Are ultra-processed foods a public health hazard?
Yes — the evidence strongly suggests ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are a public health hazard
A growing and increasingly robust body of scientific evidence supports classifying UPFs as a significant public health concern.
What counts as a UPF
UPFs are industrially manufactured products that typically contain additives and ingredients not found in home cooking. Examples include packaged snacks, processed meat products, cookies, cakes, sugary drinks, and many ready-to-eat meals.
The evidence linking UPFs to disease
Large-scale reviews: A 2024 umbrella review covering nearly 10 million people found that higher exposure to ultra-processed foods is associated with an increased risk of 32 damaging health outcomes including cancer, major heart and lung conditions, mental health disorders, and early death. Specifically, the review found convincing evidence that higher ultra-processed food intake was associated with around a 50% increased risk of cardiovascular disease related death, a 48-53% higher risk of anxiety and common mental disorders.
An even larger umbrella review identified associations with at least 44 different health effects, and found robustness in the association between UPFs and cancer risk, which persists even after exhaustive control for confounding factors.
Mortality risk: A 2025 global study found that each 10% increase in ultra-processed food intake increases the risk of early death by 3%, meaning death between the ages of 30 and 69. In the U.S. alone, researchers estimate potentially 124,000 Americans die prematurely every two years due to ultra-processed food consumption.
Specific disease risks: More recent research continues to reinforce these findings. A 2025 study found that the risk of cardiovascular disease increased by 24% after consuming higher amounts of ultra-processed foods, with each additional 100 grams a day linked to a 14% higher heart risk and an 11% higher blood pressure risk. Separately, Harvard researchers found 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
Several biological mechanisms have been proposed. Controlled trials show UPF-rich diets increase energy intake and weight gain, with mechanisms including high energy density, disrupted food matrices, faster eating rates, additives affecting gut health, and hyper-palatable formulations. Research also shows these foods affect gut health specifically — in one randomized, controlled study, participants who ate food with a widely used emulsifier, carboxymethylcellulose, experienced alterations in their intestinal microbiota and increased stomach discomfort after eating. There's also evidence of addictive properties — due to their ingredients and high level of processing, ultra-processed foods are addictive, generating little satiety which leads people to consume more.
Major policy response: The Lancet Series (November 2025)
The scientific consensus has solidified enough to prompt major policy calls. A major three-paper series published in The Lancet in November 2025 by over 40 international experts concluded that the rise of UPFs in human diets is damaging public health, fuelling chronic diseases worldwide, and deepening health inequalities, requiring a unified global response that confronts corporate power and transforms food systems.
Importantly, the authors argue that although more research on UPFs will continue to be valuable, the current science is already strong enough to justify immediate public health action, since waiting for further studies would allow UPFs to gain an even stronger hold in global diets.
Scale of the problem
This isn't a niche issue — UPFs dominate modern diets, especially in the U.S. Americans consume over half of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods, on average, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among younger populations it's even more pronounced: UPF currently make up more than half of what U.S. adults eat on a daily basis, and two-thirds of what kids and teens eat.
There's also a health equity dimension — UPF are frequently more affordable than less-processed foods or fresh produce, and their low cost and wide availability may drive health disparities among populations who already face hunger, undernutrition and higher rates of chronic disease.
A caveat on certainty
It's worth noting that most of this evidence comes from observational studies rather than randomized controlled trials, so researchers describe the certainty as ranging from weak to moderate depending on study design, even though the associations are highly consistent across populations. Still, given the scale of consumption and the consistency of findings across cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, mental health, and mortality, major health bodies (including the American Heart Association and The Lancet's expert panel) now treat UPFs as a serious and urgent public health issue warranting policy intervention—not just individual dietary choice.
Citations (18)
- Eating more ultra-processed foods linked to worse health, study finds - ABC News
Source excerpt: “Examples include packaged snacks, processed meat products, cookies, cakes, sugary drinks, and many ready-to-eat meals. ”
background, article, neutral. Claim: Examples of UPFs include packaged snacks, processed meat products, cookies, cakes, sugary drinks, and ready-to-eat meals.
- Consistent evidence links ultra-processed food to over 30 damaging health outcomes - BMJ Group
Source excerpt: “Findings underscore need for urgent research to understand how ultra-processed foods affect health and measures to target and reduce exposure Consiste...”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: 2024 umbrella review links higher UPF exposure to increased risk of many damaging health outcomes.
- Consistent evidence links ultra-processed food to over 30 damaging health outcomes - BMJ Group
Source excerpt: “Overall, the results show that higher exposure to ultra-processed foods was consistently associated with an increased risk of 32 adverse health outcom...”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: Higher UPF exposure associated with increased risk of 32 adverse health outcomes.
- Consistent evidence links ultra-processed food to over 30 damaging health outcomes - BMJ Group
Source excerpt: “Convincing evidence showed that higher ultra-processed food intake was associated with around a 50% increased risk of cardiovascular disease related d...”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: Convincing evidence of around 50% increased risk of cardiovascular disease related death with higher UPF intake.
- Effect of Ultra-Processed Foods Consumption on Human Health Outcomes: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
Source excerpt: “A key finding in this evidence synthesis is the robustness of the association between ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and cancer risk, which persists eve...”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: Larger umbrella review found robust association between UPFs and cancer risk persisting after controlling for confounding.
- ultra processed foods 5 findings from new study
Source excerpt: “Each 10% increase in ultra-processed food intake increases the risk of early death by 3%. ("Early death" means between the ages of 30 and 69.) ”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: Each 10% increase in UPF intake increases risk of early death by 3%.
- ultra processed foods 5 findings from new study
Source excerpt: “Potentially 124,000 Americans die prematurely every two years due to ultra-processed food consumption.”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: Potentially 124,000 Americans die prematurely every two years due to UPF consumption.
- Eating more ultra-processed foods linked to worse health, study finds - ABC News
Source excerpt: “The risk of cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States, was found to increase by 24% after consuming higher amou...”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: Cardiovascular disease risk increased by 24% after consuming higher amounts of UPFs.
- Eating more ultra-processed foods linked to worse health, study finds - ABC News
Source excerpt: “Each additional 100 grams a day was linked to a 14% higher heart risk and an 11% higher blood pressure risk. ”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: Each additional 100 grams a day linked to 14% higher heart risk and 11% higher blood pressure risk.
- 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...”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: Younger women who eat more UPF may be more likely to develop colorectal cancer.
- Ultra-processed foods and cardiometabolic risk: from evidence to policy
Source excerpt: “Controlled trials show UPF-rich diets increase energy intake and weight gain. Mechanisms include high energy density, disrupted food matrices, faster ...”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: Controlled trials show UPF-rich diets increase energy intake and weight gain, with several proposed mechanisms.
- Ultra-processed food: Five things to know - Stanford Medicine
Source excerpt: “In one randomized, controlled study published in *Gastroenterology* in 2022, participants who ate food with a widely used emulsifier, carboxymethylcel...”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: Randomized study found emulsifier carboxymethylcellulose altered intestinal microbiota and increased stomach discomfort.
- takecontrol.substack.com
Source excerpt: “Due to their ingredients and high level of processing, ultra-processed foods are addictive. They generate little satiety and that makes them consume m...”
evidence, other, points to yes. Claim: UPFs are addictive and generate little satiety, leading people to consume more.
- Ultra-processed foods: time to put health before profit - The Lancet
Source excerpt: “*The Lancet* October 2, 2025 The rise of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in human diets is damaging public health, fuelling chronic diseases worldwide, ...”
attribution, official document, points to yes. Claim: Lancet series by international experts concluded UPF rise is damaging public health and fuelling chronic disease.
- Global surge in ultra-processed foods sparks urgent health warning
Source excerpt: “- The authors explain that although more research on UPFs will continue to be valuable, the current science is already strong enough to justify immedi...”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: Authors argue current science is strong enough to justify immediate public health action.
- Global rise in ultra-processed foods is major public health threat, experts say - ABC News
Source excerpt: “Americans consume over half of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods, on average, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control ...”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: Americans consume over half of daily calories from UPFs, per a CDC study.
- Harms of Ultra-Processed Foods: New Research Insights
Source excerpt: “UPF currently make up more than half of what U.S. adults eat on a daily basis, and two-thirds of what kids and teens eat. ”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: UPFs make up over half of US adults' diets and two-thirds of kids' and teens' diets.
- Harms of Ultra-Processed Foods: New Research Insights
Source excerpt: “What’s more, UPF are frequently more affordable than less-processed foods or fresh produce. The low cost and wide availability of UPF may drive health...”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: UPFs are often cheaper than fresh foods, and low cost and wide availability may drive health disparities.