[HN Gopher] Dietary guidelines may soon warn against ultraproces...
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       Dietary guidelines may soon warn against ultraprocessed foods
        
       Author : rntn
       Score  : 13 points
       Date   : 2023-11-08 18:45 UTC (4 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.washingtonpost.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.washingtonpost.com)
        
       | rntn wrote:
       | https://archive.li/smOOF
        
       | cypherg wrote:
       | step 0: clearly and accurately define what it means to be
       | "ultraprocessed". Is a protien shake (like Ensure) considered
       | ultraprocessed? Is a homemade chocolate chip cookie processed or
       | ultraprocessed? Are frozen veggie chicken nuggets ultraprocessed?
       | 
       | Without a clear and accurate definition of what it means to be
       | 'ultraprocessed' this would just add to the confusion.
        
         | abdullahkhalids wrote:
         | The NOVA classification of foods has four groups [1], with the
         | definition of Ultraprocessed as
         | 
         | > Formulations of ingredients, mostly of exclusive industrial
         | use, made by a series of industrial processes, many requiring
         | sophisticated equipment and technology (hence 'ultra-
         | processed'). Processes used to make ultra-processed foods
         | include the fractioning of whole foods into substances,
         | chemical modifications of these substances, assembly of
         | unmodified and modified food substances using industrial
         | techniques such as extrusion, moulding and pre-frying; use of
         | additives at various stages of manufacture whose functions
         | include making the final product palatable or hyper-palatable;
         | and sophisticated packaging, usually with plastic and other
         | synthetic materials. Ingredients include sugar, oils or fats,
         | or salt, generally in combination, and substances that are
         | sources of energy and nutrients that are of no or rare culinary
         | use such as high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated or
         | interesterified oils, and protein isolates; classes of
         | additives whose function is to make the final product palatable
         | or more appealing such as flavours, flavour enhancers, colours,
         | emulsifiers, and sweeteners, thickeners, and anti-foaming,
         | bulking, carbonating, foaming, gelling, and glazing agents; and
         | additives that prolong product duration, protect original
         | properties or prevent proliferation of microorganisms.
         | 
         | The FAO also recommends that law should mandate that
         | ultraprocessed food be labelled as such.
         | 
         | In the meantime, you can also just search for a particular food
         | item on Openfoodfacts to see its classification. For instance,
         | Nutella [2] is ultraprocessed.
         | 
         | [1] https://www.fao.org/3/ca5644en/CA5644EN.pdf
         | 
         | [2]
         | https://world.openfoodfacts.org/product/3017620422003/nutell...
        
           | JohnFen wrote:
           | That definition seems very broad to me. Broad enough that I
           | question how meaningful it is.
        
           | tedunangst wrote:
           | I think homemade jam would tick nearly all those boxes.
        
             | GeoAtreides wrote:
             | Can you please expand on that? Because if I remember
             | correctly, at least in Eastern Europe jam is made by
             | boiling fruits with sugar, simmered down until it thickens.
             | What boxes is exactly homemade jam ticking?
        
         | barryrandall wrote:
         | Without the ability to document and report on how food is
         | actually made, consumers just can't make that determination on
         | their own. In our post-truth world, "broccoli" can mean either
         | "broccoli", or "processed broccoli food product."
        
       | jrpt wrote:
       | I don't think there's anything wrong with processing by itself,
       | it's what goes in the food that is problematic. I think just
       | saying processing is harmful is like saying baking is harmful.
       | They should be focused on what the food actually is, not how it
       | is made.
       | 
       | "Ultra-processed foods typically contain things like artificial
       | sweeteners, synthetic colors, flavors, emulsifiers, and other
       | ingredients that people don't cook with at home, Nestle said."
       | 
       | So maybe focus on the harmful ingredients, not the way it is
       | made.
        
         | JohnFen wrote:
         | I think it also depends on what, exactly, the "processing"
         | consists of. Some processing is obviously benign, other
         | processing is very questionable, but it all gets lumped into
         | the broad category of "processed foods".
        
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