Dangers of ultra-processed foods

Chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) such as hypertension, diabetes and heart diseases have long been among the leading causes of death in Guyana, and that trend has shown an uptick. However, with funds available at long last from our oil revenues, as the Government has unfurled and started to implement plans to modernise the local health sector, it has taken aim against these diseases to improve our quality in general and increase our local life expectancy in particular. However, the same increase in our overall income levels from oil revenues that have made this possible has paradoxically produced a situation that facilitates the cause of CNCDs.
For most Guyanese, higher incomes mean an opportunity to emulate the lifestyles of the developed countries, especially the US and the UK. And a paper just published in the Lancet medical journal, 43 scientists and researchers joined forces to review studies from across the world to confirm that ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are a leading cause of the “chronic disease pandemic”. These UPFs are industrially manufactured products that contain little or no whole foods and are made mostly from refined ingredients and additives.
They are typically formulated to be hyper-palatable, convenient, and shelf-stable and usually contain refined starches, sugars, oils, protein isolates, artificial flavours, colours, sweeteners, emulsifiers, stabilisers and preservatives. As one researcher pointed out, “We took the fat out first, then we took the sugar out. We replaced the sugar with the sweeteners, the fats with gums. These products have been extensively reformulated and we have seen obesity, particularly obesity in childhood, and other rates of diet-related disease persistently go up in line with reformulation.” Even a cursory gaze at any of the crowds inhabiting our malls, would reveal the increase in obesity. A tip-off on UPFs is an extensive list of ingredients indicated on the label. Examples include ice cream, processed meats, crisps, mass-produced bread, some breakfast cereals, biscuits, many ready meals, and fizzy drinks.
The study also shows that in the developed countries, UPFs are “displacing” fresh foods and meals and worsening diet quality. The dietary share of UPFs is 50% in the US and the UK but remains below 25% in countries such as Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Portugal and across Asia. While they did not have data that could be included in the study, from anecdotal evidence it seems our share of UPFs at this time should be comparable to that of Asia. But based on the exponential growth of supermarkets that consciously imitate and replicate the food choices of the US and the UK, it is clear that the trajectory is a steep and dangerous incline.
The global team putting out the study noted that, although some countries have brought in rules to reformulate foods and control UPFs, “the global public health response is still nascent, akin to where the tobacco control movement was decades ago”. In Guyana, the Ministry of Health should take a lead role in both sensitising the public to the CNCD risks associated with UPFs. The Government’s efforts to promote a greater consumption of local foods should explicitly link it to avoidance of UPFs that are all foreign-sourced presently.
As far as persuading the manufacturers of UPFs to desist, the study emphasises that the profit motive overcomes all restraint. It said, “The key driver of the global rise in UPFs is the growing economic and political power of the UPF industry, and its restructuring of food systems for profitability above all else. The industry comprises UPF manufacturers at its core, but also a broader network of co-dependent actors who collectively drive the production, marketing and consumption of UPFs. And remember that built into the definition of ultra-processed food is its purpose. Its purpose is for profit. And so, as long as you’re reformulating, if your purpose is still profit, you’re unlikely to cause positive health outcomes.”
The experts argue that the “continuing rise of UPFs in human diets is not inevitable” and, while research into their effects continues, this should not delay policies aimed at promoting diets based on whole foods. Government policies can mirror the strategy used against tobacco smoking.