Ultra processed food

This hub provides an evidence-based overview and the very latest news on processed and ultra-processed foods, drawing together expert-reviewed articles and up-to-date reporting on their classification, manufacturing processes, and impact on human health. The collection explores the NOVA method of food classification, health risks associated with increased consumption of ultra-processed foods, and their potential effects on chronic disease, mental health, and dietary quality. Readers will also find in-depth discussions on the role of dietary fiber, the implications of ultra-processed vegan products, and ongoing developments in the field. These resources are designed to keep healthcare professionals, researchers, and the public informed on the science, controversies, and breaking news shaping the conversation around processed food in the modern diet.

The NOVA Method of Food Classification

The NOVA classification system categorizes foods by processing levels, highlighting the health impacts of ultra-processed foods on diet quality and nutrition.

Overview

Explore the latest news and expert articles on processed and ultra-processed foods, including health risks, food classification, mental health, and fiber. This hub offers evidence-based insights and current updates for clinicians, researchers, and health-conscious readers.

The Role of Fiber in Preventing Chronic Disease

Why Should We Avoid Processed Food?

The Detrimental Effects of Ultra-processed Foods

How Ultra-Processed Foods Are Made: Inside the Industry of Engineered Eating

What are the Health Effects of Ultra-Processed Vegan Foods?

The Science of Ultra-Processed Foods and Mental Health

What to Know About Processed and Ultra-Processed Foods

Latest Ultra processed food News and Research

Powerful bioactives found in overlooked Amazonian fruits

Lesser-known Amazonian fruits exhibit strong antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, highlighting their role in public health and biotechnology research.

31 Jul 2025

Eating more ultra-processed food links depression and diabetes

New research links ultra-processed food intake to increased diabetes risk in individuals with depression, highlighting the need for healthier dietary choices.

30 Jul 2025

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Here come the ACA premium hikes

Much of the hubbub in health care this year has been focused on Medicaid, which faces dramatically reduced federal funding as the result of the huge budget bill signed by President Donald Trump earlier this month.

24 Jul 2025

Why obesity spikes with wealth: The real culprit is on your plate

Economic development drives higher obesity rates worldwide, but not because people move less. Instead, rising consumption of ultraprocessed foods plays a much bigger role than declining physical activity in the global obesity crisis.

20 Jul 2025

Study reveals private healthcare lobby's disinformation campaign against UHC

The private health industry lobby group "Partnership for America's Health Care Future" engages in marketing and publicity strategies similar to Big Tobacco and other unhealthy commodity industry groups to shape public perception of universal health care policies as negative in the United States, according to a study published July 16, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS Global Public Health by Kendra Chow from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom, and colleagues.

17 Jul 2025

Most kids’ packaged foods in Australia are ultra-processed and energy-dense, study finds

A decade-long analysis of packaged foods for Australian children reveals that most new products are both ultra-processed and high in energy density. The study highlights a pressing need for stronger regulations to protect young consumers’ diets.

14 Jul 2025

Ultra-processed foods threaten brain health in kids and teens, review warns

Children, adolescents, and unborn babies exposed to high levels of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) face increased risks of impaired brain development, cognitive deficits, and long-term mental health challenges. The review underscores how UPF-driven changes in reward pathways, nutrient deficits, inflammation, and the gut–brain axis can have lasting impacts across generations.

13 Jul 2025

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Digesting Trump’s big budget law

As he had wanted, President Donald Trump signed his big budget bill into a big budget law in a White House ceremony on July 4, cementing, among other things, billions of dollars in cuts to health programs such as Medicaid.

10 Jul 2025

Most baby foods are sweet, smooth, and poorly aligned with health advice, review finds

A new review of commercial baby foods in high-income countries reveals most products are high in sugars, low in texture diversity, and often fail to meet public health recommendations. Aggressive marketing and misleading labels further drive parental choices, despite official guidance favoring homemade options.

9 Jul 2025

Study finds no metabolic danger from ultra-processed foods

Research shows ultra-processed foods contribute to poor diet quality without a significant association to metabolic syndrome among European children and adults.

9 Jul 2025

Many Americans misunderstand the health impact of processed foods

Thirty-nine percent of respondents to an online poll incorrectly said all processed foods are unhealthy, according to new research by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine published today, July 8, 2025, in JAMA Network Open.

9 Jul 2025

Are food labels failing Australians? Ultra-processed foods spark confusion

Most Australian adults are confused about what ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are and often misidentify them based on packaging cues. The study highlights strong support for better labelling and public education to help consumers make healthier choices.

8 Jul 2025

Are sweeteners really making our children’s diets healthier?

Higher consumption of low-calorie sweetened (LCS) products among UK children was not consistently linked to reduced free sugar intake, and may reflect less healthy overall dietary patterns. Over 11 years, improvements in dietary quality were slowest among those consuming the most LCS products.

29 Jun 2025

Investigating the role of ultra-processed foods in the inheritance of autism and ADHD

In a recent publication released by PubMed, American scientist Dr. Renee Dufault at the Food Ingredient and Health Research Institute, provides a peer-reviewed protocol for determining the role ultra-processed foods play in prenatal heavy metal exposures and changes in the expression of the zinc dependent MT-1 (metallothionein) gene that impact child neurodevelopment.

27 Jun 2025

Is plastic packaging putting more than just food on your plate?

Researchers systematically mapped the evidence on micro-, meso-, and nanoplastics migrating from plastic food-contact articles (FCAs) into food. While most studies report migration, only a small number provide highly reliable proof linking typical FCA use to MNP presence in food.

26 Jun 2025

Unhealthy teen diets reshape the brain and drive lifelong eating habits, study finds

Adolescent diets high in fat and sugar disrupt the development of the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, impacting cognition, memory, and impulse control. These brain changes can promote unhealthy eating behaviors and obesity risk that persist into adulthood.

24 Jun 2025

Mediterranean diet boosts sperm health while ultra-processed foods lower fertility, study finds

Adherence to the Mediterranean diet is linked to improved sperm parameters in men, while high intake of ultra-processed foods is associated with poorer semen quality. These associations are strongest in men with normal FSH levels, suggesting dietary patterns may influence male fertility.

23 Jun 2025

Half of your kid’s food might be ultra-processed and that’s a problem

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) contributed nearly half of daily energy intake among 8–12-year-old Australian children. In older children (10–12), higher UPF intake by weight was linked to increased abdominal obesity and higher BMI z-scores.

19 Jun 2025

What 300 grams of ultra-processed food a day does to your diabetes risk

A dose-response meta-analysis of 12 cohort studies finds that higher intake of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is linked to a significantly increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The association remains even after adjusting for BMI, diet quality, and energy intake, with a steeper risk increase above 300 g/day.

17 Jun 2025

Supermarket ads push junk food for toddlers and infants

A study reveals Australian supermarkets' catalogs push junk food for infants, raising concerns about marketing practices and the need for stricter regulations.

17 Jun 2025