Ultra Processed Foods - UPF
Ultra-processed foods are food products that are heavily processed and often contain a multitude of additives, preservatives, flavourings, and other synthetic ingredients. These foods typically undergo extensive industrial processing and may contain minimal whole or natural ingredients.
Examples of ultra-processed foods include:
Sugary drinks: Such as sodas, fruit drinks, energy drinks, and sweetened teas.
Packaged snacks: Like chips, crackers, cookies, and candy bars.
Instant noodles and soups: Packaged meals that require minimal preparation.
Fast food: Burgers, fries, pizzas, and other convenience foods typically found in fast-food chains.
Frozen meals: Pre-packaged meals that require minimal cooking, often containing high levels of salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats.
Processed meats: Such as hot dogs, sausages, and deli meats, which are often high in sodium and preservatives.
These foods are often high in unhealthy fats, added sugars, salt, and low in essential nutrients. Consuming a diet high in ultra-processed foods is associated with various health risks, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions. Therefore, it's generally recommended to limit the intake of ultra-processed foods and prioritize whole, minimally processed foods in the diet for better health outcomes.
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Hundreds of epidemiological studies and meta-analyses have reported associations between ultra-processed food consumption and adverse health outcomes.
In a linked paper Lane and colleagues below have now carefully reviewed the evidence from 45 meta-analyses encompassing almost 10 million participants.
They found direct associations between exposure to ultra-processed foods and 32 health parameters including mortality, cancer, and mental, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and metabolic ill health.
Reasons to avoid ultra-processed foods. Editorials, BMJ 2024; (Published 28 February 2024)
Linked paper.
“Greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorder, and mortality outcomes. These findings provide a rationale to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of using population based and public health measures to target and reduce dietary exposure to ultra-processed foods for improved human health. They also inform and provide support for urgent mechanistic research.”
Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-077310
UPF linked to ill health
The Battle to Come.
From the Lane paper covering 10 million people.
"Recognising the importance of establishing causality, we acknowledge that further randomised controlled trials are needed, particularly for outcomes for which strong meta-analytic epidemiological evidence exists, such as cardiometabolic disorder and common mental disorder outcomes. However, only short-term trials testing the effect of ultra-processed food exposure on intermediate outcomes (such as alterations to body weight, insulin resistance, depressive and anxiety symptoms, gut microbiome, and inflammation) would be feasible. Setting up trials testing the effect of long-term exposure to interventions with suspected deleterious properties (that is, diets rich in ultra-processed foods) on hard disease endpoints such as cardiovascular disease or cancer will not be possible, for obvious ethical reason".
beware New improved UPF
Lorillard Tobacco Company’s “Kent Micronite” cigarette brand contained crocidolite asbestos from 1952 to 1956. According to Lorillard, crocidolite asbestos was included to provide a finer filtration system. The company advertised better filtration of smoke irritants and a more enjoyable smoking experience.
However, asbestos exposure can lead to numerous health issues, including mesothelioma cancer. Some experts consider crocidolite asbestos the most dangerous type of the mineral. These fibers are fine, sharp and easier to inhale than other types of asbestos. Smoking these cigarettes led to direct inhalation of asbestos fibers into consumers’ lungs.
In 1985 tobacco Giant RJ Reynolds bought Nabisco Foods, Tobacco pioneer Philip Morris bought General Foods and 3 years later Kraft Foods.
There really are 10 companies that control most of the food and drinks you’ll find in the grocery store. Between them, these giants - whose revenues add up to more than a billion dollars a day - own hundreds of common brands, from Cheerios to Ben & Jerry’s, Odwalla to Tropicana (See the infographic above to learn more).
You have the illusion of choice. Thousands of products, but basically all made from the same few products. Just 15 items provide 90% of the content of your food today. If you look on the back of most packets you will see its even less - cereal, soy, seed oil, sugar, flavours and additives.
High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Maize (corn)
- Rice
- Wheat
- Potato
- Cassava (manioc)
- Soybeans
- Sweet potato
- Sorghum
- Yam
- Plantains
- Barley
- Banana
- Millet
- Beans
- Coconut
UPF marketing
In September 2022, the White House hosted a conference that focused on nutrition, health, and hunger in America. Dariush Mozaffarian, who was one of the main organizers of the event and is currently Dean of the Tufts School of Nutrition — presented a newly designed food pyramid that only cost 3 years of time and millions of taxpayer dollars. The new wisdom they found? Lucky Charms are healthier than steak.
Don’t believe me? Here’s some results pulled out of the Tuft Food Compass.
This is ridiculous - read: Tufts University’s Food Compass: Is It ‘Broken’? https://optimisingnutrition.com/tufts-food-compass/
Mexico - Kelloggs UPF
Mexico food labelling.
2019 policy requires companies that make unhealthy foods to include warning labels on the front of any boxes they sell in Mexico to educate consumers about things like excess sugar and fat. Any food with a warning label — like Kellogg’s Fruit Loops or its Frosted Flakes, which typically contain more than 37 grams of added sugar in a 100-gram serving — is also banned from including a mascot on its packaging.
Kellogg’s, the company behind the mascots known in the United States as Tony the Tiger and Toucan Sam, has already sued the Mexican government over the labeling policy. And now, it’s ratcheting up its marketing to keep Toño and Sam alive: Toño has curateda Spotify playlist, starred in a commercial alongside a famous Mexican soccer announcer, and even has seen his likenesses illuminated in the sky by drones, in a light show high above Mexico City.
In supermarkets, you’ll still see Toño and Sam on the shelves. They’re advertising new versions of Fruit Loops and Frosted Flakes that claim to be low in added sugar; the nutrition facts for both products say they have roughly one gram per serving. The company replaced sugar with the sweetener allulose.
Mexican authorities expected this. They included a provision in the policy that required companies to also warn when products contained artificial sweeteners. But, according to media reports, the food industry successfully lobbied the Mexican government to not classify allulose as a sweetener. “We fully comply with the regulation requirements, while at the same time we developed different new food options for our consumers,” Kellogg’s said in a statement, adding that “allulose is clearly labeled and fully meets the regulatory requirement in Mexico.”
Kellogg’s isn’t the only company throwing everything they have at fighting Mexico’s policy, and finding loopholes to exploit. Companies like Coca-Cola and Kraft Heinz have begun designing their products so that their packages don’t have a true front or back, but rather two nearly identical labels — except for the fact that only one side has the required warning. As a result, supermarket clerks often place the products with the warning facing inward, effectively hiding it. Dozens of companies have also sued; several cases have already made it up to the Mexican Supreme Court.
Article: Kellogg’s is going to war over Mexico’s nutrition label rules. A similar fight is coming to the U.S. https://www.statnews.com/2023/08/21/kelloggs-mexico-nutrition-label/
Class actions on UPF
Kelloggs.
There has been a recent class-action lawsuit against popular cereal brand Kellogg’s for allegedly violating certain laws by labeling at least three of their cereals with misleading nutrition and health statements. Kellogg’s is being accused of actively engaging in false advertising by indicating that its products are healthy, whereas the plaintiff claims they contain an excessive amount of sugar.
The lawsuit was against three cereals that used the false statements “Heart Healthy” and “Lightly Sweetened”. Upon further investigation, the plaintiff claims that the three cereals with these labels have no indication of health benefits or specific ingredients to reduce the amount of sugar.
The products covered by the settlement are:
Kellogg’s Original Raisin Bran and Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Crunch Cereals. Package stating, “Heart Healthy”.
Kellogg’s Smart Start Original Antioxidants Cereal. Package stating, “Heart Healthy” and “Lightly Sweetened”.
Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats. Package stating, “Lightly Sweetened”.
Although the company has denied all the accusations against it, both sides have agreed to a settlement offer of $13 million to avoid the costs and risks of litigation. The court has yet to approve the settlement, but assuming it goes forward, the $13 million will be paid in damages, and Kellogg’s will remove misleading health statements from their cereals.
Legal actions are underway regarding the processed food industry tactics on marketing and sales of UPF, a few examples below expect these to grow.
Class Action Lawsuit Against Kellogg’s Cereal:
https://clginjurylaw.ca/class-action-lawsuit-against-kelloggs-cereal/
Abbott Ensure class action alleges nutrition drinks falsely advertised as healthy food choice.
Ensure nutrition drinks class action lawsuit overview:
Who: Condalisa LeGrand and Larissa Bates filed a class action lawsuit against Abbott Laboratories.
Why: LeGrand and Bates claim Abbott misleadingly represents that its Ensure nutrition drinks are healthy despite them adding up to 22 grams of sugar into them.
Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court.
Abbott Laboratories misrepresents that its Ensure nutrition drinks are healthy, despite their sugar content scientifically proving otherwise, a new class action lawsuit alleges.
Plaintiffs Condalisa LeGrand and Larissa Bates claim Abbott adds up to 22 grams of sugar into its Ensure nutrition drinks, in spite of advertising them as “Complete, Balanced Nutrition for everyday health.”
“Nutritional beverage products like Ensure may provide a benefit if you have a medical condition that makes it difficult to eat or if you are using them in place of an occasional “skipped meal”, said Jodie Bernstein, then the Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection.
Abbott went too far, however, when it suggested that doctors recommend Ensure for healthy, active people, like those pictured in the ads, in order to stay active and healthy. Before consumers spend their money to use such products as a regular supplement to their diet, they should check with a doctor or nutritionist.”
Judge trims lawsuit filed against Ensure shakes over misleading nutritional claims: https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-trims-lawsuit-filed-against-ensure-shakes-over-misleading-nutritional-claims/
Nestle Carnation class action alleges product misrepresents protein content.
Nestle Healthcare Nutrition faced a class action lawsuit earlier this month that was filed by a consumer arguing that the company misrepresents the amount of protein found in its Carnation Breakfast Essentials smoothie product.
The consumer behind the Nestle class action argues the company falsely represents through its labeling that each serving of the Carnation Breakfast Essentials product would contain at least 13 grams of protein.
In reality, the consumer argues that the Carnation Breakfast Essentials product only contains 5 grams of protein — only 38% of what is allegedly promised on its labeling — prior to milk being added.
Metamucil accused of falsely marketing allegedly sugary dietary supplements as healthy.
Metamucil, meanwhile, faced claims last month that it falsely markets many of its dietary supplement products as a good way to maintain healthy blood sugar levels, control an appetite, and promote digestive health.
The consumer behind the Metamucil class action argues that the company’s claims about its dietary supplement products are false and misleading since it allegedly adds so much sugar to it that the product does the opposite of what it represents.
“In short, consuming the high-sugar Metamucil Powders results in unhealthy changes in blood sugar levels,” states the Metamucil class action.
