References: Ultra Processed Foods

This page contains numerous articles addressing the numerous adverse health as well as environmental impacts of Ultra Processed Foods.

Studies have consistently shown that the production and consumption of ultra-processed foods are associated with numerous health conditions as well as environmental degradation and biodiversity loss.

Be mindful of “Front Groups” like IAFSN which are funded and influenced by large food corporations and aim to downplay the human and environmental harms associated with ultra-processed foods. They increasingly target dietitians and other nutrition professionals with sponsored “education” and CEU opportunities designed to shape messaging, positioning practitioners as unwitting amplifiers of industry narratives rather than independent, evidence-driven voices. Staying aware of these dynamics helps protect our profession’s integrity and keeps the focus on what truly supports health and planetary well-being.

Please note: These articles have been updated through January 2026. Many more studies to come….

Anastasiou, K., et al. (2022). A conceptual framework for understanding the environmental impacts of ultra-processed foods and implications for sustainable food systems. Journal of Cleaner Production, 368:133155

  1. UPFs account for 17%-39% of total diet-related energy use; 36%-45% of diet-related biodiversity loss; up to one-third of diet-related greenhouse gas emissions, land use and food waste; and up to one-quarter of diet-related water use among adults in various high-income countries.
  2. Linked to land degradation, eutrophication (excessive nutrient runoff prompting overproduction of biomass, resulting in oxygen starvation in water bodies and the organisms living within them) use of herbicides, and packaging waste

Monteiro, Carlos A et al.  Ultra-processed foods and human health: the main thesis and the evidence  2025  

  • WONDERFUL GRAPHIC HERE  
  • The first hypothesis-that this pattern is globally displacing long-established diets centered on whole foods and their culinary preparation as dishes and meals-is supported by decades of national food intake and purchase surveys, and recent global sales data. The second-that this pattern results in deterioration of diet quality, especially in relation to chronic disease prevention-is confirmed by national food intake surveys, large cohorts, and interventional studies showing gross nutrient imbalances; overeating driven by high energy density, hyper-palatability, soft texture, and disrupted food matrices; reduced intake of health-protective phytochemicals; and increased intake of toxic compounds, endocrine disruptors, and potentially harmful classes and mixtures of food additives.
  • The third and final hypothesis-that this pattern increases the risk of multiple diet-related chronic diseases through various mechanisms-is substantiated by more than 100 prospective studies, meta-analyses, randomised controlled trials, and mechanistic studies, covering adverse outcomes across nearly all organ systems.  
  •  Displacement of long-established dietary patterns by ultra-processed foods is a key driver of the escalating global burden of multiple diet-related chronic diseases.

Chamarthi, V The impact of ultra-processed foods on pediatric health 2025

  • Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have become increasingly incorporated into pediatric diets, accounting for approximately 67 % of the total energy consumption in United States (US) children. 
  • UPF intake has dramatically increased during early childhood, with toddlers and school-aged children obtaining 47 % and 59.4 % of their daily calories, respectively, from UPFs. Higher consumption is linked to pediatric obesity, cardiometabolic risks such as insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), mental health concerns, and gut microbiome disruption. Early-life exposure to UPFs can establish unhealthy dietary patterns that persist into adulthood, raising the risk of chronic disease. Greater UPF consumption is often observed among lower-income families, highlighting a key health disparity.

Chen, X.,et al. (2020, August 20) Consumption of ultra-processed foods and health outcomes: a systematic review of epidemiological studies. Nutrition Journal, 19(86).

  1. In the last half century food processing has evolved greatly as a consequence of the industrialization and globalization of food systems [1]. Negative effects on nutritional dietary quality emerged subsequently, such as higher content in free sugars, saturated fats, energy density and sodium, and less content in protein, fiber and micronutrients. 
  2. High UPFs consumption was obviously associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality, overall cardiovascular diseases, coronary heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, overweight and obesity, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, overall cancer, postmenopausal breast cancer, gestational obesity, adolescent asthma and wheezing, and frailty vxzzz

Fraanje W, Garnett, T. What is ultra-processed food? And why do people disagree about its utility as a concept? Table Debates Website. https://tabledebates.org/building-blocks/what-ultra-processed-food-and-why-do-people-disagree-about-its-utility-concept#UPFBB1 Published 02 Jul 2019, accessed, Jun 28th, 2024

  1. Increased intake of UPFs is associated with a range of medical conditions. Most studies focus on overweight and obesity; some studies find significant associations with, for example, overall and breast cancer18 , overall mortality, hypertension , metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular diseases.
  2. For most studies, these associations remain significant after adjusting for common confounding factors such as lack of physical exercise or smoking. Many of these studies are longitudinal cohort studies and suggest that these associations remain significant over time

The dangers of ultra-processed foods Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Dec 2023

  1. Ultra-processed foods are everywhere; the category includes many cereals, breads, yogurts, and frozen dinners — not to mention sweets and sodas. In fact, they make up nearly 60% of the typical American diet. But there’s mounting evidence that ultra-processed foods are potentially addictive and uniquely dangerous, linked to conditions including obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Our experts will walk through the science and share policy recommendations, as well as tips for healthy eating.

Hall, Kevin D. et al. Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food IntakeCell Metabolism, Volume 30, Issue 1, 67 – 77.e3

  • People eating ultra-processed foods ate more calories and gained more weight than when they ate a minimally processed diet, according to results from a National Institutes of Health study. The difference occurred even though meals provided to the volunteers in both the ultra-processed and minimally processed diets had the same number of calories and macronutrients.

Lane et al. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses. BMJ 2024;384:e077310 doi:

  1. Ultra-processed foods — such as frozen dinners, sugary cereals, potato chips and fast food — account for up to 58 percent of total daily energy intake in the United States
  2. Greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorders, and mortality outcomes.
  3. Higher ultra-processed food intake was associated with about a 50 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease-related death, a 48 to 53 percent higher risk of anxiety and common mental disorders, and a 12 percent greater risk of Type 2 diabetes.

Monteiro, P et al .  Ultra-processed foods and human health: the main thesis and the evidence. THe Lancet November 18, 2025 ***

  • This pattern results in deterioration of diet quality, especially in relation to chronic disease prevention—is confirmed by national food intake surveys, large cohorts, and interventional studies showing gross nutrient imbalances; overeating driven by high energy density, hyper-palatability, soft texture, and disrupted food matrices; reduced intake of health-protective phytochemicals; and increased intake of toxic compounds, endocrine disruptors, and potentially harmful classes and mixtures of food additives.
  •  This pattern increases the risk of multiple diet-related chronic diseases through various mechanisms—is substantiated by more than 100 prospective studies, meta-analyses, randomised controlled trials, and mechanistic studies, covering adverse outcomes across nearly all organ systems. The totality of the evidence supports the thesis that displacement of long-established dietary patterns by ultra-processed foods is a key driver of the escalating global burden of multiple diet-related chronic diseases
  •  Two companion papers in this Series specify policy actions and wider public health strategies to promote, protect, and support diets based on fresh and minimally processed foods and prevent their displacement by ultra-processed foods.

Prescott, S et al. Nutritional Criminology: Why the Emerging Research on Ultra-Processed Food Matters to Health and Justice J. Environ. Res. Public Health2024, 21(2), 120;

  • The rise in ultra-processed foods in the 20th century is a key factor implicated in the rise in the pandemic of noncommunicable physical and mental diseases through immune and metabolic effects beginning early in life. Growing evidence linking ultra-processed foods to various neuropsychiatric outcomes and antisocial and/or aggressive behavior has major implications for the criminal justice system and society at large
  • ultra-processed food consumption has recently been associated with low-grade systemic inflammation [40,41] and appears to influence systemic metabolites and energy uptake via changes to the gut microbiome.
  • When Swanson was campaigning on her suspicions that highly processed foods were contributing to juvenile delinquency, she blamed “adult delinquents” and “lawmakers and special interest groups with selfish interests” who allowed for policies and practices that were making highly processed, additive-containing foods the norm rather than the exception.

Rondinella, D . The Detrimental Impact of Ultra-Processed Foods on the Human Gut Microbiome and Gut Barrier

  1. UPFs, characterized by a high content of synthetic additives and emulsifiers, and low fiber content, are associated with a decrease in microbial diversity, lower levels of beneficial bacteria like Akkermansia muciniphila and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, and an increase in pro-inflammatory microorganisms. 
  2. These alterations in the microbial community contribute to persistent inflammation, which is associated with various chronic disorders including metabolic syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer. In addition, UPFs may alter the gut–brain axis, potentially affecting cognitive function and mental health.

Seferidi, P., Scrinis, G., Huybrechts, I., et al. (2020). The neglected environmental impacts of ultra-processed foods. The Lancet Planetary Health, 4(10) e437-48:

  • Many UPFs contain palm and soy oils, which have substantial negative health and environmental effects.
  • The packaging has also been postulated to contain compounds with carcinogenic and endocrine disruptor properties, such as bisphenol A.
  • The raw agricultural ingredients and other planetary resources currently deployed to produce UPFs could otherwise contribute to a healthy diet that promotes population health and equity in food security, while reducing environmental impact from food production.

Ultra-processed foods: time to put health before profit; The Lancet Editorial November 18, 2025

  • UPFs are the most processed group of foods in the Nova classification system, which categorises foods by the extent and purpose of processing. UPFs are identified by the presence of sensory-related additives that enhance the texture, flavour, or appearance of foods. 
  • It is the overall UPF dietary pattern, whereby whole and minimally processed foods are replaced by processed alternatives, and the interaction between multiple harmful additives, that drives adverse health effects.
  • At the core of the UPF industry is the large-scale processing of cheap commodities, such as maize, wheat, soy, and palm oil, into a wide array of food-derived substances and additives, controlled by a small number of transnational corporations. UPFs are aggressively marketed and engineered to be hyperpalatable, driving repeated consumption and often displacing traditional, nutrient-rich foods. In many high-income countries, UPFs comprise about 50% of household food intake, and consumption is rising quickly in low-income and middle-income countries. The harms extend to planetary health. Industrial production, processing, and transport of agri-commodities are fossil-fuel intensive systems, and plastic packaging is ubiquitous in UPFs.
  • A handful of manufacturers dominate the market, including Nestlé, PepsiCo, Unilever, and Coca-Cola. A comprehensive, government-led approach is needed to reverse the rise in UPF consumption. Priority actions include adding ultra-processed markers, such as colours, flavours, and non-sugar sweeteners, to nutrient profiling models used to identify unhealthy foods; mandatory front-of-pack warning labels; bans on marketing aimed at children; restrictions on these types of foods in public institutions; and higher taxes on UPFs.
  • Equity must be central when addressing the challenge of UPFs. Consumption tends to be higher among people facing economic hardship. Efforts to transition away from diets that are high in UPFs must not deepen gender inequities in cooking or food insecurity among populations who are dependent on cheap UPF options. Echoing the recommendations of the EAT–Lancet Commission, transforming food systems will require redirecting agricultural subsidies away from large, transnational corporations. Instead, a diverse range of food producers should be supported in creating locally sourced, affordable, minimally processed foods and meals that are convenient and appealing to consumers. Taxation on UPFs could help to fund cash transfers for whole foods and other minimally processed foods to help protect low-income households.

Zhou X, Qiao K, Wu H, Zhang Y. The Impact of Food Additives on the Abundance and Composition of Gut Microbiota. 2023 Jan 7;28(2):631. doi: 10.3390/molecules28020631. PMID: 36677689; PMCID: PMC9864936.

  • As the function of gut microbiota on host gut health, metabolism, immune, inflammation, and diseases has been studied deeply, researchers have raised concerns about the effect of food additives on the gut microbiota.
  • Human gut microbes were found to be highly susceptible to sodium nitrite, sodium benzoate, and potassium sorbate, especially, Clostridium tyrobutyricumor Lactobacillus paracasei, which have known anti-inflammatory properties, were significantly more susceptible to those three preservatives
  • Acesulfame-K, aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose are likely to destroy glucose tolerance and support weight gain by negatively affecting microbiota.
  • Emulsifiers used to maintain food-specific properties may increase the translocation of pathogenic microbes in the intestinal epithelial barrier and cause the initiation of intestinal inflammation and consequently cause the increase in the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease

PODCAST: Neena Prasad on the power of ultra-processed foods https://tabledebates.org/podcast/episode52

  1. People across the world are consuming more ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Will Latin American countries and elsewhere follow the path of the US and the UK, where over half of calories consumed now come from UPFs?  Dr Neena Prasad, director of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Food Policy Program, joins us to talk about the power of and the power behind UPFs. We talk about the utility and harms of processing foods, the links between the tobacco industry and UPFs, and the public health measures advocated by the Food Policy Program. These include taxing UPFs, putting restrictions on marketing  (especially to children), advancing public sector health promoting policies, and front-of-package nutrition labeling.

WEBINAR: Ultra processed foods: implications for nutrition policy and recommendations – Food Truths Webinar from Diet ID, October 2020

  1. Ultra-processed foods are important both as a way to categorize food descriptively, and as a way to quantify and analyze diet in terms of health risk. But what does ultra-processed mean, and what are the different levels of ultra-processing? What do the data tell us about the link between ultra-processed food intake and chronic disease risk? When evaluating diet quality, how does using level of ultra-processing compare to using nutrient adequacy? How did ultra-processed foods dominate our food supply and shape eating habits, and what can we do about it?