Are ultra-processed foods a public health hazard?
Yes — the evidence strongly suggests ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are a significant public health hazard, though with important nuances
What the evidence shows
A large and rapidly growing body of research links high UPF consumption to a wide range of negative health outcomes. A major 2024 umbrella review of meta-analyses covering nearly 10 million study participants found "convincing" evidence that a diet high in ultra-processed foods increases the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 50% and the risk of anxiety by 48%. It also found "highly suggestive" evidence that greater consumption of these foods increases the risk of death from heart disease by 66%, the risk of obesity by 55%, sleep disorders by 41%, Type 2 diabetes by 40%, early death from any cause by 21% and depression by 20%.
More recent large-scale analyses reinforce this pattern. A 2025 meta-analysis of health data covering nearly 8.8 million adults across the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania found an association with a 14% higher risk of cardiovascular events, a 4% higher risk of cancer, a 3% higher risk of death from any cause and a 2% higher risk of metabolic syndrome or diabetes for every additional 100 grams of UPFs consumed daily. A major NHLBI-funded cardiovascular study of over 200,000 participants plus a meta-analysis of 1.2 million people found that study participants with the highest UPF intake showed a 17% greater cardiovascular disease risk, 23% greater coronary heart disease risk, and 9% greater stroke risk compared with those with the lowest intake.
A landmark Harvard study following over 114,000 adults for more than three decades found that participants who ate the most ultra-processed food of any kind faced a 4% higher risk of all-cause mortality, as well as an 8% higher risk of mortality from neurodegenerative diseases, than those who ate the least ultra-processed food. Emerging research continues expanding the list — including a new 2025 JAMA Oncology study finding that younger women who eat more UPF, including highly processed bread, breakfast food and soda, may be more likely to develop colorectal cancer.
Why UPFs may be harmful — beyond just "bad nutrients"
Researchers believe the harm isn't simply explained by sugar, salt, and fat content:
Important caveats and nuance
The science isn't without controversy or limitations:
Policy and societal dimensions
This has moved beyond academic debate into major policy action. In 2025, the FDA and USDA announced a joint Request for Information to establish a federally recognized uniform definition for ultra-processed foods, a critical step in providing increased transparency to consumers. California took the most concrete step, becoming the first U.S. state to enact a law defining and banning unhealthy ultra-processed foods from an estimated over 1 billion meals served to California schoolchildren in the 2025–2026 school year.
Public opinion has shifted dramatically too — a 2025 national survey found more than 60% of respondents viewed the ultraprocessed food industry cynically, and more than 80% supported requiring government testing of laboratory-made chemicals for safety before use in food products.
A key equity concern is cost: UPFs are more affordable — costing 55 cents per 100 calories, compared with $1.45 for unprocessed foods, meaning populations with low socioeconomic status tend to eat higher amounts of these foods due to limited access to healthier foods and higher costs of fresh produce.
Bottom line
The weight of evidence — spanning large cohort studies, meta-analyses, and an emerging body of mechanistic/controlled-trial research — supports treating high UPF consumption as a genuine public health concern linked to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, certain cancers, depression, and all-cause mortality. However, the category is broad and heterogeneous, causation isn't fully proven for all outcomes, and experts generally recommend reducing (rather than eliminating) UPFs, with particular attention to the worst offenders like sugary drinks and processed meats, rather than treating all industrially processed food as equally hazardous.
Citations (24)
- Ultra-processed food: Five things to know - Stanford Medicine
Source excerpt: “A 2024 review of 45 metanalyses, covering nearly 10 million study participants, found “convincing” evidence that a diet high in ultra-processed foods ...”
- Ultra-processed food: Five things to know - Stanford Medicine
Source excerpt: “It found “highly suggestive” evidence that greater consumption of these foods increases the risk of death from heart disease by 66%, the risk of obesi...”
- Just one small serving of ultra-processed food a day linked to higher disease risk, major study finds
Source excerpt: “For every additional 100 grams of UPFs consumed daily, researchers found an association with a 14% higher risk of cardiovascular events, a 4% higher r...”
- Spotlight on UPFs: NIH explores link between ultra-processed foods and heart disease | NHLBI, NIH
Source excerpt: “In particular, it found that study participants with the highest UPF intake showed a 17% greater cardiovascular disease risk, 23% greater coronary hea...”
- Ultra-processed foods—some more than others—linked to early death | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Source excerpt: “The study found that participants who ate the most ultra-processed food of any kind faced a 4% higher risk of all-cause mortality, as well as an 8% hi...”
- Harms of Ultra-Processed Foods: New Research Insights
Source excerpt: “A fourth paper finds that younger women who eat more UPF, including highly processed bread, breakfast food and soda, may be more likely to develop col...”
- What Are Ultra-Processed Foods? | Johns Hopkins | Bloomberg School of Public Health
Source excerpt: “The disassembling and reassembling of chemical and physical structures caused by processing affects how our bodies metabolize these foods, making them...”
- What Are Ultra-Processed Foods? | Johns Hopkins | Bloomberg School of Public Health
Source excerpt: “It also bypasses the need for the body to break down food, which can lead to a disrupted gut microbiome because of low fiber content and potential har...”
- Ultra-processed foods and cardiometabolic risk: from evidence to policy | npj Metabolic Health and Disease
Source excerpt: “High energy density and disrupted food matrices resulting from industrial processing promote faster eating rates, while hyperpalatable formulations ri...”
- What Are Ultra-Processed Foods? | Johns Hopkins | Bloomberg School of Public Health
Source excerpt: “Some research has shown that our bodies absorb more calories from UPFs than foods that have been minimally processed.”
- Ultra-processed foods and cardiometabolic risk: from evidence to policy | npj Metabolic Health and Disease
Source excerpt: “Controlled trials show UPF-rich diets increase energy intake and weight gain. Mechanisms include high energy density, disrupted food matrices, faster ...”
- Spotlight on UPFs: NIH explores link between ultra-processed foods and heart disease | NHLBI, NIH
Source excerpt: ““But we also found that not all UPFs are equal. Some UPFs appear to be worse for your heart than others.” ”
- Spotlight on UPFs: NIH explores link between ultra-processed foods and heart disease | NHLBI, NIH
Source excerpt: “· The researchers showed, for example, that the UPFs that were associated with the highest risk for heart disease included sugar-sweetened beverages a...”
- Ultra-processed Foods and Your Health Risks | Tufts Solutions
Source excerpt: “The exceptions were ultra-processed whole grain breads and cereals, which were associated with neither positive nor negative impacts on health, and ul...”
- Ultra-processed foods and cardiometabolic risk: from evidence to policy | npj Metabolic Health and Disease
Source excerpt: “Additionally, the application of NOVA to such dietary surveys is often inconsistent with incomplete ingredient information forcing research to make as...”
- Ultra-processed foods and cardiometabolic risk: from evidence to policy | npj Metabolic Health and Disease
Source excerpt: “certain wholegrain breads, low-sugar yoghurts, tomato sauces, nut/bean spreads) can contribute to healthy patterns and affordability, and should be mo...”
- Just one small serving of ultra-processed food a day linked to higher disease risk, major study finds
Source excerpt: “Springer noted that the study was observational, so it cannot establish that UPFs directly caused the poor health outcomes. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR ...”
- Ultra-processed foods and cardiometabolic risk: from evidence to policy | npj Metabolic Health and Disease
Source excerpt: “While 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee initially judged UPF evidence too limited for formal recommendations given definitional and expo...”
- Are Ultraprocessed Foods Bad for Your Health? | News | Yale Medicine
Source excerpt: “Dr. Imaeda says she isn’t surprised by the review findings, but notes that the incidence rates of the related health conditions are small. “One issue ...”
- HHS, FDA and USDA Address the Health Risks of Ultra-Processed Foods | USDA
Source excerpt: “(Washington, D.C., July 23, 2025) – Under the leadership of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the ...”
- What Are Ultra-Processed Foods? | Johns Hopkins | Bloomberg School of Public Health
Source excerpt: “In June, California voted to enact the first U.S. law to define and ban unhealthy ultra-processed foods from an estimated over 1 billion meals served ...”
- Americans agree: Ultraprocessed foods pose major health hazard | Cornell Chronicle
Source excerpt: “More than 60% of respondents viewed the ultraprocessed food industry cynically, including belief that products are marketed for overconsumption and ad...”
- What Are Ultra-Processed Foods? | Johns Hopkins | Bloomberg School of Public Health
Source excerpt: “Most importantly, they are more affordable. UPFs cost 55 cents per 100 calories, compared with $1.45 for unprocessed foods. ”
- Spotlight on UPFs: NIH explores link between ultra-processed foods and heart disease | NHLBI, NIH
Source excerpt: “Studies show that UPFs are also linked to health disparities, as populations with low socioeconomic status tend to eat higher amounts of these foods. ...”