If you’ve landed on this page, chances are you’ve heard the term ‘ultra-processed food’ somewhere — maybe on the radio driving to school, in a Sunday supplement, or from a health-conscious friend who’s started reading ingredient labels in the supermarket aisle while the rest of us are just trying to get the shop done before the kids start arguing.
And now you’re wondering: what actually is it? Is it just another food trend? Is it basically the same as junk food? And — most importantly — does it actually matter for your family?
We’re going to answer all of that here. No jargon, no guilt, no suggestion that you need to overhaul everything overnight. Just honest, straightforward information that will help you make better choices for your family — starting with your very next shop.
This is the page we wish we’d found when we started this journey ourselves.
First things first: what does ‘UPF’ actually mean?
UPF stands for Ultra-Processed Food. It’s a term coined by Brazilian nutrition scientist Professor Carlos Monteiro and his team at the University of Sao Paulo, who developed a food classification system called NOVA in 2009.
NOVA doesn’t classify food by nutrients — by how much fat, sugar or salt it contains. Instead, it classifies food by how much it has been processed. The idea is simple but genuinely radical: it’s not just what’s in your food that matters, it’s what’s been done to it.
NOVA divides food into four groups:
NOVA Group 1 — Unprocessed or minimally processed foods
These are foods in their natural state, or foods where the processing is minimal — think washing, cutting, freezing, fermenting, or pasteurising. Nothing has been added that wouldn’t belong in a home kitchen.
Examples: fresh fruit and vegetables, plain meat and fish, eggs, plain milk, plain yoghurt, dried pulses, rice, oats, frozen peas, tinned tomatoes (just tomatoes, nothing added).
NOVA Group 2 — Processed culinary ingredients
These are substances extracted from Group 1 foods and used in cooking. You’d find them in most home kitchens but you wouldn’t eat them on their own.
Examples: olive oil, butter, flour, salt, sugar, honey, vinegar.
NOVA Group 3 — Processed foods
Foods made by combining Group 1 and Group 2 ingredients, usually to preserve them or improve their flavour. These have been processed, but in ways that are recognisable and traditional.
Examples: tinned fish in oil, cheese, cured meats like bacon or salami, bread made with just flour, water, yeast and salt, beer, wine, simple jams.
NOVA Group 4 — Ultra-processed foods
This is where it gets important. Group 4 foods are industrially manufactured products that typically contain ingredients you would never find in a home kitchen — things that exist purely to make food cheaper to produce, last longer on a shelf, taste more appealing, or be more addictive.
Examples: most breakfast cereals, fizzy drinks, chicken nuggets, many supermarket breads, instant noodles, flavoured yoghurts, crisps, most shop-bought biscuits, many ready meals, protein bars, and — this is the one that surprises people — most plant-based meat alternatives.
The key question to ask yourself: could I make this at home using normal ingredients from my kitchen? If the answer is no — if the ingredient list reads like a chemistry textbook — it’s almost certainly a UPF.
So what actually makes something ‘ultra-processed’?
This is where people often get confused, because ultra-processed food isn’t the same as unhealthy food. A product can be low in sugar, low in fat, and have a healthy-sounding name — and still be ultra-processed. Equally, some foods that sound processed (like a good quality sourdough bread or a traditional cheese) are actually Group 3.
The tell-tale signs of a UPF are in the ingredients list. Look out for:
Emulsifiers
These are additives that stop ingredients from separating — they create a smooth, uniform texture that wouldn’t occur naturally. You’ll see them listed as E numbers or chemical-sounding names like lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, carrageenan, or polysorbate 80.
Why does this matter? Emerging research suggests that some emulsifiers may disrupt the gut microbiome — the community of bacteria in your digestive system that plays a vital role in immunity, mood, and overall health.
Artificial flavours and flavour enhancers
When you see ‘flavouring’ or ‘natural flavouring’ on a label, it doesn’t necessarily mean what you think. These are often highly concentrated chemical compounds designed to make food taste more intense than it naturally would. Flavour enhancers like monosodium glutamate (MSG) or yeast extract (not to be confused with Marmite, which is fine) are used to make ultra-processed foods taste deeply savoury and more-ish.
Preservatives beyond simple salt or vinegar
Traditional preservation methods — salt, vinegar, fermentation, drying — are Group 2 or 3. UPF preservatives are a different matter: things like sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, or BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) are industrial additives with no place in a home kitchen.
Colours
If a food needs artificial colour to look appealing, that’s usually a sign that the real ingredients aren’t providing it. Annatto, tartrazine, sunset yellow — these are all markers of heavy processing.
Protein isolates, hydrolysed proteins, and modified starches
These are extracted and broken-down components of whole foods, used as cheap filler ingredients. They allow manufacturers to make products that seem protein-rich or substantial without using whole, expensive ingredients.
A quick rule of thumb: if you read an ingredient and you couldn’t buy it in a supermarket or find it in your kitchen cupboard, the food is almost certainly ultra-processed.
Hang on — is this just about junk food?
This is one of the most important things to understand about UPF, and it’s the thing that genuinely surprised us when we first learned about it.
Ultra-processed food is NOT the same as junk food. Yes, most junk food is ultra-processed. But many foods marketed as healthy — as nutritious, natural, or better for you — are also ultra-processed. In some ways, this category is more insidious than junk food, because it hides in plain sight.
Here are some examples that often catch people off guard:
- Most supermarket wholemeal bread — even brands marketed as healthy — contains emulsifiers, preservatives, and dough improvers
- Many flavoured yoghurts — including ones marketed at children — contain modified starch, flavourings, and stabilisers
- Most plant-based burgers and meat alternatives — heavily processed with protein isolates, binders, and flavour compounds
- Protein bars and ‘healthy’ snack bars — often contain syrups, isolates, emulsifiers, and a long list of additives
- Many branded cereals — even those marketed as high-fibre or heart-healthy — contain flavourings, emulsifiers, and artificial vitamins that are added back after processing destroys the natural ones
- Most shop-bought hummus — often contains citric acid, preservatives, and modified starch alongside the chickpeas
This isn’t about demonising these foods or making you feel bad for buying them. It’s about having the information to make more informed choices.
What is non-UPF food, then?
Non-UPF food is simply food from NOVA Groups 1, 2, and 3. It’s food where you can read the ingredient list and recognise everything on it. It’s food that has been processed — because almost everything we eat has been processed in some way — but processed in ways that are traditional, transparent, and recognisable.
Non-UPF food is:
- A roast chicken with vegetables — Group 1 all the way
- Pasta made with durum wheat, egg, and water — Group 1 and 2
- A good sourdough loaf made with flour, water, salt, and a starter — Group 3
- Tinned fish in olive oil with just fish and oil listed — Group 3
- Real cheese — Group 3
- A simple tomato sauce made with tinned tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and salt — Groups 1, 2, and 3
- Plain full-fat yoghurt — Group 1
- Oats with fruit and honey — Groups 1 and 2
The non-UPF approach isn’t about eating perfectly. It’s about understanding what you’re eating and choosing whole, recognisable ingredients wherever you realistically can.
At Fed Well, our approach is simple: NOVA Groups 1, 2, and 3 as the foundation of every meal. We’re not perfect and we never claim to be. But we aim for real food most of the time — and we’ll show you how to make that achievable, even on a Tuesday evening with 30 minutes and two hungry kids.
Why is this such a big deal in the UK specifically?
The UK has one of the highest rates of UPF consumption in Europe. Research from Imperial College London found that ultra-processed foods make up around 57% of the average British adult’s diet — and the figure is even higher for children and teenagers, with some studies putting it as high as 65-67% for adolescents.
To put that in perspective: for a typical British teenager, two-thirds of their daily calories come from ultra-processed foods.
This matters because we are, quite literally, in uncharted territory. Ultra-processed foods as we know them today barely existed 70 years ago. The human body — evolved over hundreds of thousands of years to eat whole, recognisable food — is now being asked to process industrial ingredients it has never encountered before. And the research on what that means for our health is only just beginning to catch up.
What does the research say about UPF and health?
We want to be honest with you here: the science is still developing. Much of what we know comes from observational studies — research that finds associations between high UPF consumption and poor health outcomes, rather than definitively proving cause and effect.
But the associations that researchers are finding are significant enough that the scientific and medical community is taking them very seriously. Here is what the current body of research suggests:
Obesity and weight gain
A landmark study by the National Institutes of Health in the United States — the first randomised controlled trial on UPF consumption — found that when people ate a diet high in ultra-processed foods, they consumed on average 500 more calories per day than when eating a minimally processed diet, even when both diets were matched for nutrients like fat, sugar, and fibre. They also ate faster. Ultra-processed foods appear to interfere with the body’s natural satiety signals.
Type 2 diabetes
Multiple large studies across Europe have found associations between high UPF consumption and increased risk of type 2 diabetes, independent of overall diet quality. The NutriNet-Sante study in France, following over 100,000 participants, found that a 10% increase in UPF consumption was associated with a significantly higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
Cardiovascular disease
Research published in the British Medical Journal found that each 10% increase in UPF consumption was associated with a 12% increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Other studies have found associations with higher rates of stroke, heart attack, and hypertension.
Mental health
Perhaps most surprisingly, emerging research is finding associations between high UPF consumption and depression, anxiety, and poor mental health outcomes. The gut-brain connection — the relationship between the gut microbiome and mental wellbeing — is a rapidly developing area of science, and the potential disruption of the microbiome by UPF ingredients is of significant interest to researchers.
Cancer
Several studies have found associations between high UPF consumption and increased risk of certain cancers, particularly colorectal cancer. The research is at an early stage and causation has not been established, but the signals are consistent enough to be concerning.
Children specifically
For children, the picture is particularly concerning. Early childhood is a critical period for the development of the gut microbiome, the immune system, and food preferences. Research suggests that high UPF consumption in childhood is associated with faster weight gain, poorer metabolic outcomes, and the establishment of eating patterns that persist into adulthood.
We want to be clear: we are not scientists or doctors, and we are not telling you that eating a biscuit will give you cancer. The research is complex, ongoing, and nuanced. What we are saying is that the evidence is significant enough to take seriously — and that eating more real food, even incrementally, is almost certainly a good thing for your family’s long-term health.
But isn’t real food expensive? I’m not shopping at Waitrose here.
This is the objection we hear most often, and it’s completely valid. The perception that eating well costs more is deeply ingrained — and to be fair, it’s sometimes true. Organic, artisan, and premium food products can be eye-wateringly expensive.
But non-UPF eating doesn’t mean premium eating. It means whole-ingredient eating. And whole ingredients — particularly the kind we focus on at Fed Well — are available at every price point.
Some of the most non-UPF foods you can buy are also some of the cheapest:
- Dried lentils and pulses — pennies per portion and among the most nutritious foods on earth
- Eggs — endlessly versatile, quick to cook, and reliably affordable
- Tinned tomatoes — just tomatoes in juice, nothing added, and a kitchen staple
- Oats — one of the cheapest breakfast options per serving
- Frozen vegetables — often more nutritious than fresh (frozen immediately after picking) and significantly cheaper
- Whole chicken — more expensive upfront but provides multiple meals
- Root vegetables — carrots, onions, potatoes — cheap, filling, and Group 1
At Fed Well, we benchmark every recipe against Aldi and Lidl prices. We are not interested in aspirational food. We are interested in achievable food — the kind you can actually put on the table on a Wednesday night when everyone is tired and the fridge is looking a bit empty.
What about convenience? I don’t have time to make everything from scratch.
Neither do we. That’s not what this is about.
The non-UPF approach isn’t about spending your Sundays making artisan bread and fermenting your own kombucha (though if that’s your thing, brilliant). It’s about making small, realistic swaps that reduce your family’s exposure to ultra-processed ingredients over time.
Here’s what that might look like in practice:
- Switching from a heavily processed supermarket loaf to a simple sourdough or a bread with a short, recognisable ingredient list
- Swapping flavoured yoghurt for plain yoghurt with a drizzle of honey and some fruit
- Making a simple tomato sauce from tinned tomatoes instead of a jar of sauce packed with additives
- Choosing plain oats with toppings you add yourself instead of flavoured instant porridge packets
- Reading labels on things you buy regularly and finding the least-processed version
None of these things require extra hours in the kitchen. They require a small shift in habit and a bit of label-reading confidence — which is exactly what Fed Well is here to help you build.
How to start: a practical guide for busy parents
If you’re new to thinking about UPF, the idea of auditing everything in your fridge and cupboards can feel overwhelming. Please don’t do that. It’s not a helpful approach and it will make you feel guilty without making you or your family any healthier.
Instead, here’s a gentle, realistic way to get started:
Step 1 — Pick one meal to focus on first
Breakfast is usually the easiest place to start because it tends to be quite habitual. If your family currently eats a heavily processed cereal, try replacing it with oats three days a week. Just three days. See how it goes.
Step 2 — Start reading labels on things you buy regularly
Pick five products you buy every week and read their ingredient lists. You’ll quickly get a feel for what a short, clean list looks like versus a long, chemical-heavy one. This builds label literacy without requiring any immediate changes.
Step 3 — Find your go-to swaps
Most heavily processed products have a less-processed equivalent. Plain yoghurt instead of flavoured. Simple crackers instead of heavily flavoured ones. Butter instead of a processed spread. Identify two or three swaps that are easy for your family and make them permanent.
Step 4 — Add, don’t just subtract
This is important. Rather than thinking about what you’re removing, think about what you’re adding. More fruit. More vegetables. More pulses. More eggs. More real cheese. More plain oats. Adding whole foods naturally reduces the space and appetite for ultra-processed ones.
Step 5 — Be realistic and be kind to yourself
There will be birthday parties with heavily processed cake. There will be late nights where a fish finger sandwich is the only viable option. There will be holiday snacks and treats and the occasional McDonald’s. None of this undoes the progress you make the rest of the time. The goal is better, not perfect.
One real meal at a time. That’s it. That’s the whole approach. You don’t need to change everything at once. You just need to start somewhere.
The Fed Well approach to non-UPF eating
We started Fed Well because we wanted to feed our own family better — not perfectly, but better. We were two working parents with children who had opinions about food, limited time to cook, and a realistic budget. We weren’t going to become food purists overnight and we had no intention of trying.
What we did was start paying attention. We read some labels. We made some swaps. We found recipes that were quick enough for weeknights and good enough that our children actually ate them. And over time, we found that the balance of what our family ate shifted — gradually, sustainably, without drama.
That’s what Fed Well is about. Not rules. Not guilt. Not a 30-day challenge. Just honest information, realistic recipes, and the quiet confidence that comes from knowing what you’re putting on the table.
One real meal at a time.
Frequently asked questions
Is organic food automatically non-UPF?
No. Organic refers to how ingredients are grown — without synthetic pesticides and fertilisers. A food can be made entirely from organic ingredients and still be ultra-processed if it contains emulsifiers, flavourings, and other industrial additives. Always read the ingredient list, regardless of whether something is labelled organic.
What about baby food pouches?
This is an area where many parents are caught off guard. Many baby food pouches are actually Group 1 or Group 3 — just pureed fruit or vegetables with nothing added. But some contain modified starches, concentrates, and other additives. Read the label carefully. As a general rule, the shorter the ingredient list, the better.
Are all E numbers bad?
No. E numbers are simply the EU’s coding system for food additives — some of which are completely natural. Vitamin C is listed as E300. Curcumin (from turmeric) is E100. The E number itself doesn’t tell you whether something is problematic. What matters is what the additive is and why it’s there. Emulsifiers, artificial colours, and artificial preservatives in the higher E number ranges are the ones most associated with ultra-processing.
What about alcohol? Wine and beer are processed.
Wine, beer, and spirits are classified as Group 3 by NOVA — processed, but not ultra-processed. We’re not going to wade into alcohol and health here (that’s a whole other conversation), but from a UPF perspective, a glass of wine is not the same as a can of heavily sweetened, artificially flavoured, and preservative-laden ready-to-drink cocktail.
My kids will only eat ultra-processed food. What do I do?
You’re not alone in this. Picky eating is one of the most common and most stressful aspects of parenting around food. The good news is that palates do change, particularly when changes are introduced gradually and without pressure. We have a whole section of Fed Well dedicated to realistic strategies for getting children to accept less-processed food — without mealtime battles, without bribery, and without making food a battleground.
Ready to get started? Head to our recipes section for quick, family-friendly meals using NOVA 1-3 ingredients — all tested in a real family kitchen, on real weeknights, with real children who have very strong opinions about dinner.