Tackling ultra-processed food for a healthier and just food system
- The problem: Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) contribute significantly to rising rates of obesity, non-communicable diseases, and mental health issues in Europe. Vulnerable groups, including youth and lower-income populations, are most affected.
- Why it matters: The consumption of UPFs has quickly increased over the last few years, widening health inequalities. Without systemic change, UPF consumption will continue to rise, deepening public health challenges and straining resources.
- The way forward: The EU must introduce regulation rather than depend on voluntary commitments. Clear labels, marketing restrictions, and subsidies guide healthier choices. Communities must be empowered to create equitable, health-focused food systems.
Tackling ultra-processed food for a healthier and just food system
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have become central to the European public health debate due to their increased (over)consumption and the health problems linked to it. The consumption of UPFs varies significantly across the European region. While it averages 27% of total daily energy intake across Europe, this fluctuates from 14% in Italy and Romania to 44% in the UK and Sweden.
This problem does not affect everyone equally due to the social gradient in the overconsumption of UPF. Younger generations, people with lower socioeconomic status, and people in urban areas generally consume more. Differences also emerge across regions and race/ethnicity. Clearly, there are significant public health inequalities associated with UPF consumption, which require targeted policy actions.
What are UPFs?
It may seem difficult to define exactly which foods qualify as UPFs. This problem arises because food processing exists on a continuum rather than a dichotomy. For example, while adding salt to tuna and putting it in a can with some olive oil is processing the food, this does not mean a can of tuna is ultra-processed.
The NOVA model
For anyone following the public debate on UPFs, it may seem difficult to define exactly which foods qualify as UPFs. The NOVA model helps us understand the difference by categorising food into four groups:
- Unprocessed or minimally processed food (NOVA group 1) are whole foods in their natural state, such as fruits, vegetables, and nuts. They may be subject to minimal processing, like freezing.
- Processed culinary ingredients (NOVA group 2) are products obtained from unprocessed foods via industrial processes such as pressing, refining, or centrifuging. Examples include oils, salt, and sugar.
- Processed foods (NOVA group 3) are industrial products made by combining ingredients from group 2 with foods from group 1. This processing serves two purposes: to enhance the conservation of the products via methods such as bottling and canning and to enhance the taste. Examples include artisanal bread, cheese, wine, beer, and canned vegetables and meat.
- Ultra-processed foods (NOVA group 4) are foods that undergo a series of industrial processes, including soft drinks, sausages, packaged snacks, and pre-prepared pies. Many of those processes involve chemical modification of certain substances, industrial techniques that use flavours, emulsifiers, and other additives, and/or a large use of sugars, fats, and salt. A simplified definition of UPFs is foods with more than one ingredient not usually found in a domestic kitchen.
The negative health impact of UPFs
Rates of overweight and obesity are among the leading causes of disability and death in Europe, and rates continue to rise. UPFs damage people’s health in several other ways too:
- They are energy-dense, high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats, while lacking essential nutrients like fiber, vitamins, proteins, and minerals.
- They have low satiety, induce high glycaemic responses, and increase the risk of inflammatory diseases and gastrointestinal disorders.
- UPFs increase the risk of several cancers, including colorectal, breast, pancreatic, and central nervous system tumours.
- They heighten the risk of coronary diseases, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and dyslipidaemia.
- There is growing evidence linking UPFs to depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders.
The 2024 World Health Organization (WHO) report on the commercial determinants of health shows that industries’ strategies are a signifificant factor in the increase of UPF consumption. Big agri-food industries prioritise profit, making UPFs prevalent in the food market, even at the expense of people’s health.
EU policies targeting UPF consumption
Several European Union (EU) policies aim to improve the food system, directly or indirectly reducing the consumption of UPFs in favour of healthier alternatives.
- The Farm to Fork strategy, aimed to make the European food systems more just, healthy, and environmentally friendly. The strategy would have targeted UPFs by reformulating food products to reduce unhealthy ingredients like salt, sugar, and saturated fats and introducing a transparent and uniform front-of pack nutrition labelling (FOPNL) to help consumers make informed choices. However, by 2025, almost all policies foreseen by the Farm2Fork strategy have been paused or dismissed.
- The EU School Fruit, Vegetables, and Milk Scheme’s distributes fresh fruits, vegetables, and milk to schools, combined with educational measures to promote healthy eating habits and reduce the consumption of UPFs among children.
- Eight European countries have implemented the FOPNL Nutri-Score, a system that helps consumers identify UPFs containing unhealthy ingredients.
Making it happen
United Kingdom
The 2018 Soft Drinks Industry Levy (sugar tax) encourages manufacturers to reformulate their products. This levy targets all drinks with sugar added during production or anything that contains sugar, such as honey. The Levy is 18 pence/litre for drinks with 5-7g of sugar per 100ml, and 24 pence/litre for drinks with over 8 grams per 100ml. Studies show it has helped remove more than 45,000 tonnes of sugar from soft drinks per year since its introduction while generating more than £334m. In turn, this has led to promising public health results, such as a decreased prevalence of obesity in children, especially those living in the most deprived areas.
Slovenia
Slovenia has implemented several successful initiatives concerning public food procurement in schools. Nutritional guidelines for educational institutions aim to reduce UPF consumption while incentivising healthier foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Specific financial support ensures that products are locally sourced, seasonal, and, organic. An example is the ‘Traditional Slovenian Breakfast’, where students learn about local production of food and nutrition. These initiatives have created a healthier food environment in schools whilst benefiting the local food economy, children’s health literacy, and overall health.
FEAST
EuroHealthNet is part of the Horizon-funded European project FEAST. The project aims to make it easy for everyone in Europe to enjoy a delicious, healthier, and more sustainable diet by bringing together diverse research fields. This approach will help create practical solutions for communities, technology, and policy at all levels (micro, meso and macro) and in all sectors (producers, distributors, retailers and consumers) of the food system. FEAST prioritises fairness by ensuring that vulnerable groups and those facing health inequalities benefit from healthier, sustainable diets.
Pathways to progress
Actions must be taken at the local, national, and EU levels to ensure a systemic approach and create healthier food systems. We recommend the following:
- Implement uniform front-of-pack nutrition labelling across the EU by adopting Nutri-Score to guide consumers toward healthier choices.
- Food and beverage reformulation through fiscal policies, portion controls, and ingredient bans that reduce sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.
- Establish marketing restrictions through policies that limit UPF advertising, particularly targeting children, both offline and online.
- Encourage healthier food access by subsidising fresh produce and reducing the tax on healthy options to make them affordable.
- Prioritise healthy, minimally processed foods in public institutions, with a special focus on schools.
- Address food deserts by ensuring fresh and affordable food is accessible in all rural and urban areas.
- Empower citizens by encouraging food democracy through cooperatives, tribunals, and local initiatives.
- Implement mandatory regulations instead of self-regulatory frameworks to counteract corporate lobbying.
Related resources
Read the EuroHealthNet Magazine edition on healthy and sustainable food systems
