WHAT ARE ULTRAPROCESSED FOODS?

Some natural products are drastically transformed by the food industry, and regularly eating them can affect our health

- AILSA HARVEY

Many of the foods you prepare at home are likely to go through some processing, whether that be freezing, cutting, canning or cooking. Each act changes the chemistry of the food’s molecules in some way. However, ultra-processed foods are those that undergo industrial-style processes far exceeding what you can do in your own kitchen. They are the types of food that encourage excessive eating – ‘hyper palatable’ foods like ice cream, sausages and biscuits. Ultra-processed products often have more sugar and other ingredients that your brain can quickly become addicted to.

Natural foods, like fruit, can change in taste and consistency as they ripen and grow. However, ultra-processed foods often have added chemicals and artificial flavours that prolong their shelf life. Ultimately, ultra processed foods are designed for a palatable experience, with less consideration for the impact the product has upon entering the body. Heavily processed foods can be transformed into a large variety of products. In the meat industry, ultra-processing can assist in reducing waste, like scraps of meat that aren’t so easily removed from the bone.

Products like hot dogs include mechanically separated meat, which involves specialised machines that can retrieve otherwise discarded trimmings of chicken, beefor pork that are ground to an even consistency and blended together into a thick paste. Chemicals are added to evenly flavour the mixture and hold the paste together before the paste is used to fill long, thin cases – such as animal intestines – to mould into a sausage shape. Heat and additives remove much of the beneficial nutrients of the meat and colouring is often added to encourage people to eat it.