Ultra-processed food linked to harm in every major human organ, study finds
World’s largest scientific review warns consumption of UPFs poses seismic threat to global health and wellbeing Andrew Gregory Health editor Wed 19 Nov 2025
Ultra-processed food (UPF) is linked to harm in every major organ system of the human body and poses a seismic threat to global health, according to the world’s largest review.
UPF is also rapidly displacing fresh food in the diets of children and adults on every continent, and is associated with an increased risk of a dozen health conditions, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and depression.
The sharp rise in UPF intake worldwide is being spurred by profit-driven corporations using a range of aggressive tactics to drive consumption, skewer scientific debate and prevent regulation, the review of evidence suggests.
The findings, from a series of three papers published in the Lancet, come as millions of people increasingly consume UPF such as ready meals, cereals, protein bars, fizzy drinks and fast food.
In the UK and US, more than half the average diet now consists of UPF. For some, especially people who are younger, poorer or from disadvantaged areas, a diet comprising as much as 80% UPF is typical.
Evidence reviewed by 43 of the world’s leading experts suggests that diets high in UPF are linked to overeating, poor nutritional quality and higher exposure to harmful chemicals and additives.
A systematic review of 104 long-term studies conducted for the series found 92 reported greater associated risks of one or more chronic diseases, and early death from all causes.
One of the Lancet series authors, Prof Carlos Monteiro, professor of public health nutrition at the University of São Paulo, said the findings underlined why urgent action is needed to tackle UPF.
“The first paper in this Lancet series indicates that ultra-processed foods harm every major organ system in the human body. The evidence strongly suggests that humans are not biologically adapted to consume them.”
Critics argue UPF is an ill-defined category and existing health policies, such as those aimed at reducing sugar and salt consumption, are sufficient to deal with the threat.
“The growing consumption of ultra-processed foods is reshaping diets worldwide, displacing fresh and minimally processed foods and meals,” Monteiro warned.
“This change in what people eat is fuelled by powerful global corporations who generate huge profits by prioritising ultra-processed products, supported by extensive marketing and political lobbying to stop effective public health policies to support healthy eating.”
VOCABULARY TOOL
An intake ( une prise / une consommation)
(to) be spurred = (to) be triggered ( être déclenché)
Profit driven = driven / motivated by profit
(to) skewer ( embrocher / empêcher/ gener)
POSSIBLE ISSUES
1.who rules the world ?
2. How can we live a healthy life ?
3. why does health matter ?
4. The new sources of pollution
5.Why do we consume junk food ?
6.Farms are in danger why ?
7. should we ban meat ?
Shrinkflation: you’re right, from gin to butter, quantity and quality are taking a hit
Oct 2023
You take the spreadable butter out of the fridge and put it on your bagel; you are sure it is more watery than it used to be.
After you’ve eaten, you wash your hands – the bar doesn’t seem as big. You wonder: is everything a bit worse than it used to be?
The answer, sadly, is yes. Shrinkflation and its sister skimpflation have hit many of the items in your shopping basket as rampant inflation in the cost of ingredients, energy and staff has forced manufacturers to take steps to keep prices down.
Having already put up the shelf prices of the goods, they have started reformulating recipes and shaving pack sizes. If you took your shopping trolley from two years ago and compared it with today’s, you would find you are paying more for less.
Mark Jones, a partner and food and drink expert at the law firm Gordons, says shrinkflation is not a new phenomenon, and that between 2012 and 2017 the Office for National Statistics found 2,529 products had been reduced in size.
But, he adds, recipe changes are a new trend and are “almost impossible to spot, unless you pore over the ingredient quantities in the products you purchase, which consumers just don’t do”.
In the UK, there are no rules saying retailers or manufacturers must highlight changes
Manufacturers and retailers say the reductions are designed to help consumers by allowing them to sell them at the same price.
But from our call-out, it is clear that two things particularly bother people: often they liked the original pack size, and it suited their purposes; and they feel that the changes are being made sneakily.
This is not only happening in the UK. In France, the supermarket chain Carrefour made headlines when it put signs on shelves alerting customers to shrinkflation in 26 products from big brands
However, with skimpflation, he feels it is a different story and that manufacturers need to do more. “Shoppers have no way of knowing if the ingredients have changed without comparing old and new products, and, even then, they may have to go the product ingredients to work it out, which clearly isn’t fair on the shopper,” he says. “Where manufacturers make changes to product ingredients, they need to clearly call out the change as a new or reformulated product, with clear extra X% or less X% of ingredient Y.”
Shrinkflation: you’re right, from gin to butter, quantity and quality are taking a hit
Vocabulary tools
Spreadable = that can be spread ( to spread = étaler)
To shrink = to reduce ( rétrécir)
(to) Skimp ( mégotter / lesiner/ économiser)
A recipe ( une recette)
A trolley ( un caddy )
A retailer ( un commerçant )
(to) bother someone ( ennuyer qq)
(to) spot = (to) notice
(to) highlight = (to) underline
(to) suit their purpose ( cela convenait à leur usage)
Sneakily ( de façon sournoise)
Reading Text: Understanding the "Flations" – Greed, Shrink, and Skimp
Context: As the cost of living continues to exert financial pressure on households worldwide, shoppers have begun noticing subtle changes on supermarket shelves. Beyond standard price increases, manufacturers are resorting to tactical adjustments in size, composition, and pricing strategies to protect their profit margins.
While traditional inflation measures the straightforward increase in the general price level of goods and services over time, modern consumer markets have given rise to three interrelated phenomena: greedflation, shrinkflation, and skimpflation.
1. Greedflation
Greedflation occurs when corporations exploit general inflationary expectations to hike prices far beyond what is necessary to cover increased production costs. Under the guise of rising supply-chain expenses, companies intentionally inflate profit margins. Critics argue that this corporate opportunistic behaviour disproportionately burdens consumers while corporate profits reach record highs.
2. Shrinkflation
Shrinkflation refers to the practice of reducing a product’s size or package volume while keeping its retail price unchanged. Rather than imposing a visible price hike—which often triggers consumer resistance—manufacturers quietly downsize items like chocolate bars, toilet paper rolls, or cereal boxes. Because buyers tend to be more sensitive to sticker prices than net weights, the strategy frequently goes unnoticed in routine grocery shopping.
3. Skimpflation
Skimpflation takes the concept a step further by altering the quality or composition of a product rather than its physical dimensions. To cut overheads, manufacturers reformulate products by replacing premium ingredients with cheaper substitutes. For instance, a ready meal might feature a lower percentage of meat, or a personal care product might substitute essential oils with synthetic alternatives.
POSSIBLE ISSUES
1. Is today’s world worse than yesterday’s world ?
2. Globalisation versus national interest : should we go back to local products ?
3. The living crisis ( causes / consequeces and solutions)
4. Why is food so expensive and how can we fight back ?
5. Greedflation : definition and how to fight back ?
6. The world food crisis
7. What will be the food of tomorrow ?
8. How could we feed the world ?
9. The obesity crisis : is shrinkflation a solution ?
10. How to fight against obesity ?
11. Food and the planet : the challenges and the solutions
