Health · Public Health & Disease · 2 hrs ago
Debate continues over health risks and definition of ultra-processed foods
Ultra-processed foods are mass-produced industrial formulations that often use ingredients uncommon in home kitchens and contain few or no intact whole foods.
Studies have linked them to several chronic diseases, and some public health experts have called for a global halt to their production and consumption.
Experts disagree over what counts as ultra-processed, and critics say public concern has become a moral panic, arguing that some of these foods can fit into a healthy diet.
Food processing has a long history, from cooking and fermentation to industrial methods such as canning, pasteurization and refrigeration.
Those innovations helped improve food safety and shelf life and supported wider supply chains, but later processed foods also drew concern over salt, sugar and saturated fat.
Brazilian epidemiologist Carlos Monteiro coined “ultra-processing” in 2009 as part of the Nova system, which classifies foods by their level of processing; the debate matters because experts differ over whether processing itself or particular nutrients best explain diet-related disease.
Studies have linked ultra-processed foods to several chronic diseases, but debate continues over the health risks and the meaning of the term.
Some public health experts argue that ultra-processing itself contributes to diet-related illness and have called for a global halt to production and consumption.
Skeptics say concern has become a moral panic and argue that some ultra-processed foods can be part of a healthy diet.
The Nova system, developed by Brazilian epidemiologist Carlos Monteiro and colleagues, classifies foods according to their level of processing.
- Who
- Public health experts argue that ultra-processed foods pose health risks; skeptics dispute the strength and framing of those concerns.
- What
- The debate concerns the health effects of ultra-processed foods and how the category should be defined.
- When
- The article was published on October 27, 2026. Monteiro coined the term “ultra-processing” in 2009.
- Where
- Not stated
- Why
- Studies have associated ultra-processed foods with chronic diseases, while critics question whether processing itself explains those risks.
Public health proponents
Skeptics of the ultra-processing debate
Health risks
Public health proponents
They argue that ultra-processing contributes to diet-related chronic diseases and some call for a global halt to production and consumption.
Skeptics of the ultra-processing debate
They say the concern has become a moral panic and that some ultra-processed foods can be part of a healthy diet.
Definition
Public health proponents
They focus on the nature and extent of processing as a factor in health.
Skeptics of the ultra-processing debate
They contest the definition of “ultra-processed.
Cooking, commonly considered the first form of food processing by historians, dates back this far.
Industrial-era methods including canning, pasteurization and refrigeration emerged.
Some healthy-eating advocates began arguing that the nature and extent of processing, rather than specific nutrients, explained diet-related chronic diseases.
Brazilian epidemiologist Carlos Monteiro coined the term “ultra-processing” as part of work on the Nova classification.
- Publication date
- October 27, 2026
- Term coined
- 2009
- Classification
- Nova has four categories based on a food’s level of processing
- Industrial-era innovations
- Canning, pasteurization and refrigeration
- Historical reference
- Cooking dates back about 2 million years
What people are saying
edible substances that look like food
Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.