They need to quantify which aspects are relevant, because “ultra-processed” doesn’t mean much on its own if they aren’t telling me what specifically is bad about it.
The most recent overview of Nova published with Monteiro defines ultra-processed food as follows:
Industrially manufactured food products made up of several ingredients (formulations) including sugar, oils, fats and salt (generally in combination and in higher amounts than in processed foods) and food substances of no or rare culinary use (such as high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, modified starches and protein isolates). Group 1 foods are absent or represent a small proportion of the ingredients in the formulation. Processes enabling the manufacture of ultra-processed foods include industrial techniques such as extrusion, moulding and pre-frying; application of additives including those whose function is to make the final product palatable or hyperpalatable such as flavours, colourants, non-sugar sweeteners and emulsifiers; and sophisticated packaging, usually with synthetic materials. Processes and ingredients here are designed to create highly profitable (low-cost ingredients, long shelf-life, emphatic branding), convenient (ready-to-(h)eat or to drink), tasteful alternatives to all other Nova food groups and to freshly prepared dishes and meals. Ultra-processed foods are operationally distinguishable from processed foods by the presence of food substances of no culinary use (varieties of sugars such as fructose, high-fructose corn syrup, ‘fruit juice concentrates’, invert sugar, maltodextrin, dextrose and lactose; modified starches; modified oils such as hydrogenated or interesterified oils; and protein sources such as hydrolysed proteins, soya protein isolate, gluten, casein, whey protein and ‘mechanically separated meat’) or of additives with cosmetic functions (flavours, flavour enhancers, colours, emulsifiers, emulsifying salts, sweeteners, thickeners and anti-foaming, bulking, carbonating, foaming, gelling and glazing agents) in their list of ingredients.[10]
Bacon doesn’t really have “multiple” ingredients. I don’t get where it fits into this scale. I didn’t see any references to meat throughout this list.
What is “ultra -processed food?”
Is bacon really considered ultra-processed?
They need to quantify which aspects are relevant, because “ultra-processed” doesn’t mean much on its own if they aren’t telling me what specifically is bad about it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nova_classification
Bacon doesn’t really have “multiple” ingredients. I don’t get where it fits into this scale. I didn’t see any references to meat throughout this list.