Dear HIFA and CHIFA colleagues. Here is citation and extracts of an article in this week's BMJ.
CITATION: Analysis: Misleading narrative of “healthy” ultraprocessed foods
BMJ 2026; 392 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2025-087538 (Published 27 January 2026)
Cite this as: BMJ 2026;392:e087538
EXTRACTS:
A focus on “healthy” ultraprocessed foods is overstating benefits, legitimising industry narratives, and obscuring the priority of reducing overall consumption, argue Leandro Rezende and colleagues
Transnational food corporations are increasingly expanding portfolios of “better for you,” “fortified,” and “functional” ultraprocessed foods—from high protein snacks and vitamin enriched drinks to plant based burgers. Framed within narratives of “nutrition security” and “sustainable innovation,”1 these products are promoted as solutions to the nutrient deficiencies and diet related diseases. In practice, however, they allow the ultraprocessed food industry to appear part of the solution while undermining front-of-pack labelling, marketing restrictions, and fiscal measures...
Ultraprocessed foods are engineered for convenience, taste, and profit, not for health,7 and displace fresh and minimally processed foods and cooked meals...
Food corporations mobilised political and marketing strategies to protect their markets—challenging evidence, lobbying against regulation, funding favourable research, and framing themselves as a partner in tackling chronic disease and food insecurity.234 Initially, they claimed “no food is harmful in moderation.” More recently, they argue that only some ultraprocessed foods are harmful and that others are harmless or even beneficial, a narrative that legitimises diversification and reformulation...
To assess the health effect of ultraprocessing, the key public health question is not whether all ultraprocessed foods are equally harmful, but whether the move towards ultraprocessed foods is driving the rising global burden of diet related chronic diseases...
Communication strategies should translate the science into simple, actionable guidance—eat real foods; avoid ultraprocessed ones—while countering the idea that reformulated or “better-for-you” ultraprocessed foods are acceptable substitutes. Public education campaigns, labelling systems, and school curriculums can all help reinforce the distinction between ultraprocessed foods and minimally processed foods.
==
Join HIFA and CHIFA: www.hifa.org/join
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org