If you’ve been paying attention to health news lately, you’ve probably come across the term “ultra-processed food” — or UPF, as it’s increasingly known. It’s become one of the most talked-about topics in nutrition science, and Australian researchers are right at the centre of the conversation.

But like most things in nutrition, the picture is more complicated than the headlines suggest. So let’s break it down.

What are ultra-processed foods?

The term comes from the NOVA classification system, developed by Brazilian researcher Dr. Carlos Monteiro. It categorises foods into four groups based on the extent and purpose of processing:

1. Unprocessed or minimally processed — fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat, milk
2. Processed culinary ingredients — butter, oil, sugar, salt, flour
3. Processed foods — tinned vegetables, cheese, fresh bread, cured meats
4. Ultra-processed foods — soft drinks, packaged snacks, instant noodles, reconstituted meat products, many breakfast cereals, sweetened yoghurts, and most fast food

Ultra-processed foods are characterised by long ingredient lists, industrial additives, and ingredients you wouldn’t find in a home kitchen. They’re designed to be hyper-palatable — engineered to hit the bliss point that keeps you eating.

Why is this a big deal now?

The research has been accumulating for years, but 2025 saw several major studies that pushed UPFs into mainstream conversation.

A major meta-analysis in The BMJ pooling data from nearly 10 million participants found that higher UPF consumption was associated with a 12% increased risk of cardiovascular disease, a 15% increased risk of type 2 diabetes, and a 21% increased risk of depression.

That last one caught people off guard. Closer to home, Deakin University’s Food & Mood Centre has been a global pioneer in nutritional psychiatry, consistently showing that diets high in UPFs are linked to poorer mental health outcomes.

How much UPF do Australians eat?

A lot. Research from the George Institute for Global Health found that ultra-processed foods make up approximately 42% of the average Australian diet by energy intake. For younger Australians, particularly teenagers and young adults, the figure is even higher.

This isn’t because Australians lack willpower. It’s because our food environment is saturated with ultra-processed options that are cheaper, more convenient, and more heavily marketed than whole foods.

The nuance that gets lost

Here’s where I want to pump the brakes a little, because the UPF conversation can quickly slide into territory that isn’t helpful.

Not all processing is bad. Freezing vegetables is processing. Making yoghurt is processing. Canning legumes is processing. These are fine. The concern is specifically about industrial ultra-processing — the kind that transforms food into something far removed from its original ingredients.

The NOVA system isn’t perfect. Some foods classified as “ultra-processed” — like certain wholegrain breads or fortified plant milks — may still have genuine nutritional value. The classification is based on processing, not nutritional content, and critics argue this can be misleading.

Food shaming doesn’t help anyone. If someone is eating instant noodles because it’s what they can afford, lecturing them about UPFs is worse than useless. It adds guilt to an already stressful situation. The UPF problem is systemic — it’s about food policy, pricing, and access — not individual moral failure.

Perfection isn’t the goal. You don’t need to eliminate every ultra-processed food from your diet. The research points to a dose-response relationship: the more UPFs you eat, the higher the risk. Reducing your intake, even modestly, is beneficial.

What you can actually do

If you want to reduce your UPF intake without driving yourself mad, here are a few practical starting points:

Cook a few more meals from scratch each week. You don’t need to become a gourmet chef. A stir-fry with fresh vegetables, rice, and a simple sauce made from soy sauce, garlic, and ginger takes 20 minutes and contains zero ultra-processed ingredients.

Read ingredient lists. If a product contains ingredients you wouldn’t recognise or use in your own kitchen — maltodextrin, carrageenan, high-fructose corn syrup — it’s likely ultra-processed.

Swap where it’s easy. Rolled oats instead of flavoured instant oats. Whole fruit instead of fruit juice. Nuts instead of flavoured chips. These aren’t dramatic changes, but they shift the balance.

Advocate for better food policy. Support calls for clearer food labelling, restrictions on UPF marketing to children, and investment in making fresh food more affordable and accessible.

Where this conversation is heading

Australia’s food regulatory bodies are starting to pay closer attention. There’s growing discussion about whether the Health Star Rating system — which currently doesn’t account for degree of processing — needs to be updated to reflect the UPF evidence.

It’s a conversation worth having. Because the answer to Australia’s diet-related health problems isn’t going to come from telling individuals to try harder. It’s going to come from reshaping the food environment so that the healthier choice is also the easier one.

In the meantime, do what you can with what you have. Cook when you can. Choose whole foods when they’re available. And don’t beat yourself up about the rest.

Progress, not perfection. Always.