Experts demand urgent action as ultra-processed foods reshape global diets

As ultra-processed foods dominate diets and disease rates rise, global experts call for warning labels, marketing curbs and healthier food environments to protect vulnerable populations

As ultra-processed foods (UPFs) replace home-cooked meals and traditional eating patterns worldwide, a new body of research warns of escalating health risks. Global experts, drawing on The Lancet’s latest three-part series on UPFs, are urging governments to act quickly to protect people from the growing metabolic risks linked to these foods.

 

A team of 43 international experts, with researchers from the University of Melbourne, Deakin University and the University of Sydney, collaborated on the landmark series.

 

Why ultra-processed foods are raising global alarm

 

Ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, such as sugary drinks, packaged snacks, ready meals, and confectionery, are industrially formulated products designed for convenience and taste. They typically contain high levels of sugar, unhealthy fats, salt, additives and little or no whole foods.

 

 "As their global annual sales top $1.9 trillion, big food companies are making huge profits by replacing whole and minimally processed foods in diets with unhealthy ultra-processed foods," said Dr Phillip Baker, co-lead author of the series and researcher at the University of Sydney’s School of Public Health.

 

According to global experts, these products are not only displacing traditional diets but also contributing to an alarming rise in chronic illnesses across populations. In several high-income countries, UPFs now contribute over half of daily energy intake.

 

 "There is well-established evidence that ultra-processed foods are displacing healthy diets and harming health globally," shared Dr Priscila Machado, co-author from the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), Deakin University, Australia.

 

The three-paper Lancet series

 

The first paper in the series reviews the evidence and finds a consistent association between high UPF intake and increased risk of multiple chronic diseases, including obesity, type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression and premature death.

 

The second paper outlines policy options available to governments, from front-of-pack warning labels and marketing restrictions to changes in supply chains and public procurement systems, to reduce UPF consumption and shift food environments.

 

The third paper examines the role of large food corporations. It highlights how commercial influence and aggressive marketing strategies have accelerated the global rise of UPFs, calling for stronger governance to curb corporate power.

 

Together, the papers form one of the strongest scientific warnings about the scale of harm linked to UPFs.

 

Why is the warning urgent for India

 

India’s shifting food landscape makes the expert call particularly relevant. Sales of ultra-processed foods have surged rapidly, mirroring the country’s sharp rise in obesity and young-onset diabetes. In a report by The New Indian Express, Dr Arun Gupta, a paediatrician and co-author of the three-part Lancet series, noted that retail sales of UPFs in India jumped from $0.9 billion in 2006 to nearly $38 billion in 2019, a forty-fold increase.

 

Dr Vimal Pahuja, MD, Associate Director, Internal Medicine & Metabolic Physician, Diabetes & Weight Management Clinic, Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital, Mumbai, says, “As clinicians, we are now seeing the impact of ultra-processed foods far earlier and far more aggressively than we ever anticipated. The latest Lancet data confirms what we observe in practice — India’s 40-fold surge in UPF sales is directly paralleling the rise in obesity and young-onset type 2 diabetes.”

 

He explains how UPFs affect the body, “These foods are engineered to be hyper-palatable, low in fibre, high in sugars, unhealthy fats and additives, and they fundamentally disrupt satiety, gut health and glucose regulation.”

 

The risk is magnified in India because of genetic predisposition. “We develop visceral fat and metabolic dysfunction at lower BMIs, so the same quantity of UPFs does far more harm here than in Western populations. Individual will-power is not enough. India urgently needs strong food-policy measures—front-of-pack warnings, restrictions on marketing to children, and healthier school and work-site food environments. Without structural action, this will become a full-blown metabolic emergency,” adds Dr Pahuja.

 

What experts want governments to do

 

The global group of researchers stresses that policy change, not consumer choice alone, is essential. Key recommendations include:

• Mandatory front-of-pack warning labels for UPFs
• Restrictions on marketing to children, particularly on digital platforms
• Removing UPFs from schools, hospitals and workplace canteens
• Fiscal measures such as targeted taxes on UPFs
• Regulation to curb corporate influence in shaping food policy

"Only by combining stricter regulation of poor-quality food products with realistic support for more nutritious choices can we truly promote better diets for all," said Gyorgy Scrinis, Co-author and Associate Professor, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, University of Melbourne.

 

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