Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of (a) trends in the level of ultra-processed food consumption and (b) the potential impact of those foods on public health.

United Kingdom dietary recommendations are based on robust independent risk assessments by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN). The SACN has considered the impact of processed foods on health in position statements published in 2023 and 2025.

The SACN did not assess trends in ultra processed food (UPF) consumption. However, a review of the available evidence that uses the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) dataset to apply the NOVA food processing classification system was conducted. The 2023 position statement found that estimates of UPF intake varied by age group, varying from 51% to 57% in adults, 68% in adolescents, and 64% in children up to 11 years old. The SACN, however, identified limitations in applying the NOVA classification to dietary data such as the NDNS, due to the broadness of the NOVA definition and the fact that the dietary data rarely captures the detail, for example the presence of additives, included in the NOVA definition.

The SACN concluded that the observed associations between higher consumption of UPFs and adverse health outcomes are concerning, but it is unclear whether these foods are inherently unhealthy due to processing or due to their nutritional content. The SACN noted that diets high in UPFs are often energy dense, high in saturated fat, salt, or free sugars, high in processed meat, and/or low in fruit and vegetables and fibre. The SACN has previously concluded in previous robust risk assessments that consumption of excess energy, saturated fat, salt, free sugars, and processed meat is linked to poor health outcomes, and that higher consumption of fruit and vegetables, wholegrain foods, and fibre reduces health risks.

The SACN recommended that on balance, most people are likely to benefit from reducing their consumption of processed foods high in energy, saturated fat, salt, and free sugars, and low in fibre. This is based on the nutrient content of many UPFs and concerns raised in relation to health.

The SACN will continue to keep the topic of UPFs under review and will consider it again at its horizon scanning meeting in 2026. The Government continues to invest in research on UPFs through the National Institute for Health and Care Research and UK Research and Innovation.