Ultra-Processed Foods: How Harmful Are They Really?

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Ultra-processed foods are rarely out of the headlines, and for good reason. The definition is straightforward: factory-made products containing ingredients you would not find in a home kitchen, such as emulsifiers, preservatives, sweeteners, colours and flavourings. They go through industrial processes like frying, moulding and chemical modification, and end up bearing little resemblance to their natural origins. As one writer put it, these are not foods your grandmother would recognise.

One trend worth watching is the marketing of ultra-processed foods to young children, including toddler milk formula. These products have little nutritional justification and can foster a preference for sweetness that undermines a whole food diet. A simple test for ultra-processing is whether the ingredient list reads like a chemistry exam. Manufacturers often add protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals to give an impression of healthfulness, but that does not negate the underlying problems.

In Australia, around 40% of dietary intake is now classified as ultra-processed

Emerging evidence links childhood and adolescent diet, including ultra-processed foods, to the rise in early-onset bowel cancer, possibly through changes to the gut microbiome¹. The global escalation in ultra-processed food production has paralleled the obesity epidemic, and many of these foods are engineered to override satiety signals and encourage overconsumption of fat and sugar. In Australia, around 40% of dietary intake is now classified as ultra-processed². The Health Star Rating is not a reliable guide either, since manufacturers can reformulate products to score well while remaining ultra-processed.

The health risks are significant. Ultra-processed foods are associated with higher rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease and premature mortality, along with several cancers, particularly bowel cancer³. Some of this is a direct effect, and some comes from these foods displacing whole foods such as vegetables, lean meats, fish and fruit.

There are practical swaps worth suggesting, often at no extra cost:

• Swap manufactured cereals for oats or multigrain options
• Be cautious with alternative milks, as many are ultra-processed, though some are free from added oils, emulsifiers and sugars
• Skip soft drinks and sports drinks in favour of water or milk, and treat juice as an occasional option
• Choose bakery breads over white sliced loaves
• Swap ice-cream for plain yoghurt
• Choose plain yoghurts over flavoured ones
• Opt for minimally processed meats instead of sausages
• Pick crackers with the shortest ingredient lists

Not all ultra-processed foods are equally harmful, but the direction of the evidence is clear. The less processed the food, the better the outcome for long-term health.