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If you haven’t heard of ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, you might be surprised — they’ve been hitting the headlines lately, and for all the wrong reasons. If you have heard of them, this comprehensive guide will give you everything you need to understand what they actually are, how to identify them, and the real health implications of consuming them regularly.

The more information that surfaces about UPFs, the more disturbing it becomes. They are being labelled as harmful to health, with growing evidence showing that regular consumption can have serious consequences for our physical and mental wellbeing.

Even though this evidence is damning — and, to be honest, pretty scary — an incredible amount of UPFs are consumed in this country, including by children. So, to really understand why these foods are so problematic, and why they can be so hard to give up, we need to look closely at what UPFs are, how they’re classified, how to spot them, and how they affect us.

So What Are UPFs?

In 2009, Professor Carlos A. Monteiro and colleagues at the University of São Paulo devised the NOVA Food Classification system to categorise foods based on the extent and purpose of processing. The four groups are:

Group 1 — Unprocessed or Minimally Processed Foods
Natural foods with no additives or preservatives: fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, meat, milk, eggs, and legumes.

Group 2 — Processed Culinary Ingredients
Taken from Group 1 foods or from nature, generally used for cooking: oils, butter, sugar, salt, honey, and starches.

Group 3 — Processed Foods
Made by adding salt, sugar, or oil to Group 1 foods, usually with very few ingredients: canned vegetables, cheeses, and freshly baked bread.

Group 4 — Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs)
Industrial or factory-made foods with little or no whole food content, packed full of artificial additives that enhance flavour, colour, texture, and shelf life. This group includes soft drinks, crisps, instant noodles, reconstituted meat products such as ham, packaged snacks, sweetened cereals, ready meals, and most products marketed as “low-fat” or “diet” foods.

How to Identify UPFs on Labels

The easiest way to spot a UPF is to read the ingredients list. If you see more than five ingredients, or ingredients you wouldn’t find in a home kitchen, you’re almost certainly looking at a UPF.

Ingredient Red Flags

Look for these telltale signs of ultra-processing:

• Hydrolysed proteins: Chemically broken-down proteins used to enhance flavour
• Modified starches: Altered starches used as thickeners and stabilisers
• Hydrogenated or interesterified oils: Chemically altered fats for shelf stability
• High-fructose corn syrup: Industrial sweetener cheaper than sugar
• Flavour enhancers: MSG (monosodium glutamate), disodium inosinate, guanylates
• Artificial sweeteners: Aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, acesulfame K
• Emulsifiers: Lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, polysorbates
• Preservatives: BHA, BHT, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate
• Artificial colours: Tartrazine (E102), Sunset Yellow (E110), Brilliant Blue (E133)

Understanding E-Numbers

E-numbers are codes for food additives approved for use in the EU and UK. Whilst not all E-numbers indicate ultra-processing (vitamin C is E300, for example), a long list of E-numbers is a strong indicator you’re holding a UPF. The Food Standards Agency provides a complete approved additives list, but as a practical rule: the more E-numbers, the more processed.

The “Health Halo” Trap

Manufacturers are expert at making UPFs appear healthy through clever marketing:

• “Low-fat” or “Fat-free”: Often compensate with added sugar, salt, and thickeners
• “High in protein”: May use hydrolysed protein isolates rather than whole food protein
• “Fortified with vitamins”: Synthetic nutrients added to nutritionally bankrupt food
• “Natural flavouring”: Can still be highly processed extracts, not whole ingredients
• “Wholegrain”: The grain may be wholegrain, but the product is still ultra-processed

A UPF marketed as “healthy” is still a UPF. Don’t be fooled by packaging claims — read the ingredients list.

UPF Consumption in the UK: The Scale of the Problem

The UK has one of the highest rates of UPF consumption in Europe, and the statistics are genuinely alarming.

National Consumption Levels

According to research published in the European Journal of Nutrition, UPFs now account for 56.8% of the average UK adult’s diet — more than half of everything we eat. For context, this is significantly higher than most European countries: Italy sits at 13.4%, France at 14.2%, and even the US is lower at around 57%.

This means the average UK adult is getting the majority of their daily calories from industrially manufactured foods rather than real ingredients.

Children and Adolescents: Even Worse

The figures for children are even more concerning. A 2021 study found that UPFs make up approximately 64% of children’s total energy intake in the UK. By the age of seven, many children have consumed more UPFs than whole foods in their entire lives.

Common culprits include:

• Breakfast cereals marketed as “healthy” (often 30%+ sugar)
• Fruit yoghurts and “fromage frais” products (loaded with sweeteners and additives)
• Processed cheese products and cheese strings
• Packaged snacks marketed to children
• Ready meals and “kids’ meal” ranges

Socioeconomic Factors

UPF consumption isn’t evenly distributed. Research shows that lower-income households consume proportionally more UPFs due to:

• Cost: UPFs are often cheaper per calorie than whole foods
• Convenience: Longer working hours leave less time for food preparation
• Food deserts: Limited access to fresh food in some areas
• Marketing: Heavy advertising of cheap UPFs in lower-income areas

This creates a health inequality crisis, with those who can least afford healthcare consuming the foods most likely to cause chronic disease.

Are UPFs Harmful?

Food companies that produce UPFs have denied that their products are harmful to health. Their mantra is: prove it. Mine would be: prove it’s not.

Research is increasingly showing that high UPF consumption is linked to chronic diseases including diabetes, liver disease, kidney disease, mental health conditions, and premature death. Indeed, a previously healthy man in his forties recently suffered a stroke attributed to his daily intake of energy drinks.

The NHS and WHO both state there is no ‘safe’ level of UPF consumption, and the consistent public health recommendation is to limit or avoid UPFs as much as possible.

The Mechanisms: How UPFs Damage Health

Understanding why UPFs are harmful helps explain why simply reducing them — rather than just “eating less” generally — is so important.

Chronic Inflammation

UPFs trigger low-grade chronic inflammation throughout the body. Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that participants consuming high levels of UPFs showed elevated inflammatory markers including C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6).

This inflammation doesn’t cause immediate symptoms but gradually damages tissues and organs over years, contributing to:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Certain cancers
• Neurodegenerative diseases
• Accelerated ageing

Gut Microbiome Disruption

Your gut contains trillions of bacteria that regulate everything from digestion to immune function to mood. UPFs devastate this delicate ecosystem.

Emulsifiers commonly used in UPFs (found in ice cream, bread, margarine, and countless other products) thin the protective mucus layer in your gut, allowing bacteria to reach and inflame the intestinal wall. This condition, known as “leaky gut,” has been linked to inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic syndrome, and autoimmune conditions.

Artificial sweeteners, promoted as “healthy” alternatives to sugar, are particularly damaging to gut bacteria. Studies show they alter the microbiome in ways that actually increase glucose intolerance — the opposite of their intended effect.

Hormone Dysregulation

UPFs interfere with the hormones that regulate hunger, fullness, and metabolism:

Leptin resistance: UPFs can cause your brain to stop responding to leptin, the hormone that signals “I’m full.” This is why you can eat an entire packet of biscuits and still feel hungry — your satiety signals are broken.

Insulin dysfunction: The rapid blood sugar spikes from UPFs force your pancreas to produce excessive insulin. Over time, cells become resistant to insulin, leading to type 2 diabetes. Unlike whole foods, which release glucose gradually, UPFs create repeated insulin surges that exhaust your metabolic system.

Ghrelin elevation: Some UPF ingredients actually increase ghrelin, the “hunger hormone,” creating a vicious cycle of eating, temporary satisfaction, and renewed hunger.

Nutrient Displacement

Perhaps the most insidious effect: UPFs fill you up with calories whilst starving you of nutrients. A diet high in UPFs means less room for nutrient-dense whole foods, leading to simultaneous overconsumption of calories and deficiency in essential vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.

This creates a paradox: you’re overfed but undernourished.

Understanding Your Risk Level

That said, they acknowledge that eliminating UPFs entirely is extremely difficult, so risk stratification from evidence-based population studies provides a practical guide:

• High Risk: 50% or more of total energy from UPFs — strongly associated with negative health outcomes
• Moderate Risk: 30–50% of total energy — elevated risk, but lower than the high-risk category
• Lower Risk: Less than 20% of total energy — linked to better weight control, improved metabolic health, and lower inflammation
• Optimal: Less than 10% — similar to a Mediterranean-style diet pattern

High consumers — those getting 50% or more of their diet from UPFs — face significantly elevated health risks compared to those who limit UPF intake to under 20%.

How to Calculate Your UPF Percentage

Understanding your risk level requires knowing what percentage of your diet comes from UPFs. Here’s a practical way to estimate:

Example Day — High Risk (65% UPFs):

• Breakfast: Sweetened cereal with semi-skimmed milk, orange juice from concentrate (UPF: ~400 calories)
• Snack: Cereal bar, packet of crisps (UPF: ~250 calories)
• Lunch: Meal deal sandwich, crisps, fizzy drink (UPF: ~600 calories)
• Snack: Biscuits with tea (UPF: ~200 calories)
• Dinner: Ready meal lasagne, garlic bread (UPF: ~700 calories)
• Evening: Ice cream (UPF: ~250 calories)

Total calories: ~2,400 | UPF calories: ~2,400 | UPF %: 100%

This person is in the highest risk category with virtually their entire diet from UPFs.

Example Day — Lower Risk (15% UPFs):

• Breakfast: Porridge with banana and honey (UPF: 0 calories)
• Snack: Apple and handful of almonds (UPF: 0 calories)
• Lunch: Homemade chicken salad with olive oil dressing, wholegrain bread (UPF: ~100 calories from bread)
• Snack: Natural yoghurt with berries (UPF: 0 calories)
• Dinner: Grilled salmon, roasted vegetables, quinoa (UPF: 0 calories)
• Evening: Small piece of dark chocolate (UPF: ~50 calories)

Total calories: ~1,800 | UPF calories: ~150 | UPF %: 8%

This person is in the optimal category, similar to traditional Mediterranean dietary patterns.

Moving from High Risk to Lower Risk

You don’t need to eliminate UPFs overnight. Even reducing from 60% to 40% significantly lowers your risk profile. Practical strategies:

• Replace one UPF meal per day with a whole food alternative
• Swap UPF snacks (crisps, cereal bars) for whole food options (fruit, nuts, cheese)
• Cook one extra portion at dinner to have real food for tomorrow’s lunch
• Read labels and choose products with fewer than five ingredients

If you’ve been struggling with changing your lifestyle habits, understanding where UPFs fit into your daily intake is a powerful first step.

Are UPFs Addictive?

Manufacturers would argue against this, but they go to extraordinary lengths to get you hooked on their products. They use methods to trigger your ‘bliss point’ — essentially measuring your dopamine reactions during consumption and using various techniques to enhance the eating and drinking experience. After all, we all love a sugar rush, right?

So Why Is It Hard to Give Them Up?

UPFs are designed to be hyper-palatable, combining sugar, salt, fat, and additives in ways that trigger pleasure and reward pathways in the brain — your dopamine reaction. This can make them addictive for some people, leading to cravings, overconsumption, and difficulty switching to whole foods. So even though we know they’re harmful, we still want them.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. In my next article on how manufacturers engineer addiction, I’ll go into much more detail about the production methods used to keep us coming back.

For help reducing your intake and building healthier habits, please get in touch: neil@theramood.co.uk

References

1. Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Moubarac JC, et al. (2009). Nutrition and health. The issue is not food, nor nutrients, so much as processing. Public Health Nutrition, 12(5):729-731. Available at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition
2. Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Moubarac JC, Levy RB, Louzada MLC, Jaime PC. (2017). The UN Decade of Nutrition, the NOVA food classification and the trouble with ultra-processing. Public Health Nutrition, 21(1):5-17. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10261019/
3. Rauber F, da Costa Louzada ML, Steele EM, et al. (2018). Ultra-processed food consumption and chronic non-communicable diseases-related dietary nutrient profile in the UK (2008-2014). Nutrients, 10(5):587. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/5/587
4. Lane MM, Gamage E, Du S, et al. (2024). Ultra-processed food consumption and mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Nutrients, 14(13):2568. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35807749/
5. Shen Z, Huang Y, Wu C, et al. (2025). Associations of ultra-processed food intake and its circulating metabolomic signature with mental disorders in middle-aged and older adults. Nutrients, 17(9):1582. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/17/9/1582
6. Mendoza K, Smith-Warner SA, Rossato SL, et al. (2024). Ultra-processed foods and cardiovascular disease: analysis of three large US prospective cohorts and a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, 37:100859. Available at: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667-193X(24)00186-8/fulltext
7. Chassaing B, Koren O, Goodrich JK, et al. (2015). Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndrome. Nature, 519:92-96. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/nature14232
8. Suez J, Korem T, Zeevi D, et al. (2014). Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota. Nature, 514:181-186. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/nature13793
9. Steele EM, Baraldi LG, da Costa Louzada ML, et al. (2016). Ultra-processed foods and added sugars in the US diet: evidence from a nationally representative cross-sectional study. BMJ Open, 6:e009892. Available at: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/6/3/e009892
10. Food Standards Agency. (2024). Approved additives and E numbers. Available at: https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/approved-additives-and-e-numbers
11. NHS. (2024). Ultra-processed foods. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/what-are-processed-foods/

Frequently Asked Questions

What are ultra-processed foods (UPFs)?

Ultra-processed foods are Group 4 in the NOVA Food Classification system: industrial formulations with little or no whole food, packed with artificial additives for flavour, colour, texture, and shelf life. Examples include soft drinks, crisps, instant noodles, reconstituted meat products, packaged snacks, and sweetened cereals.

How can I identify UPFs when shopping?

Read the ingredients list. If you see more than five ingredients, or ingredients you wouldn’t use in home cooking (hydrolysed proteins, modified starches, emulsifiers, artificial sweeteners, or multiple E-numbers), it’s almost certainly a UPF. Don’t be fooled by “health halo” claims like “low-fat” or “high-protein” — these products are often still ultra-processed.

Are UPFs actually harmful to health?

Yes. Growing evidence links high UPF consumption to serious chronic conditions including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, kidney disease, mental health disorders, and premature death. UPFs cause chronic inflammation, disrupt gut bacteria, interfere with hunger hormones, and displace nutrient-dense whole foods. Both the NHS and WHO recommend limiting or avoiding UPFs as much as possible.

How much UPF consumption is safe?

The NHS and WHO state there is no ‘safe’ level. However, population studies suggest risk stratification: High Risk (50%+ of diet from UPFs), Moderate Risk (30–50%), Lower Risk (under 20%), and Optimal (under 10%, similar to a Mediterranean diet). Currently, the average UK adult gets 57% of their calories from UPFs — firmly in the high-risk category.

Why are UPFs so hard to give up?

UPFs are engineered to be hyper-palatable, combining sugar, salt, fat, and additives to trigger dopamine-driven pleasure and reward pathways. Manufacturers deliberately target the ‘bliss point’ to maximise repeat consumption. Additionally, UPFs cause leptin resistance (your “I’m full” signal stops working) and increase ghrelin (the hunger hormone), creating a cycle of cravings and overconsumption. For many people, this creates genuine addiction-like behaviour.

How can I calculate what percentage of my diet is UPFs?

Track your food intake for a typical day, noting which items are UPFs (check ingredients lists). Add up total calories and UPF calories, then divide: (UPF calories ÷ total calories) × 100. For example, if you consume 2,000 calories per day and 1,200 come from UPFs, that’s 60% — high risk. Aim to gradually reduce this percentage by replacing UPF meals and snacks with whole food alternatives.