WHAT ARE ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS?
The term ‘ultra-processed foods’ came from the NOVA food classification system
The term ‘ultra-processed foods’ came from the NOVA food classification system, created by Professor Carlos Monteiro and scientists at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil.
Endorsed by the World Health Organization and the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, NOVA is the most widely researched and validated food processing classification.
NOVA categorises all foods and beverages into four groups based on their degree of industrial processing:
Group 1: Unprocessed and minimally processed foods
Foods in their natural state or have undergone minimal processing using methods such as drying, grinding, boiling, freezing or pasteurising. Examples are fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables, meats, nuts, grains, pulses, eggs, fish and milk.
Group 2: Processed culinary ingredients
Ingredients that have undergone simple processing and are used in everyday home cooking. They help season and flavour Group 1 foods. e.g. oil, butter, sugar and salt.
Group 3: Processed foods
Foods which have undergone processing techniques such as canning or bottling to preserve foods and enhance their flavour (eg tinned tomatoes or fish). This can include combining Group 1 and Group 2 foods to make a new product (eg using fermentation to make a simple cheese using milk and salt)
Group 4: Ultra-processed foods
Ultra-processed foods have undergone a series of industrial processes that include fractioning of a few whole foods into oils, fats, sugar, protein and other substances before recombining them back together.
Ultra-processed foods typically have high levels of sugar, salt and saturated fat, and are often loaded with industrial substances not found in a household kitchen, such as additives to enhance colour and flavour, and enable modification of shape and texture.
Examples of Ultra-processed foods are soft drinks & colas, mass-produced packaged bread, flavoured yogurts, most breakfast cereals, confectionery, packaged sweet, savoury & salted snacks, chicken and fish ‘nuggets’, and many ready meals.
Ultra-processed foods are not technically “foods” but “edible industrial substances.” Ultra-processed foods are designed to be cheap, convenient, durable, extremely tasty and attractively packaged. They are heavily marketed and created to displace all other foods and dishes.
How to identify ultra-processed foods?
- A long list of ingredients
- Ingredients that you don’t recognise or wouldn’t use at home, such as additives.
- High fat, sugar and salt content
- Long shelf life