Half of all food consumed by UK families is ultra-processed

BRITAIN is the worst country in Europe for eating processed food, with half of average household food coming from factories, researchers have found.

A study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition found more than half of all the food bought by families in the UK is now “ultra-processed”.

This means it is made in a factory with industrial ingredients and additives and has been significantly transformed from its pure form of whole fruit, vegetables, meat or fish, into a ready-to-eat item. The study of 19 European countries showed that 50.7 per cent of the food bought and eaten by UK families is ultra-processed, the highest proportion of any EU country.

According to the NHS, processed foods can lead to eating more than the recommended amounts of sugar, salt and fat, as people may not be aware of how much has been added to the food they are buying and eating. These foods can also be higher in calories.

The study analysed data from the Living Costs and Food Survey 2008, by the Office of National Statistics, which categorised foods into four groups.

It found (28.6 per cent) was unprocessed or minimally so, 10.4 per cent was processed cooking ingredients such as vegetable oil and 10.2 per cent was ordinarily processed, such as cheese or cured meat. Ultra-processed food amounts to more than all the other groups combined.

German consumers’ shopping baskets contained 46.2 per cent ultra-processed food, while the figure for Ireland was 45.9 per cent.