The share of ultra-processed foods in Brazilians’ diets has more than doubled since the 1980s, rising from 10 percent to 23 percent. The warning comes from a series of articles published on Tuesday (Nov. 18) by more than 40 scientists, led by researchers from the University of São Paulo (USP).

The research published in The Lancet journal shows that this is not a phenomenon isolated to Brazil. Data from 93 countries show that the consumption of ultra-processed foods has increased over the years in all of them, with the exception of the United Kingdom, where it has remained stable at 50 percent. The European country is surpassed only by the United States, where ultra-processed foods make up more than 60 percent of the diet.

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Carlos Monteiro, a researcher at USP’s Center for Epidemiological Research in Nutrition and Health (Nupens) and leader of the study, warns that this growing consumption is restructuring diets around the world, and that it is not happening by chance.

“This change in the way people eat is driven by large global corporations, which make extraordinary profits by prioritizing ultra-processed products, supported by strong marketing strategies and political lobbying that block public policies promoting adequate and healthy eating,” Monteiro stated.

What are ultra-processed foods?

The term “ultra-processed” began to gain popularity after Brazilian researchers created a new classification system in 2009. It divides foods into four groups according to the degree of modification they undergo during industrial processing:

- Unprocessed or minimally processed foods are sold in their natural form, or only after undergoing a process that maintains their basic structure, such as freezing, cutting, grinding, packaging, etc. Examples: fruits and vegetables; meat and fish; packaged grains and cereals.

- Processed ingredients are produced from fresh foods and are generally used in the preparation of other foods. Examples: soybean oil, sugar, and salt.

- Processed foods are products from group 1, added to ingredients from group 2 or modified using methods similar to those used at home. For example: canned vegetables and fish, pasta, 100 percent fruit juices.

- Ultra-processed foods are commercial products resulting from the mixture of cheap fresh foods with chemical additives, highly modified by industrial processes. These additives serve to make them highly durable, ready to eat, and super palatable. Examples include filled cookies, soft drinks, instant noodles, and flavored yogurts.

The creation of the new classification was also spearheaded by Carlos Monteiro, leader of the global report published on Tuesday. He emphasizes that the purpose of the classification is to facilitate understanding of “how processing affects the quality of our diet and our health” and to contribute to the creation of guidelines, such as the Brazilian Population Food Guide, created for the Ministry of Health, which incorporated the new classification in its second edition.

“After 20 years of studying changes in food production in Brazil linked to the increase in obesity, we realized that food processing had changed its purpose. It was no longer about preserving food, but rather creating food substitutes made from cheap ingredients and additives,” Monteiro pointed out.

Recommendations

The researchers also present proposals to reduce the consumption of these products and call for large companies to be held accountable for promoting unhealthy diets. One of the main recommendations is that additives such as colorings and flavorings be clearly listed on packaging, along with excessive amounts of fat, salt, and sugar.

Another measure considered essential is the prohibition of these products in public institutions, such as schools and hospitals. On this point, Brazil is cited as an example because of its National School Feeding Program (PNAE), which has been reducing the availability of these products and has established that, starting next year, 90 percent of the food offered in schools must be fresh or minimally processed.

The authors also propose stricter restrictions on advertising, especially those aimed at children, and emphasize that, alongside reducing the supply of ultra-processed foods, it is necessary to increase the availability of fresh foods. One suggested strategy is to impose a surtax on certain ultra-processed foods to help finance fresh foods for low-income families.

The series of publications also reinforces that the increase in consumption of these foods is not the fault of individual decisions, but the responsibility of large global corporations. According to the authors, these companies use cheap ingredients and industrial methods to reduce costs, and drive consumption through aggressive marketing and attractive designs.

With global annual sales of USD 1.9 trillion, ultra-processed foods represent the most profitable sector of the food industry. These profits, according to the researchers, “fuel the growth of corporate power in food systems, allowing these companies to expand their production, political influence, and market presence, shaping diets on a global scale.”