Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to recognize them by reading the labels in the supermarket

By now several studies have shown it: ultra-processed foods have health risks. But what is meant by this term and how can we recognize them while shopping at the supermarket?

In recent years there has been more and more talk of ultra-processed foods and the health risks of those who consume them on a frequent basis. We have repeatedly reported studies that have linked them to various problems and even to an increased risk of premature death.

Read also: Ultra-processed foods actually shorten your life, increasing the risk of premature death by 10%

The problem is that these industrial foods are increasingly present in supermarkets and consequently are placed on the table too frequently. Some, among other things, are unsuspected (think, for example, of low-fat yogurt or fruit, most of the time only apparently healthy).

Some examples of ultra-processed foods are cordons bleu and breaded fish but also cooked vegetables sautéed, just to name a few.

Read also: The myth of biscuits collapses: even rusks, bresaola and processed foods make us ill

Undoubtedly, after a day’s work, coming home and cooking ready-made food in the oven or in a pan is comfortable, but we should only do it occasionally if we want to keep ourselves in good health.

In France, the topic is widely heard and since 2018, the French National Health Nutrition Plan (PNNS) – which aims to improve the health of the French through good food education – proposes to reduce the consumption of ultra-processed foods by 20%.

What are ultra-processed foods

But what exactly is meant by ultra-processed food? As the experts of the French magazine explain 60 Million Consumers:

It is a food or drink that contains at least one ingredient that does not exist as such in nature or in our pantries. This is called an ultratransformation marker (MUT). The list of them makes your head spin.

What ingredients are these? Especially of food additives but not only. As explained by Sylvie Davidou, director of the scientific committee of Siga, a company that helps identify ultra-processed foods:

The most common markers are refined fats, natural extracts and flavourings, synthetic flavourings, not to mention the dextroseof the glucose syrup or even protein. When not synthesized (some flavors), these compounds are often the result of aggressive industrial processes (high temperature cooking, extrusion, pre-frying, reconstitution, etc.) which separate the different constituents of a raw material.

How to recognize ultra-processed foods in the supermarket

Reading the labels and the ingredients list we can immediately realize what type of food we are dealing with.

In particular, if we want to easily recognize ultra-processed foods we should be careful of these 5 details:

• if the list of ingredients is long (more than 5) there is a 75% chance that you are dealing with ultra-processed food. It is in particular the number of additives that raises the alert, some appear in the form of a code with the letter E.
• the ingredients have names that are difficult or unknown to consumers such as hydrolyzate, rehydrated protein, maltodextrin, etc.
• is it “low in sugar,” low in fat, or “high in fiber.” In the case of “low sugar”, for example, this often implies that the product has been denatured by replacing the sugar with maltodextrins or sweeteners
• the packaging is very colorful or clearly aimed at children, especially when the product is sweet
• has a low price: To keep the price low, manufacturers often replace expensive ingredients with artificial flavors, flavor enhancers, texture-giving fibers, etc.

For the manufacturer, the French magazine explains, it is also a way to increase its margins:

From the grain of wheat, for example, at least 13 derivatives are obtained: “wheat fibres”, “wheat proteins”, gluten and starch, which can however be “modified” chemically or by means of enzymes, in order to acquire new properties . Starch is obtained from the grain of corn which will be used to produce more or less “sweetening” sugars: dextrose, glucose-fructose syrup, glucose syrup. What do all these markers have in common? The ultra transformation. They artificially improve the texture of the product, its color, smellauthorizing the affixing of an indication of the type “rich in fibre” or giving it more flavour. They are much cheaper than the raw material they come fromwhich allows the manufacturer to offer cheap end products and/or achieve good margins.

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