Ultra-processed Foods

Ultra-processed foods contain at least five ingredients, and those who are obese tend to consume more of this type of food. The question is whether anything is gained by concentrating on the method of manufacture. The public are often unable to distinguish this type of food, probably because the majority of food in industrialized countries is highly processed. Little seems to be gained by placing the emphasis on the way food is manufactured, as ultra-processed foods are often energy-dense and tend to be high in sugar and fat, and therefore have too many calories. The issue is not how it was made, but from what it was made. Thus, the term adds little to what we already know. Ultra-processed foods are often but not inevitabley energy-dense, and for a long time it has been known that such foods predispose to obesity. However, in principle there is no reason why ultra-processing could not be used to produce low-calorie products that could form a part of a diet that controls  weight. It is not the method that is the problem but the ingredients that are chosen.