The World Health Organization has funded research analysing the nutritional composition of ultra-processed plant-based burgers, and the findings are out.
The term ‘ultra-processed’ is increasingly used to describe the ‘unhealthiness’ of a product, particularly in the context of plant-based meat. But how processed a food is reveals nothing about its nutritional impact, contends new research.
A recent study published in medical journal The Lancet has found that ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption is often linked to multimorbidity. However the study found no link between multimorbidity and consumption of UPFs including breakfast cereals,...
The NOVA classification system is used to ascertain whether foods are minimally processed, processed or ‘ultra-processed’. A new study has found that people’s perceptions of foods and their processing levels usually align with their NOVA classification.
In the UK, government scientists have pointed to ‘uncertainties’ surrounding the quality of evidence linking consumption of ultra-processed foods with adverse health outcomes.
Acknowledging the pain points of the NOVA classification system, researchers have developed a machine learning algorithm to accurately predict the degree of processing for any food.
Fresh research suggests consumers struggle to distinguish between ultra-processed and other processed foods, but want to cut back on both. Is a lack of trust at play?
From a public health perspective, ‘ultra-processed food’ is a major concern. But stigmatising the term, instead of focusing on the benefits of opting for healthier alternatives, is not the answer, FoodNavigator hears.
“Maligning plant-based meats and milks because of the processing they undergo is nutritionally unjustified and counterproductive to achieving the health and environmental goals of the World Health Organization,” claims one academic who has been studying...
