Simple supermarket swaps to cut ultra-processed foods

From yoghurt and bread to protein bars and sauces, the smartest approach is a better understanding of what matters and what really doesn't in your diet

- Hannah Twiggs

Supermarkets in January look healthier than ever: labels covered in green traffic lights and protein percentages, whole aisles devoted to meat-free nuggets and plant-based sausages, yoghurts promising gut health and granolas offering slow-release energy.

Yet somewhere between the low-fat fruit yoghurt and the peaprotein bar lurks a growing public anxiety: ultra-processed foods (UPFS). The term has become a catch-all villain, fuelled by the sense that the more we shop, the less we recognise what we're eating.

Most households rely on packaged foods because they are cheap, convenient and familiar. Few people have the time, energy or budget to cook every meal from scratch. And while the metabolic downsides of eating mostly industrially formulated foods are well documented, the more useful question is not, "are UPFS evil?", but, "which swaps actually help, and what should we stop worrying about?" "The public conversation around UPFs is important for policy change, but it is complex and unhelpful for the public making everyday food choices in our current food environment," says Dr Federica Amati, head of nutrition at Zoe. The common misconception, she says, is "the assumption that all of these foods are bad for you, when in actual fact, it's the likely impact that certain food processing has on our health that is important to consider".

New analysis presented at the Nutrition Society Conference last week showed that "only a fraction of UPFS should be considered harmful for the majority of people", and while "many UPFs are obviously bad for you", others "may be neutral, or even support your health if eaten in moderation and as part of a predominantly whole food diet".