International health authorities and nutrition experts have sounded the alarm over the growing prevalence of ultra-processed foods in the global diet. There is still no consensus on what an “ultra-processed food” is – the WHO has started convening a commission of experts to establish its criteria on the matter – but the most consistent definitions state that these are products made with already prepared raw materials to which additives are incorporated to improve the flavor or facilitate preparation or preservation. The popularity of this type of food is not difficult to explain. In more developed economies, the characteristics of the labor market mean that more and more people do not have time to cook. In the developing world (where consumption is growing the most), growing urbanization makes the convenience and prestige of ultra-processed foods attractive. And, everywhere, industrialization makes them in many cases cheaper than fresh ingredients.
In the medical journal The Lancet, 43 experts warn that the effects are devastating. After reviewing 104 studies published between 2016 and 2024, consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with excessive calorie intake, low nutritional quality, and increased exposure to potentially harmful chemicals and additives. All this leads to an increase in cases of diseases such as obesity (which is already an epidemic and the most widespread form of malnutrition on the planet among children and adolescents), hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Some countries are already taking measures. In Spain, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs has promoted a royal decree to limit the presence of ultra-processed foods in school canteens. In Mexico, where one in three children is obese and 16% of adults suffer from diabetes, the federal government has banned the sale of so-called “junk food” in educational centers. For their part, in Chile, since April this year, companies have been obliged to include warnings on health effects in advertising and, if necessary, to recommend their consumption. Many campaigns highlight the individual responsibility of the consumer and it is good that this is the case. But if we want the public health risk posed by the excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods not to escalate into a crisis, further measures are needed. And both the companies that produce them – and spend millions to promote them and avoid regulation – and the states, which supervise their sale and distribution, have their responsibility in this.
