Expert calls for tobacco-style warnings on ultra-processed foods worldwide

A renowned medical expert has suggested that ultra-processed foods should be sold globally with tobacco-style warnings because of serious health concerns. Professor Carlos Monteiro of the University of São Paul also recommended that "heavy taxation" must be applied to such food items and revenue used to subsidise fresh produce. Monteiro is the one who coined the term ultra-processed food (UPF).

Ultra-processed foods are highly altered and typically contain a lot of added salt, sugar, fat, and industrial chemical additives. Such food items include items such as packaged chips, cake, sugary cereal, baked goods, soft drinks, bacon, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, frozen pizza, etc. These ultra-processed foods are packed with additives like oil, fat, sugar, starch, proteins and sodium.

Ahead of the conference in São Paulo, Monteiro told the Guardian: "UPFs are increasing their share in and domination of global diets, despite the risk they represent to health in terms of increasing the risk of multiple chronic diseases."

Add WION as a Preferred Source

"UPFs are displacing healthier, less processed foods all over the world, and also causing a deterioration in diet quality due to their several harmful attributes. Together, these foods are driving the pandemic of obesity and other diet-related chronic diseases, such as diabetes," he added.

A global review published this year in January revealed that ultra-processed foods are directly linked to 32 harmful effects on health, which include a higher risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, adverse mental health and early death. The study titled, "Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses", was published in BMJ.

Monteiro told the media outlet that the concern is now on the impact UPF was having on human health and that studies and reviews were no longer sufficient to warn the public of the health hazards.

"Public health campaigns are needed like those against tobacco to curb the dangers of UPFs. Such campaigns would include the health dangers of consumption of UPFs," he said.

"Advertisements for UPFs should also be banned or heavily restricted, and front-of-pack warnings should be introduced similar to those used for cigarette packs," he added.

The report said that in the conference, the professor will speak about tobacco-style warnings on UPFs.

He will say, "Both tobacco and UPFs cause numerous serious illnesses and premature mortality; both are produced by transnational corporations that invest the enormous profits they obtain with their attractive/addictive products in aggressive marketing strategies, and in lobbying against regulation; and both are pathogenic (dangerous) by design, so reformulation is not a solution."

(With inputs from agencies)