Search

In the contemporary landscape, conventional meat faces increasing scrutiny due to recent allegations raised by various associations and scientific groups. While these criticisms are often linked to excessive meat consumption, a growing number of individuals are reducing or eliminating meat from their diets, questioning its role in a healthy diet. The consequent request for alternative protein sources has prompted the food industry to create so-called “meat alternatives” products. These emerging foods aim to replicate the sensory characteristics of conventional meat, eliminating the need to slaughter animals, and minimize environmental impact. Despite the misleading claims of various supporters, the long-term nutritional sustainability of these novel products remains unclear. To date, products resembling meat, which exploit different sources such as plants, algae, fungi, insects, and in vitro–cultured animal cells (cell-based food) require an unavoidable level of industrial processing, rendering the final products as ultra-processed foods (UPF). Given the well-established adverse effects associated with prolonged consumption of UPF, it raises questions about whether these products truly serve as a viable substitute for whole and unprocessed foods, like meat. With limited scientific knowledge and technological innovation to date, the long-term effects of meat alternatives on human health remain unclear. Addressing this crucial gap, together with guaranteeing transparency of research, should be a top priority for the food industry, guiding decisions on whether investment in these emerging food products is not only a cost-effective but also a health-conscious strategy.

Abstract Objective: To characterise consumption of ultra-processed foods and drinks (UPF) across a range of socio-demographic characteristics of Canadians. Design: Cross-sectional study. The national-level 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey–Nutrition provided data on all foods and drinks consumed on the previous day via a 24-hour dietary recall. All food items were classified according to the type of industrial processing using the NOVA system. Multivariable linear regression models examined associations between a range of socio-demographic characteristics and the mean energy contribution (% of total daily energy intake) from total UPF and UPF subgroups. Setting: The ten Canadian provinces. Participants: Canadians aged 2 or older (n 20 103). Results: UPF contributed, on average, nearly half (44·9 %) of total daily energy intake of Canadians. Children aged 6–12 and adolescents aged 13–18 consumed over half of total daily energy from UPF (adjusted means of 51·9 % and 50·7 %, respectively). Recent and long-term immigrants consumed a significantly lower share of energy from UPF (adjusted means of 42·2 % and 45·1 %, respectively) compared with non-immigrants (54·4 %), as did the food secure (42·8 %) v. those in moderately (48·1 %) or severely food-insecure households (50·8 %). More modest differences were observed for intake of total UPF and UPF subgroups by sex, education, income adequacy and region of residence. Conclusion: Levels of UPF consumption in 2015 in Canada were pervasive in all socio-demographic groups and highest among children and adolescents, non-immigrants and those living in food-insecure households. These findings can inform public health interventions to reduce UPF consumption and promote healthier diets in various socio-demographic groups.

Background A possible driver of obesity is insensitivity (passive overconsumption) to food energy density (ED, kcal/g); however, it is unclear whether this insensitivity applies to all meals. Objectives We assessed the influence of ED on energy intake (kcal) across a broad and continuous range of EDs comprised of noncovertly manipulated, real-world meals. We also allowed for the possibility that the association between energy intake and ED is nonlinear. Methods We completed a secondary analysis of 1519 meals which occurred in a controlled environment as part of a study conducted by Hall and colleagues to assess the effects of food ultra-processing on energy intake. To establish the generalizability of the findings, the analyses were repeated in 32,162 meals collected from free-living humans using data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS). Segmented regressions were performed to establish ED "breakpoints" at which the association between consumed meal ED and mean centered meal caloric intake (kcal) changed. Results Significant breakpoints were found in both the Hall et al. data set (1.41 kcal/g) and the NDNS data set (1.75 and 2.94 kcal/g). Centered meal caloric intake did not increase linearly with consumed meal ED, and this pattern was captured by a 2-component ("volume" and "calorie content" [biologically derived from the sensing of fat, carbohydrate, and protein]) model of physical meal size (g), in which volume is the dominant signal with lower energy-dense foods and calorie content is the dominant signal with higher energy-dense foods. Conclusions These analyses reveal that, on some level, humans are sensitive to the energy content of meals and adjust meal size to minimize the acute aversive effects of overconsumption. Future research should consider the relative importance of volume and calorie-content signals, and how individual differences impact everyday dietary behavior and energy balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing advocacy for plant food consumption, the sub-Saharan Africa landscape is home to diverse plant-based food commodities. The need to leverage the advantages of unprocessed/minimally processed foods (PFs) over ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is a system that requires exploitation. Most of the crops produced in the continent are either classified as traditionally or moderately PFs. However, the rise in industrialization and formalization of markets is impacting and marginalizing traditional food processing (FP). Current FP classification frameworks are briefly discussed. The level of processing of cereals, grains, fruits, vegetables, roots, and tuber crops in the continent requires intervention from nutritionists, food scientists, and scientific and governmental bodies to gain a holistic view and tackle the issue of food insecurity in Africa. This study reviews the levels of processing of African foods, challenges, and future directions.

Objective: To characterise consumption of ultra-processed foods and drinks (UPF) across a range of socio-demographic characteristics of Canadians., Design: Cross-sectional study. The national-level 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey-Nutrition provided data on all foods and drinks consumed on the previous day via a 24-hour dietary recall. All food items were classified according to the type of industrial processing using the NOVA system. Multivariable linear regression models examined associations between a range of socio-demographic characteristics and the mean energy contribution (% of total daily energy intake) from total UPF and UPF subgroups., Setting: The ten Canadian provinces., Participants: Canadians aged 2 or older ( n 20 103)., Results: UPF contributed, on average, nearly half (44·9 %) of total daily energy intake of Canadians. Children aged 6-12 and adolescents aged 13-18 consumed over half of total daily energy from UPF (adjusted means of 51·9 % and 50·7 %, respectively). Recent and long-term immigrants consumed a significantly lower share of energy from UPF (adjusted means of 42·2 % and 45·1 %, respectively) compared with non-immigrants (54·4 %), as did the food secure (42·8 %) v . those in moderately (48·1 %) or severely food-insecure households (50·8 %). More modest differences were observed for intake of total UPF and UPF subgroups by sex, education, income adequacy and region of residence., Conclusion: Levels of UPF consumption in 2015 in Canada were pervasive in all socio-demographic groups and highest among children and adolescents, non-immigrants and those living in food-insecure households. These findings can inform public health interventions to reduce UPF consumption and promote healthier diets in various socio-demographic groups.

This paper tests the hypothesis that one important factor determining household availability of ready-to-consume products is their cost relative to the rest of the diet. National food expenditure surveys in the UK (2008) and Brazil (2008–09) were used. Purchased food quantities were converted into dietary energy (calories) and classified into three groups: (1) foods that are unprocessed or minimally processed; (2) processed culinary ingredients; and (3) ready-to-consume products, either processed or ultra-processed. The contribution of these groups to diets in each country was calculated as a percentage of total energy. Relative cost of ready-to-consume products in each country was calculated by dividing their cost by the cost of the rest of the diet (foods plus culinary ingredients). Linear regression analysis was used to test the association between the UK to Brazil ratios of the caloric share of different ready-to-consume products, and of the relative cost of these products. The caloric share of ready-to-consume products in the UK (63.4%) was well over double that of Brazil (27.7%), whereas their cost relative to the rest of the diet was 43% lower. The lower the relative cost of ready-to-consume products in the UK (compared with Brazil), the higher their relative consumption (R2=0.38, p<0.01). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing advocacy for plant food consumption, the sub-Saharan Africa landscape is home to diverse plant-based food commodities. The need to leverage the advantages of unprocessed/minimally processed foods (PFs) over ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is a system that requires exploitation. Most of the crops produced in the continent are either classified as traditionally or moderately PFs. However, the rise in industrialization and formalization of markets is impacting and marginalizing traditional food processing (FP). Current FP classification frameworks are briefly discussed. The level of processing of cereals, grains, fruits, vegetables, roots, and tuber crops in the continent requires intervention from nutritionists, food scientists, and scientific and governmental bodies to gain a holistic view and tackle the issue of food insecurity in Africa. This study reviews the levels of processing of African foods, challenges, and future directions., Competing Interests: AIOJ is currently engaged with VicFame Pty Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Jideani, Onipe and Ramashia.)

Unhealthy diets are underpinned by the over-consumption of packaged products. Data describing the ingredient composition of these products is limited. We sought to define the ingredients used in Australian packaged foods and beverages and assess associations between the number of ingredients and existing health indicators. Statements of ingredients were disaggregated, creating separate fields for each ingredient and sub-ingredient. Ingredients were categorised and the average number of ingredients per product was calculated. Associations between number of ingredients and both the nutrient-based Health Star Rating (HSR) and the NOVA level-of-processing classification were assessed. A total of 24,229 products, listing 233,113 ingredients, were included. Products had between 1 and 62 ingredients (median (Interquartile range (IQR)): 8 (3–14)). We identified 915 unique ingredients, which we organised into 17 major and 138 minor categories. 'Additives' were contained in the largest proportion of products (64.6%, (15,652/24,229)). The median number of ingredients per product was significantly lower in products with the optimum 5-star HSR (when compared to all other HSR score groups, p-value < 0.001) and significantly higher in products classified as ultra-processed (when compared to all other NOVA classification groups, p-value < 0.001). There is a strong relationship between the number of ingredients in a product and indicators of nutritional quality and level of processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]