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step 0: clearly and accurately define what it means to be "ultraprocessed". Is a protien shake (like Ensure) considered ultraprocessed? Is a homemade chocolate

step 0: clearly and accurately define what it means to be "ultraprocessed". Is a protien shake (like Ensure) considered ultraprocessed? Is a homemade chocolate chip cookie processed or ultraprocessed? Are frozen veggie chicken nuggets ultraprocessed? Without a clear and accurate definition of what it means to be 'ultraprocessed' this would just add to the confusion.

abdullahkhalids 3y ago
The NOVA classification of foods has four groups [1], with the definition of Ultraprocessed as > Formulations of ingredients, mostly of exclusive industrial use, made by a series of industrial processes, many requiring sophisticated equipment and technology (hence ‘ultra-processed’). Processes used to make ultra-processed foods include the fractioning of whole foods into substances, chemical modifications of these substances, assembly of unmodified and modified food substances using industrial techniques such as extrusion, moulding and pre-frying; use of additives at various stages of manufacture whose functions include making the final product palatable or hyper-palatable; and sophisticated packaging, usually with plastic and other synthetic materials. Ingredients include sugar, oils or fats, or salt, generally in combination, and substances that are sources of energy and nutrients that are of no or rare culinary use such as high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated or interesterified oils, and protein isolates; classes of additives whose function is to make the final product palatable or more appealing such as flavours, flavour enhancers, colours, emulsifiers, and sweeteners, thickeners, and anti-foaming, bulking, carbonating, foaming, gelling, and glazing agents; and additives that prolong product duration, protect original properties or prevent proliferation of microorganisms. The FAO also recommends that law should mandate that ultraprocessed food be labelled as such. In the meantime, you can also just search for a particular food item on Openfoodfacts to see its classification. For instance, Nutella [2] is ultraprocessed. [1] https://www.fao.org/3/ca5644en/CA5644EN.pdf https://www.fao.org/3/ca5644en/CA5644EN.pdf [2] https://world.openfoodfacts.org/product/3017620422003/nutella-ferrero https://world.openfoodfacts.org/product/3017620422003/nutell...
- JohnFen 3y ago
  That definition seems very broad to me. Broad enough that I question how meaningful it is.
  - GeoAtreides 3y ago
    From the OP's first citation: >The NOVA food classification system with its identification and definition of ultra-processed foods is the one that by far has been most applied in the scientific literature Seems like the NOVA food classification it's good enough for the actual experts in the field. I suspect _they_ find it quite useful and meaningful.
    - JohnFen 3y ago
      Probably so, but it seems too broad to be useful to me. It seems to include quite a lot of stuff that doesn't seem bad. This means any warning messages based on it aren't useful to me. Of course, I may just be too ignorant of the subject to properly understand, in which case such warning labels should also come with some sort of educational effort.
  - abdullahkhalids 3y ago
    Please read Table 1 from the FAO definition. There is a world of difference between Group 1 and Group 4. Personally, I can go around labeling my own food intake, and I estimate that at least 80-90% of my calories are not from ultraprocessed sources.
  - rs999gti 3y ago
    Broad enough to drive legislation and lawsuits right through it
- tedunangst 3y ago
  I think homemade jam would tick nearly all those boxes.
  - GeoAtreides 3y ago
barryrandall 3y ago
Without the ability to document and report on how food is actually made, consumers just can't make that determination on their own. In our post-truth world, "broccoli" can mean either "broccoli", or "processed broccoli food product."
radiojosh 3y ago
It is so validating to find out that I'm not the only one who has a problem with "processed foods". It feels so dumb that so much "wisdom" about the composition of our diet hinges on such a broad / vague / meaningless category. Life and the universe are endlessly complicated and taking shortcuts to understand it all by way of putting things in arbitrary boxes usually doesn't go so well.

abdullahkhalids 3y ago

The NOVA classification of foods has four groups [1], with the definition of Ultraprocessed as > Formulations of ingredients, mostly of exclusive industrial use, made by a series of industrial processes, many requiring sophisticated equipment and technology (hence ‘ultra-processed’). Processes used to make ultra-processed foods include the fractioning of whole foods into substances, chemical modifications of these substances, assembly of unmodified and modified food substances using industrial techniques such as extrusion, moulding and pre-frying; use of additives at various stages of manufacture whose functions include making the final product palatable or hyper-palatable; and sophisticated packaging, usually with plastic and other synthetic materials. Ingredients include sugar, oils or fats, or salt, generally in combination, and substances that are sources of energy and nutrients that are of no or rare culinary use such as high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated or interesterified oils, and protein isolates; classes of additives whose function is to make the final product palatable or more appealing such as flavours, flavour enhancers, colours, emulsifiers, and sweeteners, thickeners, and anti-foaming, bulking, carbonating, foaming, gelling, and glazing agents; and additives that prolong product duration, protect original properties or prevent proliferation of microorganisms. The FAO also recommends that law should mandate that ultraprocessed food be labelled as such. In the meantime, you can also just search for a particular food item on Openfoodfacts to see its classification. For instance, Nutella [2] is ultraprocessed. [1] https://www.fao.org/3/ca5644en/CA5644EN.pdf https://www.fao.org/3/ca5644en/CA5644EN.pdf [2] https://world.openfoodfacts.org/product/3017620422003/nutella-ferrero https://world.openfoodfacts.org/product/3017620422003/nutell...

JohnFen 3y ago
That definition seems very broad to me. Broad enough that I question how meaningful it is.
- GeoAtreides 3y ago
  From the OP's first citation: >The NOVA food classification system with its identification and definition of ultra-processed foods is the one that by far has been most applied in the scientific literature Seems like the NOVA food classification it's good enough for the actual experts in the field. I suspect _they_ find it quite useful and meaningful.
  - JohnFen 3y ago
    Probably so, but it seems too broad to be useful to me. It seems to include quite a lot of stuff that doesn't seem bad. This means any warning messages based on it aren't useful to me. Of course, I may just be too ignorant of the subject to properly understand, in which case such warning labels should also come with some sort of educational effort.
- abdullahkhalids 3y ago
  Please read Table 1 from the FAO definition. There is a world of difference between Group 1 and Group 4. Personally, I can go around labeling my own food intake, and I estimate that at least 80-90% of my calories are not from ultraprocessed sources.
- rs999gti 3y ago
  Broad enough to drive legislation and lawsuits right through it
tedunangst 3y ago
I think homemade jam would tick nearly all those boxes.
- GeoAtreides 3y ago

barryrandall 3y ago

Without the ability to document and report on how food is actually made, consumers just can't make that determination on their own. In our post-truth world, "broccoli" can mean either "broccoli", or "processed broccoli food product."

radiojosh 3y ago

It is so validating to find out that I'm not the only one who has a problem with "processed foods". It feels so dumb that so much "wisdom" about the composition of our diet hinges on such a broad / vague / meaningless category. Life and the universe are endlessly complicated and taking shortcuts to understand it all by way of putting things in arbitrary boxes usually doesn't go so well.