ultra-processed

comparative more ultra-processed · superlative most ultra-processed · alternative ultraprocessed

1. Very heavily processed.

   ultra-processed food

   3 more examples

   Ultra-processed products are made from processed substances extracted or refined from whole foods – e.g. oils, hydrogenated oils and fats, flours and starches, variants of sugar, and cheap parts or remnants of animal foods – with little or no whole foods. Products include burgers, […] pasta dishes, nuggets […] crisps, biscuits, confectionery […] sugared drinks, […] snack products. Most are made […] by large or transnational corporations and are very durable, palatable, and ready to consume, which is an enormous commercial advantage […] [They] are typically energy dense; have a high glycaemic load; are low in dietary fibre, micronutrients, and phytochemicals; and are high in unhealthy types of dietary fat, free sugars, and sodium.

   2013 February 12, Rob Moodie with David Stuckler, Carlos Monteiro, Nick Sheron, Bruce Neal, Thaksaphon Thamarangsi, Paul Lincoln, and Sally Casswell, “Profits and pandemics: prevention of harmful effects of tobacco, alcohol, and ultra-processed food and drink industries”, in The Lancet (Non-Communicable Diseases; 381)^(https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(12)62089-3/fulltext), number 9867, →DOI

   “Ultra-processed” foods, made in factories with ingredients unknown to the domestic kitchen, may be linked to cancer, according to a large and groundbreaking study.

   2018 February 14, Sarah Boseley, “Ultra-processed foods may be linked to cancer, says study”, in The Guardian

   In other words, we’re eating too much. We may also be eating the wrong kinds of foods, the study also suggests. In a sub-analysis of the diets of some of the groups from both highly and less-developed nations, the scientists found a strong correlation between the percentage of daily diets that consists of “ultra-processed foods” — which the study’s authors define as “industrial formulations of five or more ingredients” — and higher body-fat percentages.

   2025 July 22, Gretchen Reynolds, “What causes obesity? A major new study is upending common wisdom”, in The Washington Post

   Antonyms: unprocessed