Bags of chips and other snack foods are displayed on shelves at a store in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, January 28, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab
LONDON, Nov 18 (Reuters) – Ultra-processed foods are a major public health threat that must be urgently addressed, according to a new series of papers authored by 43 global experts in the Lancet medical journal. , opens new tab
The scientists, including the Brazilian professor who coined the term with colleagues around 15 years ago, argue that UPFs are now increasingly common worldwide and linked to a decline in diet quality and a number of diseases, from obesity to cancer.
“It’s about the evidence we have today about … ultra-processed foods and human health,” Carlos Monteiro, professor at the University of Sao Paulo, said at an online briefing on Tuesday. “What we know right now justifies global public action.”