Researchers investigate absence of UPFs in US food policies and guidelines

21 Jul 2023 --- Questions about the whereabouts of Ultra-Processed Foods (UPF) guidelines in the US are being raised as scientific evidence of its harmfulness continues to evolve and food policies remain unseen. While digging in the archives, a team of researchers found only 25 policies on the topic since 1983.

“In some countries, ultra-processed foods have been directly integrated into national dietary guidelines and school food programs, but in the US, few policies directly target ultra-processed foods,” says first author Jennifer Pomeranz, associate professor of public health policy and management at NYU School of Global Public Health.

The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, says that although policies on UPFs are not a standard practice across the globe, measures taken are limiting the intake of these foods in schools and proposing dietary guidelines. 

The study notes that the US lags behind countries such as Israel, Brazil and Belgium.

The bigger picture
Focusing on single nutrients such as fat, protein or carbohydrates has been a standard process in the nutrition sciences, they argue, claiming that there are more factors than nutrients that play a role in healthy diets.

“The extent of food processing can influence its health effects, independent of its food ingredients or nutrient contents,” says Dariush Mozaffarian, co-author of the study and the Jean Mayer Professor of Nutrition at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts.

The researchers argue that there are more factors than nutrients that play a role in healthy diets.“Ultra-processed foods generally contain ‘acellular nutrients’ – nutrients lacking any of the natural intact food structure of the source ingredient – and other industrial ingredients and additives that together can increase risk of weight gain, diabetes and other chronic diseases,” details Mozaffarian.

The World Obesity Federation recently predicted that half of the world’s population will be overweight or obese if current patterns are unchanged by 2035. Meanwhile, experts found an increase in obesity driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recent policies
The researchers examined how US policymakers and Congressional Research Services reports addressed highly processed foods. They found only 25 policies proposed or passed in the last 40 years, whereas 22 were passed or offered since 2011.

Themes such as child nutrition, school meals and price increases on these foods were recurring. 

“The emerging policy language in the US on ultra-processed foods is consistent with international policies on the topic. We would urge a more robust discussion and consideration of UPFs for future policymaking,” stresses Pomeranz. 

“The US should consider processing levels in school food policies – especially to update the ‘Smart Snack’ rules – and to ensure the US Dietary Guidelines reflect the evidence on ultra-processed foods and health.”

The recently appointed Dietary Guidelines for Americans Committee members have been questioned about their ties with the food and pharmaceutical industry.

“A Committee member’s conflict of interest with a pharmaceutical or food company, for example, receiving research grant funding or speaker fees, could potentially bias their decision-making in favor of that company,” Jessi Silverman, senior policy associate at the CSPI, previously told Nutrition Insight.

The committee was urged to increase transparency between members’ relationships with the industries, as the Center for Science in the Public Interest suspects that the agencies are hiding potential financial conflicts of interest from the public. 

Edited by Beatrice Wihlander