U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is spearheading a federal push to rein in ultra-processed foods. But what exactly are they?
The term is sometimes used interchangeably with “processed foods,” or the more colloquial “junk food.” And although there is research into ultra-processed foods, there isn’t a single, unified definition for the term.
That’s a gap that Kennedy is aiming to address, through a joint effort between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The agency heads announced last week that they’re gathering more information as a starting point for an eventual definition for the term.
While there isn’t yet a standardized federal definition for “ultra-processed foods,” nutrition experts say there are rough guidelines already. And there are some misconceptions those experts want to set straight as ultra-processed foods become a national focal point.
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What does it mean to process a food?
There are a lot of things that qualify as “processing,” which is essentially anything that is done to a food that changes it from its original, natural form.
That includes procedures that sanitize or remove potentially harmful substances from food, such as cleaning fruits and vegetables or pasteurizing milk.
“You pick some raspberries, you take them into a factory and wash them, that technically meets the standard of processing,” said Milette Siler, a dietitian and culinary medicine specialist at UT Southwestern Medical Center. “Some degree of processing is absolutely essential for our food safety.”
Processing may also take the form of preserving food for longevity or transportation, such as freezing or canning. Other types of processing make a food unrecognizable, the way that grains can be turned into flour.
When most people think of food processing, though, they think of the most extreme end of the spectrum. That can include adding preservatives, flavors, salt and sugar to a food, and many of those more intensive types of processing also strip away the original nutrients in the raw material.
That extreme of the spectrum is what Kennedy and other advocates are focused on.
What are the categories of food processing?
The three experts who spoke with The Dallas Morning News all referenced the NOVA food classification system.
That system divides foods into four categories, based on the level of processing they’ve undergone. Those categories are:
Unprocessed or minimally processed, such as fresh or frozen fruit, beans and meatProcessed culinary ingredients, such as olive oil, butter and maple syrupProcessed foods, such as sugared nuts, tinned fish and fresh-made breadsUltra-processed foods, such as soft drinks, ice cream, packaged breads, hot dogs and moreWhat’s the difference between ‘processed’ and ‘ultra-processed’?
Foods like sodas and packaged desserts fall clearly into the ultra-processed category. Other foods, though, walk the line between processed and ultra-processed.
Processed foods often have added sugar, salt or oil, and they may also be canned or bottled. That includes canned beans, which have been processed significantly to preserve their shelf life, but which are also high in nutrients such as fiber.
“A lot of the foods that we typically eat that are healthy are still processed,” said Dolores Woods, a dietitian nutritionist at UTHealth Houston.
Ultra-processed foods have been taken a step further than that. They usually have added sugar, salt and oil to make them taste good, plus preservatives and stabilizers to make them last longer. But they’re also typically industrially made to amp up the palatability and shelf life even more. They may have chemically modified ingredients created through industrial processes such as extrusion.
Woods said she sees lab-made ingredients — such as hydrolyzed protein — as the line between processed and ultra-processed. Such ingredients are only ever lab-created, and foods that contain them are typically in the ultra-processed category.
Are ultra-processed foods always unhealthy?
While there’s a general correlation between increased processing and decreased nutritional value, Siler said it’s more complicated than that.
“Oftentimes … the more processed it is, the less nutritious it is,” Siler said. “But that’s where the details are really important, context and nuance is important, because that is not always necessarily so.”
One problem, Woods said, is that a lot of processed foods get lumped into the ultra-processed category. And because some processed foods do still have high nutritional value, the blurring of the line makes it confusing for people who want to cut down on ultra-processed foods.
For instance, high-fiber canned beans are likely a good addition to the dinner plate, even though they are processed.
“Some processed foods are healthy and they are going to be a part of our diet,” Woods said.
For foods that are truly in the ultra-processed category, Woods said they are generally less healthy.
“With the ultra-processed, though, I do think that inherently they are unhealthier foods, just because of the food substances used to prepare them,” Woods said. “Since they are these industrial formulations, they’re not going to be healthy.”
The intensive manufacturing generally means that ultra-processed foods also have been stripped of their original ingredients’ nutritional value. For instance, many ultra-processed foods are extremely low in dietary fiber.
Between stripped nutrients and added sugar, salt and oils, ultra-processed foods generally have a low nutritional value, especially when compared to less-processed options.
Should I eat ultra-processed foods?
For people looking to cut down on ultra-processed foods, Woods said to steer clear of unrecognizable or unpronounceable ingredients.
“Just learning how to read the labels goes a long way for a lot of people,” Woods said.
Some foods may also have easy swap-outs for less processed options, said Christiane Meireles, a dietitian and professor at UT Health San Antonio.
“If you buy plain yogurt, it’s still processed, but it’s not as processed as the one … that has the fruit added to it,” Meireles said. “So what I can do, I can get my plain yogurt and I can add my fresh fruit.”
But for most people, it’s not realistic — or even healthy — to cut out processed or ultra-processed foods as a whole category.
Siler said the goal should be to add more nutrients into your diet, not to take away potential sources of those nutrients.
“With only one out of every 10 of us getting the amount of vegetables, for example, that we need on a regular basis, the most important thing is to get that vegetable,” Siler said.
“Get that food that you need, whether that’s fresh, frozen, canned, freeze-dried — the most important thing is consumption.”
All three experts recommended people take a nuanced, case-by-case approach to processed and ultra-processed foods, assessing each for its nutritional value instead of cutting it out simply based on its processing category.
“Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,” Siler said.