Do you have a UPF diet?

What is the role of ultra processed foods in our diet, and what might they mean for our future health? Dr Andrew Jones of LJMU’s School of Psychology teamed up with researchers at the Institute of Population Health, at the University of Liverpool, to gauge public awareness of the types and risks of UPFs. We asked Andrew about his studies ...

Should we be worried about highly-processed foods, after all, it’s just food isn’t it?

A nice quote from researchers in this area is that ‘Everybody needs food, but nobody needs ultra-processed food’. Essentially, not all calories are equal and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are typically calorie dense (they are foods of high fat, sugar and salt content) but of poor nutritional quality. 

In the UK, UPFs contribute a substantial amount to our diet compared to other some other countries and  there is evidence to suggest that these foods are associated with increased health risks, including depression, cardiovascular diseases and mortality. However, it’s also important to note that these associations might have some confounds too. For instance, people who consume more UPFs may also be more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, come from more deprived backgrounds, all of which are associated with these health outcomes.

You and your colleagues at UoL recently surveyed more than 2,000 people on the topic. What did you find out?

Our aim was to examine the UK public’s awareness and perception of UPFs. We asked individuals if they had heard of the term and if they could correctly identify whether some foods were classed as ultra-processed (such as ice-cream, burgers, breakfast cereals). We found that the majority of the people we surveyed  - 73% - had heard of UPFs, and about 54% reported avoiding these types of foods.  The awareness levels are very similar to research conducted in other European countries.

How aware is the public about what constitutes a highly-processed food?

A widely used definition of UPF is ‘Food that has undergone intense industrial physical, chemical, or biological processes or contains substances not typically found in domestic kitchens’. Members of the public don’t easily identify which foods are UPF. In our study, individuals with higher education levels, greater household income and who were white were better at correctly classifying UPFs but overall, our research shows that correct identification of UPFs occurs in a range of between 35% and 66%.

We also found a lack of confidence in individuals’ ability to identify whether a food was classified as ultra-processed. When asked, only a minority of individuals (39%) reported feeling confident in identifying whether a food was ultra-processed or not.

Are we getting more aware do you think?

It’s certainly possible. There’s been an increased interest in the role of UPFs in our diet and what it might mean for population health. This has coincided with increased media coverage, and popular books such as Chris Van Tulleken’s ‘Ultra-Processed People’.  

Is the problem about just purchasing power, or is there more to it than just how much is in your food budget?

Of course, budget is an important determinant of what we eat, especially in the current economic climate. Typically, foods that might be considered ‘unhealthy’ tend to be cheaper, and this is certainly the case for some ultra-processed foods. For instance, research in Belgium has found that the average price for 100 calories of ultra-processed foods is less than half the average price for 100 calories of minimally processed foods. It’s also important to note that UPFs are typically more convenient, last longer (they’re known as ‘shelf stable’), and ‘hyper-palatable’ (tasty) at the expense of nutritional quality!

We should be trying to increase the affordability of minimally processed foods and make it cheaper and easier to prepare these foods. At the same time, we also need to improve people’s awareness of ultra-processed foods to help people make better dietary choices.

Is highly processed food likely to be a political-legislative battleground in the coming years, do you think?

Most likely. More countries are now creating legislation around UPFs. Many countries now explicitly mention ‘ultra-processed foods’ in national dietary guidelines, and some have even introduced taxes on UPFs. Earlier this year the UK Government published a call for evidence of UPFs in relation to healthy diets and health outcomes.

The study: Consumer Awareness, Perceptions and Avoidance of Ultra-Processed Foods: A Study of UK Adults in 2024 was authored by Eric Robinson, Jenna R. Cummings, Thomas Gough, Andrew Jones and Rebecca Evans and published in the journal Foods in a special edition 'Consumer Behavior and Food Choice'.