ultra-processed

Also high·ly proc·essed

[uhl-truh-pros-est]

adjective

1. being, consisting of, or relating to a food product whose form and substance have gone through multiple processes of modification along with the addition of such ingredients as sugars, salt, fats, and artificial preservatives, colors, or flavors.

   My intake of ultra-processed foods is down to an occasional hotdog at the ballpark and one weekly order of chicken nuggets.

   The study found that participants eating an ultra-processed diet ate faster.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ultra-processed¹

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Experts from around the world are raising alarms about the rapid global rise of ultra-processed foods, warning that UPFs are reshaping diets and driving a surge in chronic health problems.

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Professor Carlos Monteiro, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, explains, "The growing consumption of ultra-processed foods is reshaping diets worldwide, displacing fresh and minimally processed foods and meals. This change in what people eat is fueled by powerful global corporations who generate huge profits by prioritizing ultra-processed products, supported by extensive marketing and political lobbying to stop effective public health policies to support healthy eating."

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Professor Marion Nestle, New York University, US, notes, "Improving diets worldwide requires policies tailored to each country's unique situation and how entrenched UPFs have become in people's daily eating habits. While priorities may differ, urgent action is needed everywhere to regulate ultra-processed foods alongside existing efforts to reduce high fat, salt, and sugar content."

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Ultra-processed foods are defined as containing more than five ingredients which you would not find at home in your kitchen cupboard, such as emulsifiers, preservatives, additives, dyes and sweeteners.

Read more on BBC

Review author Prof Carlos Monteiro, from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, who set up the Nova classification system for categorising food, said the growing consumption of ultra-processed foods "is reshaping diets worldwide, displacing fresh and minimally processed foods and meals".

Read more on BBC