Are ultra-processed foods a public health hazard?
Short answer: Yes — with important nuances
The evidence base has grown substantially, and as of late 2025 there's a strong scientific consensus that ultra-processed foods (UPFs), as a category, pose a genuine public health risk — though not every food classified as "ultra-processed" is equally harmful.
What counts as a UPF
UPFs are defined by the NOVA classification system, which sorts foods by degree of processing rather than nutrient content. Ultra-processed foods are formulations of ingredients, mostly of exclusive industrial use, typically created by series of industrial techniques and processes. They're characterized by industrial formulations with five or more ingredients, often including unusual additives not commonly found in culinary preparations alongside sugars, oils, fats, salt, and preservatives. Typical examples include soft drinks, packaged snacks, instant noodles, chicken nuggets, and flavored yogurts.
The evidence of harm
The case has strengthened considerably in 2025:
Important caveats and pushback
The picture isn't unanimous:
Bottom line
The weight of evidence — now bolstered by experimental trials, not just observational studies — supports treating high UPF consumption as a genuine public health hazard linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, certain cancers, and mental health outcomes. However, the category is broad and heterogeneous, so blanket avoidance of anything "ultra-processed" oversimplifies the nuance that some UPFs (like fortified whole-grain products) appear far less harmful than others (like sugary drinks and processed meats).
Citations (16)
- Ultra-processed foods, diet quality, and health using the NOVA
Source excerpt: “One of these, termed ultra-processed foods, is made up of snacks, drinks, ready meals and many other product types Ultra-processed foods are formulat...”
- The NOVA Method of Food Classification
Source excerpt: “### Category 4: Ultra-processed food and drink products Ultra-processed foods and drinks belong to the fourth NOVA category, characterized by industri...”
- Ultra-processed foods are a threat to public health, scientists ...
Source excerpt: “There are three papers, they're published in The Lancet, and they reviewed years' worth of evidence, more than a hundred studies which have linked ult...”
- Ultra-processed foods are a threat to public health, scientists ...
Source excerpt: “BARRY POPKIN: We can say now that truly ultraprocessed food represents a clear global threat to our health - not only our physical health but also men...”
- Ultra-processed food exposure and health outcomes: Current evidence, ...
Source excerpt: “An updated dose-response meta-analysis of 18 cohort studies including more than 1.1 million participants reported a 15 % higher risk of all-cause mort...”
- Synthesis of Effect Sizes on Dose Response from Ultra-Processed Food Consumption against Various Noncommunicable Diseases
Source excerpt: “Further, a 10% increment in UPF consumption significantly affects diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and cancer (HR ± 95% CI: 1.115 ± 0.044, ...”
- Ultra-processed food exposure and health outcomes: Current evidence, ...
Source excerpt: “For renal outcomes, systematic reviews and meta-analyses consistently report a higher risk of chronic kidney disease and declined renal function with ...”
- Ultra-processed food exposure and health outcomes: Current evidence, ...
Source excerpt: “In a recently published randomized controlled 2-by-2 crossover feeding trial, consumption of an ultra-processed diet for 3 weeks resulted in adverse c...”
- Definitions of ultra-processed foods beyond NOVA: a systematic review and evaluation
Source excerpt: “In 2024, a comprehensive umbrella review including 45 meta-analyses and ~10 million study participants shows that there is convincing evidence for hig...”
- Ultra-processed foods – a scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023
Source excerpt: “The current evidence supports that greater consumption of UPFs is associated with weight gain and increased risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, t...”
- HHS, FDA and USDA Address the Health Risks of Ultra-Processed Foods ...
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 ...”
- Ultra-processed foods are a threat to public health, scientists ...
Source excerpt: “And some nutrition experts like Dr. David Ludwig of Harvard, point out that lots of food is considered ultraprocessed, and not all of it is unhealthy.”
- Definitions of ultra-processed foods beyond NOVA: a systematic review and evaluation
Source excerpt: “showed that total UPF intake is associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, driven by subgroups like white bread, soft-drinks, sauces, animal-pr...”
- Ultra-Processed Foods Are Danger to Global Public Health, Experts Warn
Source excerpt: ““The policy and advocacy recommendations of this series go far beyond the available evidence,” said Secretary-General Rocco Renaldi, arguing there was...”
- HHS, FDA and USDA Address the Health Risks of Ultra-Processed Foods ...
Source excerpt: “Currently, there is no single authoritative definition for ultra-processed foods for the U.S. food supply.”
- Health effects of ultra-processed food: uncovering causal mechanisms ...
Source excerpt: “- Multiple factors are suspected to explain detrimental effects of UPFs, beyond their nutritional profile, including food additives.”