health
Nobody Knows What Ultra-Processed Food Is
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is taking on the fuzziest category in food science.
TL;DR
- The government is developing a formal definition for ultra-processed foods (UPFs).
- Scientists have varying definitions for UPFs, ranging from those with industrial ingredients to those no longer recognizable as their original source.
- Disagreements on UPF definitions stem from ambiguity in understanding their precise health impacts and the roles of various additives and processing methods.
- Epidemiological studies link UPF-heavy diets to diseases like cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, but specific causal agents are not fully identified.
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is also proposing a rule to require companies to inform the FDA about new additives.
- The definition of UPF is crucial for potential regulations on testing, advertising, and sales, but an inaccurate definition could be problematic.
- Previous efforts to define food categories, like the FDA's overhaul of 'healthy foods' definitions, have taken many years.