Ultra-processed foods (also called "UPFs"), the newfound villain within the food industry, have spurred much discourse amongst food experts, scientists, and consumers alike. In recent years, concerns regarding the potential health risks of such foods reached a fever pitch — so much so, that one nutritional scientist is now calling for tobacco-style warnings to be placed on UPFs.
Carlos Monteiro, the Brazilian epidemiologist who coined the term ultra-processed food, will discuss the dangers of UPFs in both children and adults at the International Congress on Obesity this week. Ahead of the conference in São Paulo, Monteiro said in a statement to The Guardian that UPFs are “increasing their share in and domination of global diets, despite the risk they represent to health in terms of increasing the risk of multiple chronic diseases.”
