What is Food Processing?
Katia heard on the news that ultra-processed foods may be harmful to her family’s health. She looked in her kitchen and saw lots of packaged foods. Were they ultra-processed?
Let’s find out.
Most foods go through some kind of processing.
Example: Washing and cooking dried beans.
Other examples: Milk, plain yogurt, rice, pasta, meat, eggs, fruits, and vegetables.
Example: Homemade hummus with oil and spices.
Other examples:
Ultra-processed foods are made in factories. They often have:
Examples include:
In the US almost 60% of calories come from ultra-processed foods.
Many ultra-processed foods are often:
Eating ultra-processed foods too often can cause:
Some of the packaging ultra-processed foods comes in may also contain chemicals or microplastics that can affect health.
Are all Processed Foods Unhealthy?No! Some processed foods are still very healthy.
For example:
Other good, processed foods include:
These foods are picked at their peak ripeness when their flavors are best, and then frozen or canned to last longer.
How to Spot an Ultra-Processed Food
Read the ingredients label:
Watch for added ingredients like:
Ultra-Processed Foods AlternativesUltra-processed
Pasta, regular or whole grain, with added herbs and spices
Canned fish or homemade fish cakes
Katia was relieved to learn she didn’t have to stop eating all processed foods. She made a few simple swaps, like choosing natural peanut butter, limiting cookies and chips, and making her own salad dressing.
She’s now committed to offering her family less ultra-processed foods and more whole or lightly processed foods. It’s only been a few months and she’s already starting to see and feel an improvement in her and her family’s health and wellbeing!
Blake, J. S. (2025, January 23). Examining the NOVA food classification system and the healthfulness of ultra-processed foods. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
https://www.eatrightpro.org/news-center/practice-trends/examining-the-nova-foodclassification-system-and-healthfulness-of-ultra-processed-foods
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2019). Ultra-processed foods, diet quality and health using the NOVA classification system.
https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/5277b379-0acb-4d97-a6a3-602774104629/content
Samuthpongtorn, C., Nguyen, L. H., Okereke, O. I., et al. (2023). Consumption of ultraprocessed food and risk of depression. JAMA Network Open, 6(9), e2334770.
https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.34770
Lane, M. M., Gamage, E., Du, S., Ashtree, D. N., McGuinness, A. J., Gauci, S., et al. (2024). Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: Umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses. BMJ, 384, e077310.
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2023-077310
Marino, M., Puppo, F., Del Bo’, C., Vinelli, V., Riso, P., Porrini, M., & Martini, D. (2021). A systematic review of worldwide consumption of ultra-processed foods: Findings and criticisms. Nutrients, 13(8), 2778.
https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082778
Brown, S. (2024, May 20). These 7 breakfast staples are ultra-processed. How should you decide which one to avoid? Verywell Health.
https://www.verywellhealth.com/ultra-processed-breakfast-8648502
Martínez Steele, E., Khandpur, N., da Costa Louzada, M. L., & Monteiro, C. A. (2020). Association between dietary contribution of ultra-processed foods and urinary concentrations of phthalates and bisphenol in a nationally representative sample of the US population aged 6 years and older. PLOS ONE, 15(7), e0236738.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236738
True Food. About us.
https://www.truefood.tech/about?store=all
Wikipedia contributors. Ultra-processed food. Wikipedia. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraprocessed_food#:~:text=Since%20the%201990s%2C%20UPF%20sales,processed%20food%20affects%20body%20systems
Author: Bridget Swinney MS, RDN, LD