UPFs Are Not Just an American Issue
Plus, other interesting food & ag news
Welcome to Plating Progress: Edition 4, a newsletter on the sustainability of our global food systems.
Now, let’s dive in!
UPFs Are Not Just an American Issue
Just a few weeks before the U.S. released its updated diet recommendations, Frontiers in Science shared a “comprehensive review” on our “consumption-driven food systems”. The study particularly focuses on the global obesity crisis, with researchers from six countries linking our current systems of feeding people to increased consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and an unsustainable burden on healthcare. Researchers are calling for enhanced clarity around UPFs, including better labeling of energy-dense foods, including processed foods and meats.
Context
UPFs have been a point of concern for nutrition experts for years, but this study now links processed foods to environmental damage as well. One particular statistic is, “UPF manufacturing relies heavily on ingredients derived from large crops such as sugar, maize, and wheat, along with animal products such as powdered milk, eggs, and processed meats. The additional food intake needed to maintain obesity increases emissions by 20%.”
The study lists some possible reforms to tackle the environmental damage and obesity crisis caused by UPFs. This includes “cost transparency to address market distortions, taxes on energy-dense UPFs, facilitation of healthy food choices (including subsidies to producers and consumers), food labeling, living environments that enable healthy diets and activity, and education of the public and professionals.”
A real shift away from unhealthy UPFs remains a long-term battle for nutrition and public health experts, and it starts with research that defines the problem.
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