Navigating the Ultra-Processed Foods Debate
As regulators work to define UPFs, food manufacturers face growing scrutiny and new opportunities for transparency
Three words—ultra-processed foods—now known as UPFs. Welcome to the UPF era.
So, what does “ultra processed” mean? Good question. US regulatory forces are currently trying to pin-down that slippery idea. In the meantime, the public has embraced the debate, with UPF opinions lately suffusing internet newswires (a quick search will reveal the depth and intensity of this food dustup du jour).
UPFs hit the public consciousness in July 2025, when FDA stated its intent to define the term, with ensuing (and extended) periods of time for comment and review (“Ultra-Processed Foods; Request for Information”). There’s good reason to proceed with caution. If the forthcoming UPF definition encompasses longstanding grocery staples like fortified breakfast foods and breads—as some have suggested it might—it would undermine flour-enrichment efforts dating back a century, essential to address serious nutrient deficiencies across our population. Hopefully, moderation and reason will prevail in the structure of the UPF guidelines, anchored with an understanding of a food’s nutrient density.
The UPF Era didn’t arrive suddenly, without warning, in the secret of night, a visitor from another world (the mysterious, unidentified UPF … cue eerie theremin music), although it seems that way sometimes. Right or wrong, popular culture has chipped away at “big food” for decades, often starting with misconceptions and slowly building more general understanding of the science and reasoning behind the foods that feed the world as time progresses. UPF labeling is the latest manifestation of these efforts.
The regulatory and popular debate on UPFs, while sometimes maddening, is healthy. Public discourse shapes thought, and in the wake of this UPF shakeup, food companies can choose to lead with listening, responding with transparency and authenticity. Perception is reality, and we need to understand prevailing public perspectives (a lesson learned when gluten awareness began its unbelievable ascent, feeding the “free from” macro trend, which displays ongoing market growth and potential).
This month, David Feder, RDN, tackles the complex UPF issue, and the timing is right. US Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. recently suggested the UPF definition could arrive at any time, along with mandatory front-of-pack labeling.
Over the coming months, our Prepared Foods team will continue to engage with industry experts on UPFs to identify the impacts on formulation strategies and nutritional messaging while identifying new market opportunities.
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