UPFs blamed for cancer, heart disease and obesity

ULTRA-PROCESSED foods (UPFs) are a leading cause of the "chronic disease pandemic", with food firms putting profit above all else, experts have warned.

- JANE KIRBY

ULTRA-PROCESSED foods (UPFs) are a leading cause of the "chronic disease pandemic", with food firms putting profit above all else, experts have warned.

Writing in The Lancet medical journal, 43 scientists and researchers joined forces to argue that UPFs are "displacing" fresh foods and meals, worsening diet quality, and are linked to multiple chronic diseases.

They said: "The key driver of the global rise in UPFs is the growing economic and political power of the UPF industry, and its restructuring of food systems for profitability above all else.

"The industry comprises UPF manufacturers at its core, but also a broader network of codependent actors who collectively drive the production, marketing and consumption of UPFs."