Ultra-processed foods

Food processing is any change made to a food from its natural state. It involves processes like washing, heating, cooling, grinding, refining, and packaging. Food processing also includes adding ingredients like salt, sugar, oils, or other fats to help the food last longer and taste better.

Nova is a food classification system that groups foods by how much they are changed or processed:

• Group 1 - Unprocessed or minimally processed foods: These are whole foods like fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs. Minimally processed foods are whole foods that are dried, ground, roasted, cut-up, pasteurized, or frozen. These include frozen foods without added ingredients, whole grains, nuts and seeds without added salt or sugar, and fresh or frozen meat, poultry, and fish.
• Group 2 - Oils, fats, sugar, and salt: These foods are produced from whole foods using processes such as pressing, refining, grinding, milling, and drying. They are used to season, cook, or prepare foods in Group 1.
• Group 3 - Processed foods: These are foods made by adding salt, oil, fat, or sugar from Group 2 to Group 1 foods. Group 3 foods undergo processing to make them safe to eat and convenient to use and to improve their shelf life or taste. Examples include cheeses, fresh breads, and canned fruits, vegetables, and fish.
• Group 4 - Ultra-processed foods (UPFs): These are food products made using additives such as preservatives, antioxidants, stabilizers, and emulsifiers. UPFs contain little to no whole foods. Most UPFs are high in saturated fat, salt, and refined carbohydrates such as white flour and added sugars. Commercially prepared sweet or savory packaged snacks, reconstituted meat products, soy burgers, ready-to-heat meals, sweetened breakfast cereals, ice creams, and sweetened beverages are examples of UPFs.

UPFs AND YOUR HEALTH

UPFs are formulated to taste too good, so you want to keep eating them. Because they are low in fiber, UPFs are digested quickly, so you still feel hungry. These factors make it easy to overeat these foods. UPFs also provide very little nutrition. They are:

• High in sugar, fat, and calories
• Full of food additives
• Low in fiber, minerals, and vitamins

Because of their convenience, taste appeal, and the fact that they are easily available, UPFs make up a large portion of many people's diets.

• UPFs are often chosen in place of healthier food options like fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
• More than 50% of daily calories in the average US diet come from UPFs. Children get more than 60% of their calories from such foods.
• Sandwiches like burgers, salty snacks, sweet baked products, and sweetened beverages are among the top 4 sources of calories from UPFs among youth and adults in the US.

Studies have shown that a high intake of UPFs is linked to certain health conditions, including:

• Heart disease
• Obesity
• Type 2 diabetes
• Some cancers

NOT ALL PROCESSED FOODS ARE BAD

Health experts agree that whole foods are the foundation of a healthy diet. However, some processed foods also have a place. Food processing has important benefits:

• Food safety and preservation: Processing helps ensure a safe and consistent food supply and a long shelf-life for many foods. For example, milk pasteurization is essential to kill harmful bacteria. Freezing or canning vegetables locks in their nutrients and preserves them so they can be eaten long after fresh produce would rot.
• Fortification: Extra vitamins and minerals are added to some processed foods to help children and adults get the nutrients they might otherwise lack.
• Convenience: Many families lack the time or money to buy and prepare whole, fresh foods for all meals. It is easier and more cost-effective to buy bread, frozen or canned vegetables, dried beans, or fortified wholesome breakfast cereals, while not compromising on nutrition.

Processed foods can be safe and healthy if they are low in fat, salt, sugar, and additives. On the other hand, UPFs are never a healthy option and should be consumed sparingly.

TIPS TO HELP YOU MAKE HEALTHY CHOICES

It can be tricky to know which processed foods are good for you and which are not. Here are some tips to help you identify UPFs and make healthy choices:

• Learn to read food labels. The labels on foods give you information about the calories, number of servings, and nutrient content of packaged foods.
• Always look at the ingredient list. Food labels list ingredients in order by weight (from the most to the least). The first 3 ingredients on the label can give you a good idea of what you are actually eating.
• Try to choose products that have fewer ingredients. If you see a long list of ingredients that you don’t recognize as food, the product is highly processed and should be avoided.
• Check for words like stabilizers, emulsifiers, artificial colors or dyes, flavor enhancers, and other additive names. Most products with these ingredients are UPFs.
• Avoid products with a high sugar content. Sugar can have names such as maltose, corn syrup, brown sugar, fruit juice concentrate, honey, agave nectar, barley malt syrup, or dehydrated cane juice.
• Avoid products that contain a high amount of hydrogenated oils (found in margarine, baked goods, fried foods etc.). Choose products with low saturated fats and zero trans fats.
• Opt for low sodium products. You can reduce the salt content in canned vegetables by rinsing them in water.
• Avoid products that contain additives such as monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium sulfites, nitrates, and nitrites such as sulfur dioxide, sodium bisulfite, or sodium sulfite.
• Products such as some yogurts, protein bars, and sports drinks contain added sugars and artificial ingredients, even though they are marketed as healthy foods.
• It's fine to choose foods fortified with added vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron, and vitamins A, D, and E.
• Make sure most of your meals are made with unprocessed or minimally processed foods.

Convenience foods; Industrial food products; Ultra-processed foods - junk food; Hyperpalatable foods; Ready-to-eat meals; Highly processed foods

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Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Levy RB, et al. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them. Public Health Nutr. 2019;22(5):936-941. PMID: 30744710 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10260459/.

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Healthy eating tips. www.cdc.gov/nutrition/features/healthy-eating-tips.html. Updated March 1, 2024. Accessed March 16, 2026.

US Food and Drug Administration website. Ultra-processed foods. www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-food-labeling-and-critical-foods/ultra-processed-foods. Updated September 18, 2025. Accessed March 16, 2026.

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Ultra-processed food consumption in youth and adults: United States, August 2021–August 2023. www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db536.htm. Reviewed August 7, 2025. Accessed March 16, 2026.

Updated by: Stefania Manetti, RDN, CDCES, RYT200, My Vita Sana LLC - Nourish and heal through food, San Jose, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.