What The Ultra-Processed Foods Debate Still Gets Wrong

BusinessFood & DrinkWhat The Ultra-Processed Foods Debate Still Gets WrongByHank Cardello,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Hank Cardello covers issues impacting food companies and consumers.Follow AuthorJun 03, 2026, 11:31am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Ultra-processed foods under scrutinygettyConsumers Don't Eat Classifications. They Eat Diets.Today, the American Journal of Public Health released one of the most comprehensive collections of research and commentary on ultra-processed foods (UPFs) published to date. The special issue links UPFs to chronic disease, examines their potential addictive properties, explores the role of food-industry practices in shaping modern diets, and calls for stronger government intervention.The publication arrives at a moment when ultra-processed foods have moved from a largely academic discussion into the center of public policy debates, fueled in part by the growing influence of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement and its criticism of modern food systems.For all the attention being paid to how foods are formulated, marketed and processed, far less attention is being paid to an equally important question: how consumers actually purchase and consume them.How Consumers Actually EatMuch of today’s UPF debate implicitly treats foods within the category as if they are consumed similarly and produce equivalent outcomes. Chips, sugar-sweetened yogurt, protein bars, frozen meals, cookies, candy and sweetened beverages are often grouped together despite substantial differences in how consumers use them.That distinction matters because health outcomes are shaped not only by what foods contain, but also by how much is consumed, how often, and within what broader dietary pattern.An occasional dessert within an otherwise high-quality diet is not equivalent to a pattern of frequent cons...