Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn't Food

Welcome to a journey through the unseen world of what we eat every day. Imagine your kitchen table, once filled with familiar, home-cooked meals, now quietly crowded by boxes, bags, and brightly colored packages. Most of us hardly notice the shift, but if you look closely, you’ll see a new kind of food has taken over—a food engineered in factories, wrapped in plastic, and made to last. This is the hidden world of ultra-processed food (UPF), and it’s changed what it means to eat.

UPF isn’t just 'junk food.' It’s a category defined by science, thanks to the NOVA classification system first developed in Brazil. Instead of focusing on calories or fat, NOVA asks: how much has this food been changed from its original form? If it contains ingredients you wouldn’t find in your kitchen—like emulsifiers, stabilizers, or synthetic flavorings—it’s likely UPF. This simple lens has revolutionized nutrition research, helping us see that the problem isn’t just sugar or fat, but the very nature of industrial food itself.

Today, UPF makes up more than 60% of the calories in the average UK and US diet. It’s in our breakfast cereals, our sandwich bread, our snacks, and even foods we think of as healthy. It’s not just a treat or an occasional indulgence; for many, it’s become the default. Supermarkets are designed around these products, and their bright packaging and health claims make them irresistible—especially to children.

But how did we get here? The story traces back to the industrial revolution, when food production began to centralize for efficiency and profit. Factories could produce food at scale, replacing expensive ingredients like butter or eggs with cheaper alternatives—modified starches, seed oils, and powdered proteins. These foods were engineered to survive shipping, temperature swings, and long storage, often with a cocktail of additives to keep them looking and tasting fresh. What began as a way to feed more people cheaply became a global experiment in eating food that isn’t quite food anymore.

Marketing played a huge role. Cartoon mascots, health claims, and targeted ads made UPF not just acceptable, but desirable. For a child, a bowl of chocolatey cereal with a friendly monkey on the box is more than breakfast—it’s an adventure. For busy parents, a microwave meal promises convenience and nutrition in minutes. But beneath the surface, these foods are fundamentally different from anything our ancestors ate.

As we begin this journey, keep in mind: the foods that fill our shelves and plates are the result of choices made in boardrooms and laboratories, not kitchens and farms. And while UPF may seem like progress, it’s a kind of progress that comes with hidden costs. Next, let’s explore what those costs are—to our bodies, minds, and even our sense of self.