Scientists are learning why ultra-processed foods are bad for you
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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. For millennia, people have altered food to please their palates. More than 3,000 years ago Mesoamericans, living in what is Mexico and Central America today, cooked corn kernels in a solution of wood ash or limestone.
The process, known as nixtamalisation, unlocked nutrients and softened the tough outer shells of the corn, making it easier to grind. With the invention of tinned goods and pasteurisation in the 19th century, food alchemy became possible on an industrial scale. Processing innovations made food cheaper, more convenient and plentiful.
According to the UN,the average daily food supply available for a person in the rich world increased by over 20% between 1961 and 2021, to 3,500 kilocalories. In that time, obesity rates have more than tripled; today, nearly one in three people globally is obese or overweight. Now concerns are growing that the heavy processing used to cook up cheap, tasty nibbles may itself be harmful.
A particular target is “ultra-processed foods" (upfs), a relatively recent label put forward by Carlos Monteiro, a Brazilian scientist. Robert F. Kennedy junior, Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of health, has likened processed food to “poison" and promised to reduce the share ofUPFs in American diets.
In November 2023 Colombia imposed a tax on highly processed foods and drinks. Authorities in Brazil, Canada and Peru have advised the public to limit consumption of these foods. In Britain parliamentarians are investigating the effects of UPFs on people’s health.
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