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There is a commnonly accepted standard about what is (ultra) processed or not. It's called NOVA and it's summarised in the following article: https://www.hsph.

There is a commnonly accepted standard about what is (ultra) processed or not. It's called NOVA and it's summarised in the following article: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/processed-foods/ https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/processed-foods... And I quote: "Ultra-processed foods Also commonly referred to as “highly processed foods,” these are foods from the prior group that go beyond the incorporation of salt, sweeteners, or fat to include artificial colors and flavors and preservatives that promote shelf stability, preserve texture, and increase palatability. Several processing steps using multiple ingredients comprise the ultra-processed food. It is speculated that these foods are designed to specifically increase cravings so that people will overeat them and purchase more. They are typically ready-to-eat with minimal additional preparation. Not all but some of these foods tend to be low in fiber and nutrients. Examples are sugary drinks, cookies, some crackers, chips, and breakfast cereals, some frozen dinners, and luncheon meats. These foods may partially if not completely replace minimally processed foods in some people’s diets. One study using data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that ultra-processed foods comprised about 60% of total calories in the U.S. diet. [4] An association has been suggested between the increasing sales of ultra-processed foods and the rise in obesity. [3]" In short, ultra-processed food is food that's full of stuff you don't need to eat or you don't want to eat, but that's there to make you buy the product, and keep buying it. It's food whose purpose is not to nourish, but to sell.

gruez 5y ago
>In short, ultra-processed food is food that's [...] there to make you buy the product, and keep buying it. It's food whose purpose is not to nourish, but to sell. This isn't really supported by the quote you posted. That aspect only gets a mention in one sentence, and even that's qualified by "It is speculated".
phonypc 5y ago
The commonly accepted standard is incoherent. Chips are listed. Not "some" as is qualified for frozen dinners, but just chips. Chips are just sliced potatoes cooked in oil and salted. No "artificial colors and flavors and preservatives that promote shelf stability, preserve texture, and increase palatability". If you dust some MSG and onion powder on them I guess that technically fits under artifical flavor. But I can do that at home in a couple seconds. Does dusting the same MSG and onion powder on my roasted asparagus make it ultra-processed? Insofar as chips are an issue, it's that they contain too much fat, or too much salt or something. Not some magical property attached to them in an industrial factory. There are similar mismatches for their other examples.
- cheese_goddess 5y ago
  As the quote says "Not all but some of these foods tend to be low in fiber and nutrients". Chips are given as an example of that as are sugary drinks, cookies, some crackers, breakfast cereals, some frozen dinners, and luncheon meats. Further, "These foods may partially if not completely replace minimally processed foods in some people’s diets". Chips in particular are cooked in low-quality oils and highly salted (a pack of crisps in my neck of the woods has about 1.5 to 2% salt). Of course you can do that at home and nobody's stopping you, but chips are sold by the million tons all over the world. Hence the concerns about making peoples' diets a mess.
  - phonypc 5y ago
    Right, the problem with chips isn't how processed they are. They're hardly processed at all. It's what is/isn't in them. Nobody would call homemade mashed potatoes ultra-processed, even if they were made to be nutritionally identical to Lay's chips.
throwaway889900 5y ago
I guess properly made sausage is now "ultra processed", despite just being smoked ground meat in a tube with some spices.

gruez 5y ago

>In short, ultra-processed food is food that's [...] there to make you buy the product, and keep buying it. It's food whose purpose is not to nourish, but to sell. This isn't really supported by the quote you posted. That aspect only gets a mention in one sentence, and even that's qualified by "It is speculated".

phonypc 5y ago

The commonly accepted standard is incoherent. Chips are listed. Not "some" as is qualified for frozen dinners, but just chips. Chips are just sliced potatoes cooked in oil and salted. No "artificial colors and flavors and preservatives that promote shelf stability, preserve texture, and increase palatability". If you dust some MSG and onion powder on them I guess that technically fits under artifical flavor. But I can do that at home in a couple seconds. Does dusting the same MSG and onion powder on my roasted asparagus make it ultra-processed? Insofar as chips are an issue, it's that they contain too much fat, or too much salt or something. Not some magical property attached to them in an industrial factory. There are similar mismatches for their other examples.

cheese_goddess 5y ago
As the quote says "Not all but some of these foods tend to be low in fiber and nutrients". Chips are given as an example of that as are sugary drinks, cookies, some crackers, breakfast cereals, some frozen dinners, and luncheon meats. Further, "These foods may partially if not completely replace minimally processed foods in some people’s diets". Chips in particular are cooked in low-quality oils and highly salted (a pack of crisps in my neck of the woods has about 1.5 to 2% salt). Of course you can do that at home and nobody's stopping you, but chips are sold by the million tons all over the world. Hence the concerns about making peoples' diets a mess.
- phonypc 5y ago
  Right, the problem with chips isn't how processed they are. They're hardly processed at all. It's what is/isn't in them. Nobody would call homemade mashed potatoes ultra-processed, even if they were made to be nutritionally identical to Lay's chips.

throwaway889900 5y ago

I guess properly made sausage is now "ultra processed", despite just being smoked ground meat in a tube with some spices.