They're everywhere on our shelves and plates, but do we really know what ultra-processed foods are? Behind their often attractive appearance lie industrial processes that profoundly alter their composition. What impact do they have on our health and the environment? Let's decipher these ubiquitous foods and learn how to consume better.
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) now account for almost 65% of the food products available in supermarkets. Yet they are a recent phenomenon: 50 years ago, they hardly existed at all.
The food industry first developed these products in the 1970s and 1980s to improve food safety and preservation. But over time, these products have become tastier and more attractive... at the cost of profound transformations.
TUEs do not come directly from nature. Originally, they are raw raw materials (wheat, milk, meat, vegetables) that are transformed by complex industrial processes: fractionation, blow-moulding, cooking-extrusion, hydrogenation... These techniques modify the structure of the food, causing it to lose some of its nutritional qualities.
Various additives are then added to improve texture, taste or shelf life:
The average French person consumes 4.5 kg of food additives a year!
Ultra-processed foods are characterized by their long lists of ingredients, often incomprehensible to the consumer. Here's a simple guide:
Practical tip: the more ingredients a product contains that you can't find in your kitchen, the more likely it is to be ultra-processed!
TUEs are regularly criticized for their poor nutritional quality. On average, they contain :
The problem lies not only in their composition, but also in the way they are processed. Their modified texture and accentuated flavors encourage over-consumption, reducing the sensation of satiety and speeding up digestion.
A minimally processed food is not necessarily better for your health. A home-made pastry, rich in butter and sugar, is still high in calories. The important thing is to eat in moderation, choose quality products and vary your diet.
Proven health risks. Studies have shown that excessive consumption of TUE is associated with an increased risk of disease:
TUEs not only damage our health, they also affect our planet:
Good news: it's easy to reduce your consumption of ultra-processed foods!
A final word of advice: this vigilance is all the more important for children, who are highly exposed to TUEs through cookies, sugary cereals and ready-made meals.
Ultra-processed foods are ubiquitous in our diet, but their effects on health and the environment call for caution. By choosing a more natural diet and cooking more, we can easily reduce their impact.