Public asked for views on UPFs

Members of the public will be asked how they feel ultra-processed foods (UPFs) should be regulated as part of a project that aims to inform future government food policy.

The project is being funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

People across the UK will be asked to share their views on UPFs including how they affect our health as well as their governance and regulation.

Their insights will be combined with existing evidence about public perceptions of UPFs to help UKRI identify and address gaps in existing knowledge and develop future research priorities.

The results of the project will also be made available to government and wider stakeholders so they can feed into work underway to create a new national food strategy.

Evidence continues to mounts over the harm caused by diets high in UPFs although research to-date has mostly showncorrelation with negative health outcomes rather than causation. Following an evidence review in 2023, the government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition said more research was needed before it could draw any firm conclusions about whether UPF causes poor health, despite finding associations between increased consumption of UPF and an increased risk of health issues such as obesity, chronic diseases like type-2 diabetes, and depression.

Based on the commonly used Nova classification system, UPFs account for more than 50% of the calories we consume in the UK and span product categories from baked goods and cereals to confectionery and snacks.

“Food matters to everyone in society, and we know that ultra-processed foods are a major component of modern diets,” said Riaz Bhunnoo, associate director of UKRI’s Global Food Security Programme. “It is therefore vital that we include public perspectives in our approach to research on UPFs. This new dialogue will explore some of the complexities around how people view UPFs and their place in our food system and we hope that as a result, future research into UPFs will better respond to peoples’ experiences and priorities.”