The unintended consequences of the UPF trend

Is reducing or even eliminating ‘ultra processed food’ from our diets the solution to the UK’s obesity crisis or a trivial pursuit fuelled by a frenzy of misinformation?
Whilst food manufacturers will be well familiar with the NOVA system, processing has recently become a topic of conversation among the mainstream.
Off the back of a report published by the First Seps Nutrition Trust, Baroness Jenkin of Kennington led a debate on the impact of UPFs on child health, propelling the dialogue further into the media’s domain.  
Her words arguably lay blame on food manufacturers, as she contended that the way food is ‘engineered’ is intended to make it addictive and therefore easily overconsumed.
The sector has already begun reformulating to fall in line with recent HFSS rules, with non-HFSS commodities becoming the norm. But the argument lies in whether this is enough to solve the UK’s health crisis.
While some like Baroness Jenkin will say HFSS alone is not sufficient and we must look to other governments who have included advice on reducing UPF consumption to solve dietary health issues, others will argue that it’s an unnecessary diversion backed by little science.
In this exclusive, interactive discussion, Food Manufacture brings together a roundtable of experts to reflect on the debate so far, assess whether changes are likely to come and what kind of impact this could have.
Register now and stay up to date with how UPFs will shape food and drink in the future.