Ultra-Processed Foods: What You Really Need to Know (2026)
Executive Summary: Ultra-Processed Foods and Your Health
This article explains the health concerns associated with ultra-processed foods (UPFs)—industrial products that typically contain many ingredients, additives, preservatives, artificial flavors, and colors and are designed for convenience, long shelf life, and palatability. It outlines evidence linking high consumption of these foods with widespread negative health outcomes and urges greater awareness of what we eat.
Definition and Classification
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UPFs fall under the highest category (Group 4) in the NOVA food classification system, distinguishing them from unprocessed and minimally processed foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fresh meat.
Major Health Risks
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Research shows that diets high in ultra-processed foods are associated with poorer health outcomes across multiple bodily systems. A broad umbrella review found consistent links between UPF intake and 32 different adverse health effects, including metabolic dysfunction, cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory disease, mental health disorders, and overall mortality.
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A large Lancet study highlighted increased risks of specific cancers (e.g., ovarian and breast) with greater UPF consumption, noting that each 10 % increase in UPF in the diet correlated with higher cancer incidence and mortality.
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Evidence also connects UPFs with cognitive decline and faster loss of executive function in middle-aged and older adults.
Prevalence and Lifestyle Impacts
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Ultra-processed foods represent a large portion of modern diets globally, replacing traditional whole foods due to convenience, taste, and aggressive marketing. Their widespread consumption contributes to rising rates of chronic diseases and places a burden on public health.
Dietary Guidance
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Reducing intake of ultra-processed foods and choosing whole, minimally processed alternatives is recommended to improve health outcomes.
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Consumers are advised to read ingredient lists carefully and prefer foods with short, recognizable ingredient lists.
Introduction
Readers ask a variety of questions regarding ultra-processed foods (such as fast-food hamburgers, instant noodles, cakes, potato chips, etc.). This article is mainly a result of those questions. With that in mind, please accept the following for what it is: a compilation of processed foods related information that is important to know.Ultra-processed foods already make up more than half of the total dietary energy consumed in high-income countries such as the USA, Canada and the UK and between one-fifth and one-third of total dietary energy in middle-income countries such as Brazil, Mexico and Chile. (PubMed 2019).
They taste good and are convenient and affordable. However, research shows that ultra-processed foods may cause serious health problems, and excessive consumption can increase the risk of death.
*Umbrella review: An umbrella review, or a review of reviews, is a systematic review that only considers other systematic reviews as an eligible study type for inclusion. An umbrella review compiles evidence from multiple existing reviews and is one of the strongest and highest levels of evidence within the scientific community.
The study found an increase in the risk of total mortality with higher ultra-processed food consumption. The positive associations were mainly driven by meat/poultry/seafood based ready-to-eat products, sugar and artificially sweetened beverages, dairy based desserts, and ultra-processed breakfast foods.
Excessive Consumption Increases the Risk of Early Death
Data show up to 71 percent of packaged foods sold in the United States are considered ultra-processed. Although there are differences based on education and income levels, the intake of ultra-processed foods is generally high across all socioeconomic levels.
Study findings published in the British Medical Journal in May 2019 showed that consuming large amounts of ultra-processed foods (more than four servings per day) increased overall mortality by 62 percent over the maximum 15-year follow-up period. For every additional daily serving of ultra-processed food consumed, overall mortality increased by 18 percent. This study followed 19,899 participants (7,786 men and 12,113 women) with an average age of 37.6 years for a median duration of 10.4 years between 1999 and 2014.
The researchers pointed out that this study is observational and can’t establish causality, though several other studies have revealed specific mechanisms of action that link key ingredients in processed foods to disease-causing cellular processes such as insulin resistance and systemic inflammation. Unmeasured confounding factors may also influence some observed risks. Nevertheless, these and other findings support studies linking ultra-processed foods with adverse health conditions.
The research team stated that policies must be developed to limit the proportion of ultra-processed foods in diets and promote the consumption of unprocessed or minimally processed foods to improve global public health.
Higher Consumption Raises Certain Cancer Rates
The term “ultra-processed foods” comes from the NOVA food classification system (pdf) developed by researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. The system categorizes foods into four groups based on their degree of processing during production:
- Unprocessed or minimally processed foods: Fruits, vegetables, milk, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts that have not had any ingredients added and have undergone minimal changes compared to their natural state
- Processed ingredients: Foods added to other foods and not consumed alone, such as salt, sugar, and oil
- Processed foods: Made from the first two food groups and can be changed in various ways (examples: jams, pickles, canned fruits, homemade bread, cheeses)
- Ultra-processed foods: Usually contain five or more ingredients with a long shelf life and often contain many industrial additives such as preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners, and artificial colors and flavors.
A study published in February 2023 in the Lancet journal found that consuming large amounts of ultra-processed foods is associated with an increased risk of cancer, particularly ovarian and brain cancer. In addition, the study found that high consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with an increased risk of mortality from cancer, especially ovarian and breast cancer.
The study found that for every 10 percent increase in ultra-processed food intake in the diet, there was a 2 percent increase in cancer rates and a 19 percent increase in ovarian cancer rates. For every 10 percent increase in ultra-processed food consumption, there was a 6 percent increase in overall cancer mortality rates, a 16 percent increase in breast cancer mortality rates, and a 30 percent increase in ovarian cancer mortality rates.
This is the most comprehensive assessment of the association between ultra-processed foods and cancer risk to date.
“This study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that ultra-processed foods may have negative health effects, including an increased risk of cancer,” said Eszter Vamos, the study’s lead senior author and senior clinical lecturer in public health medicine at Imperial College London.Ultra-Processed Foods and Gut Health
One French study of more than 100,000 adults in 2024 found those who were more exposed to emulsifiers had a greater risk of type 2 diabetes. Another study of more than 90,000 adults found a potential link between emulsifiers and breast and prostate cancers.
While these were correlations, by collecting intestinal samples Chassaing and colleagues have also shown in a small trial on humans that when healthy individuals consumed an emulsifier commonly used as a thickener in food, it disrupted the gut microbes and reduced healthy microbes.
Kevin Whelan, a professor of dietetics at Kings College London and Chassaing have recently collaborated on a clinical trial where individuals with Crohn's disease. The trial found those on a restricted emulsifier diet were three times more likely to experience reduced symptoms, compared to those who ate a regular intake of emulsifiers as part of their diet.
Despite the health concerns over their use, there is no public guidance over whether we should avoid emulsifiers. One reason is because there are simply so many additives in our food and scientists don't definitely know how many are toxic, or whether it's the combination of them that's harmful, Whelan says.
In a randomised control trial, Lane and colleagues found that a diet high in ultra-processed food resulted in lower gut microbe diversity. The team compared two groups over three weeks; both ate low calorie diets, and the diets contained comparable nutrients.
The best thing, says Sarah Berry, a professor of nutrition from Kings College London, is to cook from scratch using fresh ingredients as much as possible. It's unrealistic to avoid ultra-processed foods altogether, she says.
Whelan agrees: "I wouldn't want to be saying to the general public, 'never eat anything that has a food additive in it', I certainly don't do that and I'm and not recommending people do it." What we can all do, he says, is think about eating more healthily. "Food is a really precious thing in our lives and we should celebrate it."
Clearly, moderation is key and rather than only focussing on what to take away, we can also consider what to add to our diet, Berry says, especially when it comes to snacks, as they account for a significant portion of our daily calories.
Ultimately, a good rule of thumb is to eat much fresh produce as possible. When we do so, our health – and our microbes – only benefit.
Ultra-Processed Foods Linked to Various Diseases
A study published in JAMA Neurology in December 2022 found that limiting the intake of ultra-processed foods may help reduce cognitive decline in middle-aged and older people.
The research team from the School of Medicine at the University of São Paulo in Brazil recruited 10,775 participants ages 35 to 74. It divided them into four groups based on the percentage of ultra-processed foods that they consumed as part of their overall diet. The participants were followed for a median of eight years.
The statistics showed that compared with the group that consumed the least amount of ultra-processed foods, middle-aged people who consumed the highest percentage (three-quarters of their diet) experienced a 28 percent faster decline in cognitive ability and a 25 percent faster decline in “executive function,” which is necessary for learning, working, and daily life, over the course of the study.
In a different study, published in May 2019 in the British Medical Journal, researchers from France and Brazil evaluated the association between ultra-processed food intake and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, including heart disease and stroke.
They divided 105,159 participants (21,912 men and 83,247 women) with an average age of 42.7 years into groups based on the processing level of the foods in their diets. They also measured disease incidence during a follow-up period of up to 10 years (2009 to 2018).
Researchers found that when the absolute proportion of ultra-processed foods in the diet increased by 10 percent, there was a corresponding increase in overall CVD incidence rates by 12 percent, with the rate of heart disease increasing by 13 percent, and the rate of stroke increasing by 11 percent.
Processed foods vs unprocessed Foods
Generally speaking, it's easy to spot ultra-processed foods — they're the ones with long ingredient lists. They're found on store shelves or in freezers, refrigerated sections, delis, or bakeries. Common types of ultra-processed foods include packaged, ready-to-eat entr'es or meals; prepared side dishes; snacks; or sweets of any kind (such as cookies and cakes).
But sometimes ultra-processed foods appear to be healthy when they're not. That is particularly true of ultra-processed versions of fruit-flavored yogurts, refrigerated soups, refrigerated pastas (such as chicken tortellini), granola bars, juices, breakfast cereals, frozen yogurt, low-fat salad dressings, condiments, butter substitutes, low-salt crackers, or nut butters.
How can you tell if something is ultra-processed? It's just a matter of reading the ingredient list on a food's label. If you see numerous ingredients, including chemicals and any words you don't recognize, that food is probably ultra-processed. Put it back and look for something with the shortest list of ingredients possible.
Ultra-Processed Foods and Teens
2022 evidence suggests that teenagers who consume more ultra-processed foods are likelier to make unhealthy dietary choices than those who consume less. Study results released at the American Heart Association’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions held in September 2022 found a link between poor dietary habits and certain ultra-processed foods, such as pastries, candy, and frozen desserts.
In a two-month experiment, more than 300 teenagers completed a dietary survey detailing their ultra-processed food intake. The results showed an increase in the frequency of frozen dessert consumption was associated with an 11 percent increase in all other ultra-processed food consumption; an increase in the frequency of pastry consumption was associated with a 12 percent increase in all other ultra-processed food consumption; and an increase in the frequency of candy consumption was associated with a 31 percent increase in all other ultra-processed food consumption.
Maria Balhara, the study’s lead researcher and a student at the David Brautman College in Florida, said: “Ultra-processed foods are designed to be very tasty or designed to be as addictive as possible. They are cheap and convenient, making them difficult to resist. Most people eat too much of these foods without realizing it.”
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Processed Foods
Q: Is formula milk an ultra processed food?
A: Infant formula, also known as baby formula, is an ultra-processed food designed for feeding babies and infants under 12 months of age. It is typically prepared from powder or liquid and contains ingredients such as powdered milk proteins, vegetable oils, lactose, and additives (Wikipedia, PubMed 2023).Q: Is Soy Formula an ultra processed food?
Soy milk falls under the category of ultra-processed foods because it has to go through a series of industrial processes,2 but these processing steps are necessary.
“Processing is necessary to make soy milk safe and nutritious, and it is unlike other ultra-processed foods that are often high in added sugars, unhealthy fats, and artificial additives, which can have negative health implications if consumed excessively,” Debbie Petitpain, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietitian based in Charleston, South Carolina, told Verywell in an email.
Q: Is whey protein an ultra processed food?
Q: Is canned food considered processed food?
A: Yes, canned food is considered as processed food. Processed foods refer to any food that’s changed from its natural state, and this can include food that was simply cut, washed, heated, pasteurized, canned, cooked, frozen, dried, dehydrated, mixed, or packaged (WebMD).References
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