UPF

abbreviation

1. ultraviolet protection factor: the effectiveness of clothing fabrics in protecting the skin from the sun’s ultraviolet UVA and UVB radiation, rated on a scale of increasing protectiveness, the number being the ratio of the radiation dose needed to produce minimal redness when wearing the fabric compared to the dose needed to produce the same redness when not wearing it.

   A shirt with a UPF of 50 will reduce your ultraviolet exposure by 50 times (98% UV blockage).

Word History and Origins

Origin of UPF¹

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

Writing in The Lancet, the researchers say governments need "to step up" and introduce warnings and higher taxes on UPF products, to help fund access to more nutritious foods.

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However, leading UPF researchers argued in The Lancet medical journal that these foods present too great a danger to wait any longer, calling for action.

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Eight UPF manufacturers -- Nestle, PepsiCo, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Danone, Fomento Economico Mexicano, Mondelez, and Kraft Heinz -- accounted for 42 percent of the sector's $1.5 trillion in assets in 2021, the paper said.

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Almost all existing UPF research reviewed by the team was observational, which means it cannot directly establish cause and effect.

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Chris van Tulleken, a co-author of the second paper and author of the bestselling book "Ultra-Processed People", accused scientists who have criticised UPF research of often having ties to the food industry.

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