The Guardian view on ultra-processed food: blame business, not consumers | Editorial

Evidence is mounting on the health costs of these products. The real culprit is financialised growth, not inadequate individual willpowerIf we are what we eat, then we are increasingly composed from substances including synthetic emulsifiers, flavour compounds, bulking agents and stabilising gums (one of the most common being a slime produced by bacteria). Well over half of the average diet in the UK and US now consists ofultra ‑processed food (UPF) – or, as one scientist prefers to put it,industrially produced edible substances.Though defining it technically iscomplex, the simple explanation is that it contains items you wouldn ’t normally find in a kitchen.Sometimes UPF looks like junk food – obviously artificial and high in salt, fat and sugar. But it often comes in reassuring forms such as soup, muesli or yoghurt. “Almost every food that comes with a health claim on the packet is a UPF,” notes Dr Chris van Tulleken drily inUltra-Processed People, one ofseveral recent books on the subject.Continue reading...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - August 13, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Editorial Tags: Food & drink industry Food science Business Source Type: news