Campaigners call for tobacco-style health warnings for ultra-processed foods

A global public health organisation has called for tobacco-style campaigns on the health harms of ultra-processed foods, arguing that consumers are not informed or warned about the “well documented” risks of these products.

In a new study published last month in BMJ Global Health, authors affiliated with Vital Strategies, a New York, US-based non-profit, have suggested introducing warnings as part of existing or new front-of-package nutrient labels on food packages to “specifically identify ultra-processed foods and give consumers important information at the point of purchase.”

The study defines ultra-processed foods as those high in salt, sugar, and saturated fats, with more than five ingredients, chemically or physically transformed using industrial processes, and usually coming as ready-to-eat packaged foods with long shelf life.

“With more than half the total calories consumed in high-income countries coming from ultra-processed foods and rapid increases in low- and middle-income countries, these products are exposing billions of people to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, depression and death,” the study warned.

Noting that such foods are “among the most aggressively promoted and marketed products in the world,” the authors call for a comprehensive global response on the lines of tobacco control strategies.

“If we are to stave off the devastation to our food system and our health, governments with the support of the global public health community need to urgently implement effective strategies that lead to decreasing consumption of these unhealthy products and enable healthier choices,” they wrote.

“One such strategy would be to establish the image of ultra-processed foods—those glossily packaged, alluringly marketed, ready-to-eat, convenient and tasty products—as the vector for obesity and a risk factor for serious diseases alongside tobacco, alcohol and other unhealthy commodities.”

They also propose front-of-package warning labels, noting that the existing efforts warning about foods that are high in saturated fat, salt and sugar could be further strengthened by incorporating an ‘ultra-processed’ warning label “to signal an independent, additional measure of unhealthiness.”