Imperial conference: Tackling the harms of Ultra-Processed Foods

Imperial academics convened a globally-leading conference to discuss the health impacts of Ultra-Processed Foods and the scope for government action.

Imperial College London convened leading experts, policymakers, and public health advocates on 26 November 2024 for a critical conference, Ultra-Processed Foods: The Scope for Government Action. The event highlighted the urgent need for robust action against the rising health and societal harms posed by ultra-processed foods (UPFs).

Welcoming attendees, Professor Peter Todd, Dean of Imperial College Business School, emphasised Imperial’s dedication to addressing global challenges through cross-disciplinary research.

Professor Franco Sassi, Professor of Health Policy and Economics at Imperial’s Centre for Health Economics and Policy Innovation and co-convenor of the conference, offered opening remarks on the current status of UPFs, government action and the food system.

Professor Sassi noted that policies targeting ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have so far taken a product-centric approach rather than addressing systemic industry practices. He underscored the deceptive nature of industrial food production, where large-scale standardisation and product development can often mislead consumers. Professor Sassi emphasized that the industrialisation of food poses significant challenges and necessitates urgent scrutiny and action.

Sheila Dillon, noted food journalist and host of The Food Programme on BBC Radio 4, chaired proceedings. In her opening remarks, she called attention to conflicts of interest in policymaking and the opportunity presented by a new UK Government to reshape public nutrition policies.

The Science Behind UPFs: Clear Links to Poor Health Outcomes

The first half of the conference examined the state of scientific understanding, with Dr. Matilde Touvier presenting evidence from large-scale studies linking UPF consumption to adverse health outcomes, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, and depressive symptoms. Her findings, based on data from 179,000 French participants, were supported by meta-analyses and global research.

Dr. Kevin Hall added to the evidence base with insights from randomized controlled trials. His studies showed that diets high in UPFs resulted in significantly higher caloric intake and weight gain compared to minimally processed diets, even when matched for key nutritional factors.

Dr. Francesco Branca, Director of the Department of Food Safety and Nutrition at the World Health Organization, addressed the global urgency of curbing ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption, noting significant increases in sales and consumption, particularly in regions like South America and India. He outlined the WHO's current reliance on nutrient profile models to assess nutrition and emphasized the need for greater precision in the widely used NOVA classification system. A forthcoming WHO roundtable aims to develop an operational definition of UPFs, potentially incorporating ingredient markers such as cosmetic additives or nutrient excess, though further research is needed to clarify mechanisms of harm. Dr. Branca detailed a two-year action roadmap, including validating the ingredient-based approach, refining UPF definitions, and assessing associated risk profiles, with a public consultation planned as part of the process.

Together, the presentations highlighted the complexity of the mechanisms driving UPFs’ harms, from microbiome disruption to the effects of additives and contaminants.

Policy Reflections: Paving the Way for Systemic Change

Discussions transitioned to policy innovation in the second half of the day, with case studies and frameworks from around the globe. Dr. Camila Corvalan shared Chile’s successful strategy, which combines consumer warnings, marketing restrictions, and improved school nutrition to curb UPF consumption.

Speakers including Dr. Gyorgy Scrinis and Dr. Phillip Baker called for systemic approaches targeting the food industry. Dr. Scrinis suggested that UPFs are fundamentally different from other Nova food groups and proposed policies that  reduce their availability through restructuring the food system, shifting the focus from consumer behaviour to corporate accountability and simultaneously increasing the availability and affordability of minimally processed foods.

Dr. Eszter Vamos, Clinical Senior Lecturer at Imperial’s School of Public Health and co-convenor of the conference, shed light on the critical role of schools in shaping children’s diets, emphasizing that schools have complete control over their food environments, making them a powerful avenue for delivering high-quality nutrition that could lay a foundation for healthful diets with long-term benefits. Despite this potential, current school meals consist of 75% ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in the UK, with improvements in school nutrition holding the greatest promise for supporting disadvantaged groups.

Dr. Vamos highlighted the success of Brazil's National Food Strategy, which effectively leveraged government buying power to improve meal quality and reduce UPF consumption. She also stressed that using government purchasing powers to transform school food into healthy and environmentally friendly diets is a critically important investment in the UK where UPF consumption is one of the highest in the world.  

Professor Emma Boyland, Chair of Food Marketing and Child Health at the University of Liverpool highlighted the significant influence of food marketing on consumer behavior, identifying it as a key driver of childhood obesity. She emphasized that self-regulatory approaches have proven largely ineffective, echoing WHO recommendations for mandatory restrictions on food marketing. Professor Boyland advocated for an incremental and synergistic approach to policy development, starting with the integration of ultra-processed food (UPF) definitions into existing regulations for high-fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS) products. She stressed the importance of adaptive legislation that evolves over time, leveraging ongoing research to refine and strengthen policies.

She also stressed the need to manage conflicts of interest in policymaking, particularly in the UK Government's proposed free school breakfast program, where safeguarding against brand sponsorships will be crucial.

Policy action and next steps

Baroness Walmsley, Chair of the recent House of Lords Select Committee on Food, Diet and Obesity emphasised the need for cross-government collaboration, drawing parallels to tobacco control to regulate UPFs effectively. Copies of the Committee’s report were made available to attendees and the expertise and recommendations

Closing the conference, Dr. Chris van Tulleken concluded by highlighting the role of commercial influences in driving diet-related diseases and calling for bold, coordinated action to dismantle harmful food systems, including new transparency standards to identify and remove conflicts of interest from food policy formation.

The conference reinforced the emerging scientific and technical consensus: the health harms of UPFs are clear, and decisive, systemic action is essential. Experts urged leveraging research, regulatory frameworks, and consumer advocacy to create a healthier, more sustainable food environment.

The conference promised to be the beginning of a new series of policy discussions, campaign ideas and research agendas designed to achieve those ambitious aims.

A full recording of the conference, split into chapters for each set of talks, is available on Imperial's YouTube channel.