Take a walk through any supermarket, and you’ll see thousands of food products, from fresh apples and raw oats to colorful breakfast cereals and microwaveable dinners. Some of these items are close to what they looked like when they came out of the ground or off the tree. Others have been transformed in a factory, packed with added ingredients, and sealed in plastic.
In recent years, a growing number of people have started talking about “ultra-processed food” (or UPF for short). At the same time, there’s more focus than ever on eating “real,” “whole,” or “unprocessed” foods. But what do these terms really mean? And why are so many experts and everyday eaters paying attention to the difference?
Let’s take a closer look at what separates ultra-processed foods from unprocessed ones — and why that difference might matter.
What Is Unprocessed (or Minimally Processed) Food?
When people talk about unprocessed or minimally processed foods, they usually mean foods that are close to their natural state. These are items that haven’t gone through much change between the farm and your fork.
Examples include:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Whole grains like brown rice or quinoa
- Raw nuts and seeds
- Eggs
- Plain yogurt or milk
- Fresh or frozen meat and fish
- Legumes like lentils and beans
Some processing is still involved here — washing, peeling, cutting, freezing, or pasteurizing (heating to kill bacteria) — but the food remains mostly intact. A bag of frozen peas, for example, is still just peas. A handful of almonds is still almonds, even if they’ve been roasted or packaged.
The idea is that these foods are made from one or just a few recognizable ingredients, without much (if any) industrial processing.
So, What Makes a Food Ultra-Processed?
Ultra-processed foods are a different story. These are typically products that have been through multiple steps of industrial processing. They often contain ingredients you wouldn’t use in your kitchen — things like artificial flavors, preservatives, emulsifiers, stabilizers, and colorings. They may also be packed with added sugar, salt, and refined oils.
Common examples of ultra-processed foods include:
- Soft drinks and energy drinks
- Chips and packaged snacks
- Instant noodles
- Flavored breakfast cereals
- Mass-produced bread
- Ready-to-eat frozen meals
- Candy and chocolate bars
- Processed meats like hot dogs and chicken nuggets
These foods are usually designed to be convenient, tasty, and shelf-stable. They’re often ready to eat right out of the package or with minimal preparation.
Many ultra-processed products are marketed as healthy — low-fat, high-protein, organic, or plant-based — but still fall under the UPF category because of how they’re made.
The NOVA Classification System
One tool that researchers and nutritionists use to define food processing levels is called the NOVA system, developed by Brazilian scientists. It divides foods into four groups:
- Unprocessed or minimally processed foods – fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, grains, legumes, eggs, milk, etc.
- Processed culinary ingredients – things like salt, oil, sugar, and butter, usually used in cooking.
- Processed foods – simple combinations of ingredients, like cheese, canned fish, or freshly baked bread.
- Ultra-processed foods – industrial formulations with additives and very little (if any) intact whole food.
The goal of the NOVA system is not to scare people, but to help them understand the degree of transformation their food has undergone.
Why Are Ultra-Processed Foods So Popular?
There’s no denying that ultra-processed foods are everywhere. In many parts of the world — including the U.S., the U.K., and much of Europe — they make up more than half of people’s daily calorie intake.
There are several reasons for this:
- Convenience: Many UPFs require little or no cooking, making them perfect for busy lives.
- Affordability: They’re often cheaper than fresh food, especially in places where fresh produce is hard to access.
- Taste: These products are designed to be hyper-palatable — meaning they hit all the sweet, salty, and fatty notes that keep people coming back for more.
- Marketing: Ultra-processed foods are heavily advertised, often using bright packaging and appealing health claims.
For food companies, UPFs are profitable because they can be mass-produced, stored for long periods, and sold in large volumes.
How Do Ultra-Processed and Unprocessed Foods Affect Our Health?
This is one of the big questions being explored by scientists today.
Many studies have found links between high consumption of ultra-processed foods and a range of health concerns. These include:
- Weight gain and obesity
- Type 2 diabetes
- Heart disease
- Certain types of cancer
- Digestive issues
- Depression and anxiety
One well-known study by the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. showed that people who ate a diet high in ultra-processed foods consumed around 500 more calories per day — without realizing it — compared to those eating minimally processed foods. Even though both diets had similar amounts of fat, sugar, and carbs, the ultra-processed group gained weight more quickly.
But it’s not always clear what causes what. Is it the ingredients in UPFs themselves? The lack of fiber and nutrients? The fact that people eat more of them? Or something else entirely?
There’s still much to learn about how different types of processing affect our bodies in the long run.
