Purdue Expert: Ultra-Processed Foods

Media is welcome to use this video for TV, radio or podcasts or pull quotes for print articles. #purdue #purdueuniversity #purduenews
Richard Mattes is a distinguished professor in the College of Health and Human Science’s Department of Nutrition Science at Purdue University. In this video, he explains the growing concern surrounding ultra-processed foods and why he is skeptical about their impact on human health. Mattes says that obesity is a major public health problem that is clearly linked with people’s diets. The way in which foods are processed has recently become a major focus of concern for many dietitians and food scientists. However, Mattes is worried about the idea of labeling foods in general because it leads to a belief that there are good foods and bad foods. He says all foods can be incorporated into a healthy diet, it is just a matter of how much and how often people eat it. Certain segments of the population, such as single parent families, rely on the convenience and affordability of ultra-processed foods. This convenience allows families to accomplish everything they need to do in their busy lives while still meeting nutritional requirements. Any food that contains a preservative is considered ultra-processed. If preservatives begin to be removed or restricted, this could increase the risk of food-borne illness. Mattes believes more research needs to be done on ultra-processed foods before broad dietary recommendations can be made. Fat in foods was once seen as the driver of obesity and many fat-free or reduced fat products were created as a result. But as consumers switched to these foods, obesity rates continued to rise. Fat was not the driving factor leading to obesity, and Mattes is concerned that ultra-processed foods are being labeled as unhealthy before proper research has been conducted.