In a survey of 5,000 UK adults, one in six (17.1%) said they were addicted to UPFs, while almost a quarter admitted to eating UPFs at least once a day. A vast majority of respondents (87.4%) said they ate UPFs at least once a week.
Stress was the most common reason cited by respondents as the reason why they ate UPFs (29.5%) followed closely by convenience (28.8%), while time constraints came in a distant third (13.7%). Interestingly, personal preference was cited by just 5% of respondents as their reason for turning to UPFs.
Mood regulation
Despite stress being the most common reason for consumers turning to UPFs, more than three quarters of those surveyed (79.1%) said they had a negative impact on mood regulation.
UK consumers also categorised UPFs as having a negative impact on energy levels (76.8%), while nearly two thirds said they had a negative impact on their cognitive function (65.7%). While respondents linked UPFs to a series of negative impacts, almost three quarters (73.4%) said their employers had made them readily available to employees.
Signe Svanfeldt, lead nutritionist at Lifesum, said the research highlighted a need for informative warning labels on specific UPFs to ‘empower’ individuals to make more conscious dietary decisions.
Impact on health
“Our research underscores the severity of ultra-processed food addiction and its impact on health, both physically and mentally,” said Svanfeldt.
“These foods can lead to a variety of health issues such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and even certain types of cancer. Employers should prioritise promoting healthier eating habits to counter these effects and enhance employee wellbeing.”
UPFs were identified as one of five major challenges facing food and drink manufacturers by Campden BRI’s Member Interest Groups at its annual spring and autumn meetings.
Concerns were raised that media scrutiny, as well as its influence on consumer perceptions, on the level of processing of products and ingredients may be at the detriment of a need to remain focussed on the nutritional value of products.
