Why We Need More Nuance on Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs)

9 Oct

By Bogomila Tosheva | Registered Associate Nutritionist

The Problem With the “All or Nothing” View of UPFs

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have become a convenient target in the health and wellness world. From TikTok warnings to wellness podcasts, they’re blamed for everything from inflammation to obesity.

But like most black-and-white nutrition debates, the reality is far more nuanced. Food and health aren’t moral equations and reducing them to one ingredient or process ignores the bigger picture.

The term “ultra-processed” comes from the NOVA classification system, which groups foods by how much industrial processing they’ve gone through.

Under NOVA, ultra-processed includes:

Packaged snacks and soft drinks
Instant meals or takeaways
Breakfast cereals and protein bars
Even items like fortified plant milks or shop-bought bread

While this framework helps researchers study diet patterns, it isn’t a perfect measure of health. For example, a fortified yoghurt drink and a doughnut both fall into the same category but their nutritional impact, context, and role in someone’s diet differ greatly.

Why Blanket Messages About UPFs Miss the Point

The growing message to “cut all UPFs” might sound empowering, but it often replicates diet culture in disguise. When foods are split into “good” or “bad,” eating becomes a moral act.

This mindset can easily lead to:

Food guilt and anxiety
Restrictive or binge patterns
Disconnection from hunger and satisfaction cues

Processing Isn’t Automatically Bad

Food processing exists for a reason. It helps make food safer, longer-lasting, and more convenient. It also plays a role in nutrition equity; tinned beans, frozen vegetables, or pasteurised milk are all technically “processed,” but they make balanced eating easier for many people.

Demonising all processing misses this nuance. The issue isn’t the existence of UPFs, but rather the systems that leave people with few alternatives: income inequality, time poverty, or limited access to fresh produce. UPFs are affordable, accessible, familiar, and sometimes the only practical choice.

How to Build a Balanced Relationship With UPFs

Instead of obsessing over whether a food is “ultra-processed,” it’s more helpful to zoom out and look at your overall eating pattern.

Small tweaks matter more than total overhauls. Try pairing a ready meal with a side of frozen veg, adding a source of protein to a convenience snack, or simply noticing how foods make you feel without judgement.

Both things can be true:

Some UPFs contribute little nutritionally and can make it harder for you to notice your fullness signals.
Some UPFs make eating possible, pleasurable, or less stressful.

You don’t have to fear UPFs to care about your health. You can hold compassion for your food choices and still make gentle improvements where they feel sustainable.

References:

Monteiro, C. A. et al. (2019). Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them. Public Health Nutrition, 22(5), 936–941. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30744710/

Monteiro, C. A. et al. (2018). The UN Decade of Nutrition, the NOVA food classification and the trouble with ultra-processing. Public Health Nutrition, 21(1), 5–17. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28322183/

The Food Foundation (2023). Food Insecurity Tracker – UK Update. https://foodfoundation.org.uk/initiatives/food-insecurity-tracking

British Nutrition Foundation (2022). Understanding Food Processing. https://www.nutrition.org.uk/media/3ylbwf3s/british-nutrition-foundation-upf-position-statement_updated-may-2024.pdf