The Evolution of UPF

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The food system is about extracting money from us and supplying it to the owners of the ingredients companies. The other thing about profit is of course it incentivises companies to make foods that are really hard to stop eating and ultimately quite addictive. So it's not that this is food designed with evil intent or designed to deliberately harm you. It's just food that's made with an absolute indifference for human health, human life, the environment. It's not nourishment.

Sliced supermarket bread, ham, cheese, crisps, a fruit-flavoured yoghurt and a fizzy drink. If this sounds like a standard lunch, you’re not alone. The average person in the UK gets more than 50% of their calories from ultra-processed foods – otherwise known as ‘industrially produced edible substances’. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dr Chris van Tulleken about what ultra-processed foods are really made of, how they have become a major part of our diets, and the impact they are having on our health. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod