Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) with their brightly coloured packaging, tempting price tags and convenience have become a staple in many UK households, but there is growing evidence linking these foods to serious health risks, ranging from obesity and heart disease to cancer.
These foods are concerning because they are richly processed and often contain few ‘natural’ ingredients. Common examples of UPFs include sausages, carbonated drinks, crisps, ice-cream and biscuits, all of which are rarely considered nutritious. But UPFs can also appear innocuous and be marketed as ‘healthy’, leading people to consume them without questioning whether they may be harmful in the long term. These include mass-produced bread, some breakfast cereals, instant soup and fruit-flavoured yoghurts that often have extra ingredients added during production, including emulsifiers, sweeteners and artificial flavours and colours.
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