Fifty-seven per cent of Americans believe no food can be ultra-processed and healthy at the same time, according to a 2,000-person survey by The Harris Poll for the American Heart Association (AHA), Green Queen reported. Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) make up 55% of Americans' calories and 67% of children's.
While 90% of adults have heard of UPFs, only a third are very or extremely familiar with them. Even so, 72% say they can confidently tell whether a food is ultra-processed, and two-thirds think they could explain the term. Asked what makes a food ultra-processed, 38% pointed to artificial additives, dyes or hard-to-pronounce ingredients, 23% to heavy industrial processing and just 15% to junk food high in sugar, salt or fat. A majority, 54%, said processed foods are always better than UPFs, and 83% said whole foods beat processed ones.
The AHA has used the gap to press the Office of Management and Budget to release a federal UPF definition, which it says has sat in draft for months because of opposition from "industry interests". The term comes from the Nova classification of 2009, which health experts criticise as too broad because it groups soft drinks and crisps with whole-grain bread and fortified soy milk.
The AHA itself advises choosing minimally processed ingredients but has cautioned against treating all UPFs as harmful, saying some high-fibre products, including many plant-based meats, can be beneficial. Several states, including California, Arizona and Virginia, are phasing UPFs out of school meals. The story was written by Anay Mridul.
Photo: Wilfredor / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Green Queen
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