"A battle is brewing over "ultra-processed food," a term for many packaged products that manufacturers fear could infiltrate U.S. food policy and scare off consumers.
Food-industry groups and makers of goods from ice cream to pasta sauce are stepping up lobbying, pushing back as the U.S. government probes the health effects of heavily processed food. It is a new front in a struggle that could reshape America's approach to nutrition and threaten profits for companies behind foods throughout much of the supermarket.
Opposition to ultra-processed foods -- your frozen pizza, potato chips and other mass-produced goods made with industrial ingredients and additives -- is gaining steam worldwide. Scientists are still studying why diets high in ultra-processed foods have been tied to health problems, and any potential U.S. policies could be years away.
The foods are facing rising scrutiny as concerns grow over their outsize role in American diets. They are under review ahead of the next dietary guidelines, the every-five-years advice from regulators on what Americans should eat. Federal researchers are studying the foods, and lawmakers are holding hearings highlighting possible health risks.
Big food companies and their allies are marshaling a defense, with some seeking to forestall recommendations in the coming dietary guidelines. Industry groups and companies such as Unilever and Barilla have touted the benefits of processing to regulators, arguing that it has made food safe, convenient, accessible and affordable.
Greater attention to processing marks a major new challenge for food makers. U.S. dietary advice for decades has focused largely on individual nutrients such as sugar, salt or saturated fat. By contrast, concerns over processing strike at the heart of how most packaged food is produced.
"It is going to rock the world for the food industry," said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and professor of nutrition and medicine at Tufts University.
Behind the scenes, food-industry proponents have also begun pressing for more oversight of government-funded research on ultra-processed foods, according to industry lobbyists. Less processing, they say, could lead to higher prices and problems for consumers who might struggle to store more fresh foods.
Last summer, more than a dozen food, beverage and commodity groups called for an advisory committee that informs the dietary guidelines to consult food scientists on ultra-processed foods. They also aired concerns about the research the committee could consider, cautioning it against making strong recommendations on the foods.
The threat, food analysts said, is that the term "ultra-processed" becomes synonymous with unhealthy eating.
Food-industry groups and companies have critiqued existing definitions and classifications of ultra-processed foods. They say a focus on processing levels -- from simple roasting or boiling to more industrial methods like extrusion -- ignores foods' nutrient content and could unintentionally lead to less consumption of desirable nutrients such as fiber or calcium."
1. Scrutiny of Processed Food Gets Pushback. Newman, Jesse. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 11 Jan 2024: B.1.
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