73% of the American food supply is ultra-processed

[Kaido]

Dang:

Research Suggests 73% of Food in the U.S. Is Ultra-Processed

New research and a corresponding publicly available database of 50,000 foods can help consumers avoid ultra processed foods.

foodtank.com

The database indicates that 73 percent of the U.S. food supply is ultra-processed and suggests that ultra-processed foods are 52 percent cheaper than less processed alternatives, on average.

Certain foods may disrupt your body’s fight against cancer cells, study says:

https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/11/health/colon-cancer-omega-6-ultraprocessed-food-wellness/index.html

 

[Ken g6]

"Ultra-processed" is such a broad term. The first article gave me the best definition of harmful ultra-processed foods I've seen so far:

Four forms of processing have serious adverse effects on the quality of food: refining grains, partial hydrogenation of oils, refinement of sugar cane to make sugar, and adding excessive amounts of salt and some other preservatives.

I think partial hydrogenation of oils (for trans fat) is mostly banned, though traces remained in a few foods like Oreos last I heard. I try hard to find whole-grain bread, though it's gotten more expensive.

Sugar and salt are hard to avoid, though, and hard to make tasty food without. I'm pretty sure all the artificial sweeteners are worse.

 

[Kaido]

"Ultra-processed" is such a broad term. The first article gave me the best definition of harmful ultra-processed foods I've seen so far:



I think partial hydrogenation of oils (for trans fat) is mostly banned, though traces remained in a few foods like Oreos last I heard. I try hard to find whole-grain bread, though it's gotten more expensive.

Sugar and salt are hard to avoid, though, and hard to make tasty food without. I'm pretty sure all the artificial sweeteners are worse.

The TL;DR is "not-real foods aren't too great for us". I wonder if in 20 years UPF's will be similar to how we view smoking now.

I'm not a fanatic about it, but I've been trying to cook at home more using whole foods. It's just draining at times, lol.

 

[Torn Mind]

"Ultra-processed" is such a broad term. The first article gave me the best definition of harmful ultra-processed foods I've seen so far:



I think partial hydrogenation of oils (for trans fat) is mostly banned, though traces remained in a few foods like Oreos last I heard. I try hard to find whole-grain bread, though it's gotten more expensive.

Sugar and salt are hard to avoid, though, and hard to make tasty food without. I'm pretty sure all the artificial sweeteners are worse.

Ultra-processed is two-faced term to get people to kinda improve their outcomes without outright economically harming the entire food hierarchy. The higher up you go in that hierarchy, the less sympathetic the companies are. As in, a local grocery store might not draw the ire from people that Kelloggs might.

It also utilizes human cognitive biases and heuristics. Humans draw impressions based on how things sound separate from its dictionary definition. Processing evokes the imagery of factories and machines. Even though food processing does involves those things, it's really not the main reason the foods are the problem.

Saying avoid all crackers, bread, cake, etc, would literally tank the system. Bakeries and most restaurants would die because of decreased demand. It also would lend some credence to keto-like eating. Neither of which the mainstream wants.

 

[Kaido]

Great video:

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7444587310043122976

I have a good series of posts on UFP's here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/mealprep/comments/1hfymil/comment/m2gmwgx

 

[Kaido]

“Food companies should not decide for themselves whether their additives are safe”

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/11/health/gras-reform-kennedy-wellness/index.html

 

[DAPUNISHER]

“Food companies should not decide for themselves whether their additives are safe”

Bribery is the only reason they were ever allowed to.

While the info about how millions are continuously spent on making foods addictive and getting you to eat more is great. And it would be better if we got back to more natural whole food diets as a society. I will point out that it is better than the issue humanity has had most of its existence; starvation. We worry so much about what we eat, but far too many forget how fortunate we are to have that as the worry instead of where and when the next meal is coming.

WIth the current trajectory, so many Americans being food insecure, and those numbers only growing? Vanishing caloric density is going to sound like its made up.

 

[Kaido]

Bribery is the only reason they were ever allowed to.

While the info about how millions are continuously spent on making foods addictive and getting you to eat more is great. And it would be better if we got back to more natural whole food diets as a society. I will point out that it is better than the issue humanity has had most of its existence; starvation. We worry so much about what we eat, but far too many forget how fortunate we are to have that as the worry instead of where and when the next meal is coming.

WIth the current trajectory, so many Americans being food insecure, and those numbers only growing? Vanishing caloric density is going to sound like its made up.

If you like documentaries, "The Food That Built America" is OUTSTANDING: (also on Hulu)

Homepage | Hearst Networks EMEA

At Hearst Networks EMEA, our vision is to be famous for sharing stories that matter; unique, trusted, entertaining, and everywhere.

play.history.com

The first episode covers the guy who made Heinz ketchup. He was absolutely brilliant:

1. Made bottled sauces safe & popular. The first episode covers how bad & unsafe food was in America at the time as they moved away from farms & into cities, but had no refrigeration or safety laws to protect them. Apparently most Americans chronically had tummy aches! "Catsup" was name for a variety of sauces used to cover spoiled meat.

2. Jumped on electricity early & was one of the first fully-electrified factories

3. Automated assembly lines & setup continuous flow systems; engineers from around the world visited his factory to study it

4. Championed food safety laws (albeit as a way to stamp out competition, haha!), advocating for the "Pure Food and Drug Act" of 1906, which led to the creation of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

This series completely changed the way I look at food & the American food safety system. It was HORRIBLE out there for a REALLY long time!! We live in an age of miracles & I was completely blind as to just how much I take for granted today: electricity to cook, safe food, a variety of ingredient options, great shelf lives, refrigeration & freezing, not having to spend ALL DAY EVERY DAY farming, etc. Today, just 2% of the population feeds the remaining 98% of America!

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I haven't seen this series but I'll check it out

I am well acquainted with the subject matter though. I spent decades in F&B; some of it you had to know, the rest of it was like PCs i.e. I am interested and fascinated.

 

[Kaido]

I haven't seen this series but I'll check it out

I am well acquainted with the subject matter though. I spent decades in F&B; some of it you had to know, the rest of it was like PCs i.e. I am interested and fascinated.

I'm not an overly huge documentary person, but I was just entranced with the stories in the first episode! The story about how the the Post & Kellogg cereal empires came to be (and almost didn't exist!) is amazing! They also cover the start of Coca-Cola, which now sells 2.2 BILLION servings PER DAY!

Again, I gained a strong appreciation for everything we have access to today. People lived in unbelievably terrible food times back in the day, in situations that affected their health, their survival, and just being able to enjoy good food. After the Civil War, as the nation rebuilt, people started moving into cities. Previously, most people lived on self-sufficient farms. There was ZERO food-production infrastructure to support large cities, so you got green, spoiled meat, worm & weevil-laced grains, copper-tainted pickles (to make them look more green!), etc.

Heinz saw the vision of electricity & went NUTS with it: lighting, ventilation, fire safety, etc. His factory literally changed the world's foodscape! Combined with the recent addition of the nation's first trans-continental railroad, country-wide distribution was now an option! They cover Coke ten years prior to Heinz's new factory; for distribution, prior to the mega-railroad system, they used to have to:

1. Go all the way down the river to the gulf in a boat
2. Swing around Florida
3. Go all the way back up the East Coast

Totally bonkers! Coca-Cola hit the timing just right with the train system build-out just a few years prior. So now we had safe, bottled soda & ketchup available for mass distribution! As the safety laws kicked in, the situation got better to the point where even if just a handful of people get sick today, it makes national news & triggers a recall!

Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts

FDA and industry press releases regarding product recalls

www.fda.gov

 

[DAPUNISHER]

As a kid I was always impressed with how long Underwood had been around making canned food - https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/underwood-deviled-ham-cans.htm

 

[Kaido]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/16/health/nih-nutrition-researcher-departs/index.html

 

[DAPUNISHER]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/16/health/nih-nutrition-researcher-departs/index.html

Damn

 

[Kaido]

Trump’s FDA to end routine food inspections