are ultra-processed foods impossible to avoid? - The Global Story podcast, BBC World Service
Summary
TLDRIn this episode of The Global Story, Lucy Hockings discusses the pervasiveness and potential health risks of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), which are linked to increased ill health, including heart attacks, strokes, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. BBC health correspondent Philippa Roxby and Ruth Alexander, a presenter of The Food Chain, explore the challenges of identifying and avoiding UPFs in our daily diets. They touch on the role of technology in helping consumers make informed choices and the importance of considering both the processing and ingredients when evaluating the nutritional value of food.
Takeaways
- 🍔 Ultra-processed foods are prevalent in many diets, often making up the majority of calories consumed.
- 🚨 These foods are linked to various health issues, including heart attacks, strokes, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and anxiety.
- 🔍 The definition of ultra-processed foods includes industrially made products designed to be highly palatable, often with added flavors and additives.
- 👶 Children's diets are of particular concern, as many are heavily composed of ultra-processed foods, which could impact their long-term health.
- 🧐 Scientists are still researching the exact reasons why ultra-processed foods may be harmful, whether it's the processing itself or the added ingredients like sugars and fats.
- 🛒 It can be challenging to avoid ultra-processed foods due to their affordability, convenience, and widespread availability.
- 🌐 The sales of ultra-processed foods are increasing globally, especially in middle-income countries.
- 📱 Technology, such as smartphone apps, can help consumers identify ultra-processed foods and make more informed choices.
- 🥦 Small steps, like cooking one meal a week from scratch, can be a practical approach to reducing ultra-processed food intake.
- 🌎 Different countries are implementing strategies to combat the consumption of ultra-processed foods, like Chile's black label warning system for high sugar or fat content.
Q & A
What are ultra-processed foods?
-Ultra-processed foods are industrially made and designed to be delicious, often containing additives to enhance taste and appeal, particularly to children. They are typically packaged and prominently displayed.
Why are ultra-processed foods considered harmful?
-Ultra-processed foods are blamed for an increase in ill health, including heart attacks, strokes, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and even anxiety, due to their high content of saturated fats, salt, sugar, and other additives.
What role do ultra-processed foods play in the diets of children in the Western world?
-In the Western world, the majority of children's diets are made up of ultra-processed foods, which is a concern because of the potential long-term health effects.
How can one identify ultra-processed foods when shopping?
-Ultra-processed foods can often be identified by long lists of unpronounceable ingredients, added sugars and sweeteners, and packaging that does not resemble the original food, such as sauces in jars or tins.
What is the Nova classification system mentioned in the script?
-The Nova classification system is a way of categorizing foods based on how processed they are, with ultra-processed foods being those that have undergone extensive industrial processing.
Are all ultra-processed foods unhealthy?
-Not all ultra-processed foods are necessarily unhealthy. Some may contain necessary nutrients and be part of a balanced diet, but the overall trend shows that excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods is linked to health issues.
What challenges do busy individuals face when trying to avoid ultra-processed foods?
-Busy individuals often find it difficult to avoid ultra-processed foods due to time constraints, the convenience and lower cost of these products, and the lack of readily available alternatives.
How are some countries addressing the issue of ultra-processed foods?
-Some countries, like Chile, have introduced labeling systems to indicate high sugar or fat content on packaging, helping consumers make informed choices about the foods they purchase.
What practical steps can individuals take to reduce their consumption of ultra-processed foods?
-Individuals can start by making small, realistic changes, such as cooking one meal a week from scratch, choosing water over sugary drinks, and opting for fresh or frozen vegetables instead of processed ones.
What role do apps play in helping consumers identify ultra-processed foods?
-Apps can assist consumers by scanning barcodes and providing information on whether a product is ultra-processed and its nutritional value, often using a traffic light system for easy understanding.
Outlines
🍔 Understanding Ultra-Processed Foods
Lucy Hockings introduces the topic of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and their impact on health. She discusses with Philippa Roxby and Ruth Alexander the ubiquity of UPFs in daily diets, which are linked to various health issues like heart attacks, strokes, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and anxiety. The conversation explores what constitutes UPFs, their prevalence, and the difficulty in avoiding them due to their extensive marketing and appeal, especially to children. The guests share personal anecdotes of finding UPFs in their homes, challenging the assumption that only obviously processed items are UPFs.
🔍 Navigating the UPF Landscape
The discussion continues with the exploration of the nutritional value of UPFs. Philippa and Ruth consider whether some UPFs might be harmless or even beneficial despite being processed. They touch on the complexity of distinguishing between different levels of food processing and the potential health implications. The conversation also addresses the role of food marketing and how it influences consumer choices, especially concerning children's diets. The segment ends with advice on identifying UPFs by scrutinizing ingredient lists for additives and preservatives.
🌐 Global Impact and Challenges of UPFs
Philippa and Ruth delve into the global prevalence of UPFs, noting their increasing sales, particularly in middle-income countries. They discuss the challenges of avoiding UPFs, especially for those with dietary restrictions or health conditions, where UPFs might be necessary due to their specific formulations. The conversation also highlights the role of technology in helping consumers identify UPFs through smartphone apps, which use a traffic light system to indicate the level of processing. The segment concludes with a mention of Chile's initiative to tackle obesity by introducing black labels on high-sugar or high-fat products.
🍽️ Strategies for Reducing UPF Intake
The final part of the discussion focuses on practical strategies for reducing UPF consumption. Philippa and Ruth suggest starting with small, achievable steps, such as cooking one meal a week from scratch or choosing water over sugary drinks. They acknowledge the difficulty of completely avoiding UPFs, especially for busy individuals or those on a tight budget. The conversation also touches on the importance of considering the long-term health implications of a diet high in UPFs and the need for further research to understand the specific factors contributing to their potential harm. The segment ends with the hosts reflecting on their own challenges with resisting UPFs.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Ultra-processed foods
💡Health effects
💡Additives
💡Nutritional value
💡Ingredients list
💡Nova classification
💡Dietary needs
💡Cost and convenience
💡Food technology
💡Public health policies
💡Food industry
Highlights
Ultra-processed foods are blamed for an increase in ill health, including heart attacks, strokes, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and anxiety.
The majority of calories consumed in many countries come from ultra-processed foods.
Ultra-processed foods are industrially made and designed to be delicious, often with added taste cravings.
Many common products like wholemeal bread, fish fingers, and mayonnaise are ultra-processed.
Ultra-processed foods can be high in saturated fats, salt, sugar, and may contain emulsifiers, additives, and preservatives.
Some ultra-processed foods, like whole grain cereals, can be nutritious despite being processed.
The health impact of ultra-processed foods is not fully understood, with ongoing research to determine if it's the processing or the ingredients causing harm.
Ultra-processed foods are often marketed towards children, raising concerns about long-term health effects.
The Nova classification system categorizes foods based on their level of processing, with ultra-processed foods at the highest level.
Sales of ultra-processed foods are increasing globally, particularly in middle-income countries.
Some health conditions require the consumption of ultra-processed foods, such as gluten-free products for coeliacs.
The challenge of avoiding ultra-processed foods is compounded by time constraints and financial considerations for many families.
There are apps available that can help identify ultra-processed foods and their nutritional values by scanning barcodes.
Chile has implemented black labels on packaging to indicate high sugar or fat content, which has been effective in helping consumers make healthier choices.
Small steps, like cooking one meal a week from scratch, can help reduce the intake of ultra-processed foods.
Freezing is a method to extend the life of fresh foods and can be a part of a strategy to reduce reliance on ultra-processed foods.
The conversation highlights the complexity of defining ultra-processed foods and the need for a balanced approach to diet and health.
Transcripts
Hello, I'm Lucy Hockings. From the BBC World Service, this is The Global Story.
Ready meals, chocolate, biscuits, sausages, fizzy drinks. We know that processed food
is bad for us. But recent research shows that in many countries around the world,
the majority of calories most of us consume are from products known as ultra-processed foods.
These foods are being blamed for an increase in ill health, including heart attacks, strokes,
obesity, type 2 diabetes and even anxiety. So, how harmful are ultra-processed foods
for our health? And given how common they are, is it even possible to avoid them?
With me today is BBC health correspondent Philippa Roxby and Ruth Alexander,
a presenter of the BBC programme, The Food Chain. Good to have you both with us. Hi. Thanks.
Hi, Lucy. Hello.
Ruth, I think we need to start with the basics here. What exactly are ultra-processed foods?
It's industrially made food that's designed to be delicious. Often the companies making them have
really kind of hacked what it is that we crave in terms of taste, and they've put those tastes in as
additives. And often food that's marketed at you, I mean, you don't often see adverts for potatoes
or eggs. They're not ultra-processed, of course, but food that's packaged,
displayed prominently, particularly to appeal to children, say, marketed and advertised at you.
Ruth, I'm now just mentally running through a checklist of everything that's in my cupboards,
in my fridge and freezer, and I'm a little bit worried about what you're about to tell us. So
I know you've also been going through your cupboards. What have you found?
I mostly cook from scratch, so I didn't think I would find much, but I found plenty. Wholemeal
bread, you know, the sliced package variety that you find in supermarkets. Nutritionally
good for you, but ultra-processed. Fish fingers, which I think of as a sort of quick but healthy,
you know, dinner-time thing. And I thought, well, that can't be ultra-processed. It's
just fish and breadcrumbs, isn't it? It was ultra-processed. Mayonnaise. I'd had
a little bit with my lunch when I was going around my kitchen checking things.
Ultra-processed. Mustard. Ultra-processed. But the one that probably surprised me most
of all was stock cubes. I looked at them and they are ultra-processed. So that means all
those homecooked stews I did, all that cooking from scratch I did actually was kind of undone.
If we start at the beginning of the day then, what about Philippa,
cereal? So many kids start the day with a bowl of cereal with some whole milk, is that ok?
It can be depending on the type of cereal you choose, there's a lot of cereals that are
sweetened so lots of sugar is added to them and actually you've got some here they look a little
bit chocolatey there's definitely added sugar in there but then there's a lot of cereals that have,
are whole grain and have fibre in them and are good for you so this is the slight issue with
the definition of ultra-processed foods is that you tend to think that everything in your cupboard
cannot be eaten but actually there are some that do contain the good stuff you need, and it's just
sorting the good ones out from the bad ones. I mean, I think one of the things with cereal
is that they're marketed as being healthy for you and a really good start to the day,
particularly for kids. And this is where scientists are really concerned, aren't
they? Because they say actually the driving force behind multiple diet-related illnesses can be
in something as simple as your breakfast cereal. Yeah, that's right. I mean, there's evidence that
the majority of children's diets, particularly in the Western world, are made up of ultra-processed
foods so, everything from the bread they eat to the cereals to maybe the drinks they have
at breakfast. And that's a real worry because these kids are growing up and what will this do to
their health later on. I mean there's lots of research, growing evidence that ultra-processed
foods aren't particularly good for us, but scientists aren't sure what it is about those
foods that's causing the problem. Is it the way they're made, the way they're processed,
or is it the fact that they just contain lots of sugar and lots of fat, as we can see here?
I mean, we've got a table in front of us, full of ultra-processed foods, and just looking at them,
some, you could say, they're high in saturated fats, salt, sugar, but there's some pretty
innocent-looking bread there as well. I guess these are processed to last
longer. They're probably, they look like sort of long-life rolls so you want them to stay
ok in your cupboards so you can eat them for say several days and that's why in the food industry
they do process things to preserve them and keep them for longer, so some reasons why processing
is a good thing there are other reasons why processing might not be such a good thing.
Yeah, and I see, Ruth, that scientists have done a big review, the largest review of
some of the evidence to date, and they say there are 32 harmful health effects from
some of these foods that are out there. But looking at the table of food in front of us,
or even thinking about what's in our cupboards, is there any nutritional value, or is there
some hope there with some of these foods, Ruth? Well, that's the thing and as Philippa was saying,
it's not known why ultra-processed food might be causing harm. And it could be that there are some
foods that are ultra-processed that are absolutely fine for you. Like my wholemeal sliced bread,
you know, has got sort of lots of goodness in it. It's got fibre, it's got added
vitamins. It's not necessarily that everything ultra-processed will definitely be bad for you.
And also, I mean, there's another category just down from ultra-processed, which is processed
food, and that's not being criticised. But when I was looking in my cupboards, the dark chocolate,
I would like to say as an occasional treat, actually it's probably quite a frequent treat,
if I'm honest. But that wasn't ultra... You and me both, Ruth, I have to say.
Keeps you going, doesn't it? It gets you through. But that was processed, not ultra-processed. Is
it good for me in the quantities I eat it? I'm not so sure. Also, potato crisps another of my
weaknesses is another good one to look at because if they've got added flavour, they
tend to be ultra-processed, but the plain salted varieties are not considered ultra-processed. Are
they good for me? Well, they're full of saturated fat and have high levels of salt. Probably not,
actually. So it's not clear-cut, and it's as Philippa said, it's not clear-cut what it is about
the ultra-processing of food that maybe harmful. Ruth you and I share these guilty pleasures,
I also love crisps as well as dark chocolate. So Philippa, I'm standing in the supermarket aisle,
I'm looking at the back of a product, what exactly should I look for?
In the ingredients list you're looking for lots of things with very long unpronounceable
names that you would not find anywhere in your kitchen as ingredients and those are probably,
they could be emulsifiers and additives and flavourings and colourings and they quite often
have very long complicated names and that's a good indication that it's an ultra-processed
food. What else? It might have added sugars and sweeteners or fake sugars and it may say that
it's sort of low in sugar or low in fat and make that sort of claim on the packet and quite often
it will come in a package and not look like the original food, not look like a whole tomato or
a whole vegetable. It will be a sauce that comes in a jar or comes in a tin or comes in a package.
Surely the picture is different depending on which country we're talking about. And I know in 2010 a
group of Brazilian scientists said we should be focusing less on the nutritional content of food
and more on the form of processing it undergoes. And they created this Nova classification,
which categorises foods based on how processed they are. And Ruth, I know you've spoken to one
of the scientists who came up with that system, Professor Jean-Claude Moubarac at the University
of Montreal. Did they give you an idea of just how common UPFs are and how difficult and tricky
it is to avoid them? They did. I actually asked
for some examples of ultra-processed food and after about a minute of different foods being
listed I realised it would have been much simpler to ask what isn't ultra-processed
actually. So think of packaged snacks, sweets, biscuits, pastries, cakes, pizzas, cereals,
I mean the list just goes on and on and on and the sales of this type of food, ultra-processed
food are actually thought to be increasing around the world, particularly in middle income
countries where the sales are rising and then in richer countries they're already pretty high. I
mean you know yourself if you go to the shops, actually, you've got the fruit and veg aisle and
then beyond that there are just many many shelves with lots of different packaged goods and if you
look at the ingredients on the back, it's often a long, long list of ingredients. So there is
a fair amount of ultra-processed food out there. Philippa, these Brazilian scientists only came up
with the term, UPF, back in 2010. That wasn't that long ago. So how much more is there to find out
about the impact that UPFs have on our health? Well, a lot more. It's really a fairly recent
term. And there's been an awful lot of research in the last few years into ultra-processed foods and
how they affect our health and why that might be. And actually, scientists really haven't
come up with an answer to that yet. And so we really don't know whether it's the
processing and these added ingredients that are added into the crisps and the bread and
the cereals here. Is that the problem? Or is it just that we're going back to too much fat,
too much sugar, too many calories in our diet. Philippa how much harder is it if you've got a
health or dietary issue that means that you have to have these foods? I know I have a son who has
coeliac and a lot of what I go to buy him in the supermarket seems to have a lot of UPFs in it,
and it's because it doesn't necessarily have the ingredients in it to make the
food stick together or to last a long time or it has a lot of sugar in it to make it taste
good. But there aren't many other options. Yeah, that's true. I mean, a lot of people
do rely on processed or ultra-processed foods for their dietary needs. Coeliacs, for example,
have to avoid foods that have gluten in them. So if you go to that particular aisle in the
supermarket, you're going to find things that are processed because they need to avoid that
ingredient and replace it with something else. And then there's things like baby formula milk.
That would count as ultra-processed under this classification system. And yet it's something
that's used worldwide by mums trying to feed their babies. And it comes from cow's milk.
But it has other things added to make it healthy for babies. There's also vegan foods,
plant-based foods. They would also count as ultra-processed. And yet they're seen
as very healthy alternatives to meat. I spoke to Jean-Claude Moubarac about
the issue of, for example, infant formula and gluten-free foods and said, well, you know,
they're ultra-processed under this Nova classification system, but people rely on
those for health reasons. And he agreed and said, actually, he said, "I view infant formula, for
example, as medicine, not as food, but medicine". I'm a working mum, and I'm starting to feel a
little bit guilty at the moment about UPFs and what I'm feeding my family. It's pretty tricky
because one of the messages is that we should be cooking from scratch and cooking at home
in our own kitchens with food that we know where it's come from, but this is all really
time-consuming at the end of a long day. Yeah, I mean, it's very difficult,
as we discussed, to avoid every single ultra-processed food. It's extremely difficult,
and if you're busy, working parents for example with young children you don't always feel you
have the time to cook from scratch that means starting off with the vegetables and making the
sauce from scratch perhaps and all the different elements of a meal and that can be time-consuming.
And for some people it makes them a little bit nervous and a bit anxious. And it's much easier,
let's face it, to reach for something that's ready made, ready to go in the oven,
ready to go in the microwave. It's quite often cheaper, too. And in these constrained times when
we're all thinking about how much money we've got in our pockets, that is an easier option.
Cost must be a big factor for some people when they're considering what to eat.
I think it is. And also people are time poor as well, aren't they? Even just stopping to examine
the ingredients on the back of packets in the shop, you know, that's time that you probably
don't have. When I discovered the stock I was using was ultra-processed I thought, 'right,
I'll start making my own stock'. Have I done that? No, I haven't. I haven't got
the time. I think, like, as Philippa said... You haven't got the time to go to the butcher
and get the chicken carcass and bring it home and get the vegetables and put it in the pot. I mean,
yes, you're right. Just simple stock is time-consuming. Yeah, that's it. And, you know,
when you can go and buy chicken nuggets in the store for very little money, a big bag, and put
it in the freezer, and it's there when you need it, you know, that's what everyone is up against.
So I was in the supermarket recently, and it's the first time I've noticed this, that people
have been standing in aisles with their phones out and scanning food. What kind of tech is out
there to help us identify what's in the food that we're buying and what UPFs are there?
Yes, you can find these apps which will tell you 'this is ultra-processed' and also like how
nutritionally, what the nutritional value of the food is. I used one in my kitchen.
I must say they're sort of like once you get going on it, you know,
I had to make a conscious decision to, 'okay, close the cupboards, put my phone down,
just stop this'. What you do is you scan the barcodes and it has a traffic light system
where you're looking at, you know, green for nutritionally good, green for not ultra-processed,
red if it's ultra-processed. And it just gets you thinking. But as I say, there's something like
really satisfying about scanning a barcode and then finding out, is this good or is this bad?
I was on a family holiday recently and we got the kids to do all the scanning of the
food which they thought was great fun. Any excuse to use the phone,
I don't think they're mind. As long as they've got the phone in their hands, they're happy. But it
is quite a lot of effort to scan a product like this. And Chile has an interesting example what
their government is doing about UPFs. Ruth, tell us what they did to tackle high obesity rates.
Yes, A few years ago, they brought in a system where they have black labels on packaging,
which if it's high in sugar or in fat, for example. We did speak to people in
Chile about how, whether they found those labels useful, and they said that they did,
and they do try to make, to avoid those black labelled products. And we asked them, you know,
would you find it useful to have a label that said ultra-processed? And they said, yes, they would.
If we don't Phillipa get on top of UPFs, what's going to happen in the long-term?
This type of food is so freely available and it's cheap and it's very moreish and of course lots of
people say that it slips down very easily and it means that you want more very soon afterwards so
potentially you eat more of that type of stuff because it slips down our throats easily. And
if children grow up used to eating that way, that will continue into adulthood. So it's certainly a
worry, but I think scientists have still got a job to do to find out more evidence about
whether it's the processing that's to blame or whether it's the ingredients. And then also we,
I suppose we all need to think about, every country around the world needs to think about
how we can help people choose more of the right kinds of foods and less of the wrong
kinds of foods. But it's a big challenge. So any other hot tips, Ruth, about how we
can realistically cut down on our UPFs? Probably the thing to do is to start
with a small realistic step as well. If you're listening to this and thinking,
you know what, I would like to reduce the amount of ultra-processed food I'm eating. Perhaps it's
just making one meal in the week from scratch. If you're vegan and you're relying on, you know,
plant-based meat substitutes, which are often ultra-processed, you know, perhaps think about
substituting that with lentils and beans which can bulk out the dish. I mean, like,
if you just think about what you're drinking with a meal, go for water rather than a carbonated,
sugary drink, which would be ultra-processed. That might not be so popular with your children,
though, but I'm just saying you could try to do that. Interestingly, a colleague tried to give
up ultra-processed food for a month in January, and she failed on day one. She went to the pub
wanting a non-alcoholic drink, and all the drinks there were ultra-processed. But I did say to her,
you could have chosen water. Tap water?
Even sparkling water, but yeah, she just moved on. She didn't comment on that one.
But, you know, like a quick meal that I enjoy is an omelette sandwich. Problem, I mean,
the omelette is not ultra-processed, but I suppose the problem is the bread I'm using, it probably
is ultra-processed. And if you want to find non-ultra-processed bread, just processed bread,
then you're going to have to go to a bakery and that probably will cost more money and it will go
stale quicker but you can put it in your freezer and make it last longer if you have a freezer.
That's true. People tend to think that if you freeze something, it's a bad thing. And freezing
is just another process but actually freezing is a great way of making something last for longer
as Ruth was saying, sliced bread where lots of people in lots of countries are very fond
of sliced bread and the problem with this classification is you tend to think you can
only buy very nice, very expensive, rustic, whole grain bread. And that's the only thing.
Farmer's market bread or bakery bread? Yeah, and we know how that expensive that is.
So very difficult for families to make that choice. And sometimes just buying a sliced
brown bread from the supermarket is fine. And then you can freeze it and store it.
And also, I mean, something that I often make when I've got vegetables that are about to
go off. I make a soup, just get them all in there and make a soup. Now, I do put,
as we know, an ultra-processed stock cube in there, but at least it's a pan full of fresh,
or just about fresh vegetables otherwise. So, you know. There can be some compromise
in there. Yeah,
I think so. Well, that's how I'm living anyway. Ruth, it would be lovely if you were here with us,
but maybe it's best that you're not, because given our weakness for crisps. I've got some in the
table in front of me. It's going to take every bit of my willpower not to polish them off. But it's
been lovely to have you with us. Thanks so much. Thank you very much. And yeah, I'm pleased to have
avoided that bag of crisps. Can we resist, Philippa?
No. Definitely not. Thanks so much, Philippa.
Thank you. And thank you for watching.
If you want more episodes of The Global Story, you can find us wherever you get your podcasts.
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