Food Processing industry ‘Can’t Ignore the Science: Ultraprocessed Foods Are Killing Us’

Aisle of Ultraprocessed Foods at Walmart
(Photo by Thayne Tuason via Wikipedia)

COGwriter

Ultraprocessed foods are an issue that more are realizing can cause health problems:

Even Big Food Can’t Ignore the Science: Ultraprocessed Foods Are Killing Us

April 8, 2026

If you’re reading this, chances are you already try to avoid ultraprocessed foods (UPFs), recognizing UPFs contain ingredients you wouldn’t want in your own kitchen.

But many of your friends, family and wider networks may not be in the same place — and crucially, may still believe that the science is “uncertain.”

That’s because Big Food has spent many years trying to defend its position to use these ingredients and has ploughed vast sums into research and marketing, a chunk of which has been used to justify its position.

But that position is increasingly hard to defend — as we aim to show in this article, using some of the most prominent systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in mainstream, high-impact scientific journals.

Yes, there are valid criticisms of the NOVA classification system for UPFs, including heterogeneity within categories and the failure to distinguish beneficial processes such as fermentation (Lane et al., 2024; Louie, 2025).

But even these critiques acknowledge a consistent pattern: high UPF consumption tracks with worse health outcomes and poorer overall diet quality.

What has changed in the last couple of years is the strength, consistency, and mechanistic depth of the evidence.

That also means that the big journals that have been favoured by the medical industrial complex are now publishing such studies, given the weight of evidence against UPFs is simply too great to deny. These journals don’t want to risk their credibility. …

The epidemiology is now overwhelming

Among the strongest syntheses of evidence to date comes from a systematic review and meta-analysis of 43 observational studies (including nearly 900,000 subjects) examining UPFs and chronic disease outcomes published by Lane et al. (2021) in the peer-reviewed journal, Obesity Reviews.

The findings were striking:

• Higher UPF intake was associated with increased risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and all-cause mortality.
• Associations persisted across populations and study designs.

Even allowing for residual confounding, the scale and reproducibility of these findings make dismissal increasingly untenable. https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/big-food-cant-ignore-science-ultraprocessed-foods-killing-us/

Let me add that another factor in increasing public awareness, which was not in the article above, has been Health and Human Services Secretary RF Kennedy, Jr. Along with allies in the media and pharmaceutical companies, Process food companies have come together to try to counter RJK Jr’s FDA.

Ultra-processed foods are highly consumed and are dangerous.

‘Big Food’ is not pleased with “the science” that points to health risks associated with the consumption of ultraprocessed foods.

Yet, in the USA, various dietitians reportedly have been saying that obesity and processed foods are good and healthy because they have received money from ‘Big Food’ (see General Mills funded dieticians who try to claim being obese is healthy and that ultra-processed foods are good).

By the way, for one year I was a member of the American Dietetics Association. I was appalled by its promotion of ultraprocessed foods, radiated foods, and artificial sweetners when I once attended it annual national conference decades ago. I did not renew my membership after that.

Now some good news is that consumption of ultraprocessed foods appears to be dropping:

February 18, 2026

Tuesday at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) conference, where top U.S. packaged food executives struck a sour tone about persistent consumer softening and unease over elevated food prices.

General Mills CEO Jeff Harmening told the audience at CAGNY that cereal, snacks, and pet food are among the categories taking the biggest hit as consumers struggle with affordability woes. He said the pressure is being fueled by inflation, reductions in government food benefits, geopolitical uncertainty, and a fragile consumer environment. …

Also on Tuesday, General Mills plunged 7% (its biggest drop since May 2022) after cutting its full-year sales outlook. It now expects organic net sales to decline 1.5% to 2%, compared with its prior forecast of down 1% to up 1%.

BNP Paribas analyst Max Gumport told clients CAGNY was “one of the most downbeat in recent memory for the packaged food group.” …

Beyond a cash-strapped consumer, Gumport also cited the surging use of GLP-1 drugs, intensifying competition from “disruptor” brands, and ongoing financial stress as some of the top pressures across the packaged food industry. https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/package-food-stocks-sink-after-most-downbeat-consumer-conference-general-mills-guidance

So, partially because of weight loss and partially because various states are no longer willing to subsidize the consumption of certain ultraprocessed foods, sales for the “packaged food group” are down.

Well, the consumption of less packaged foods is healthier for most people.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, (1 Timothy 6:10)

Greed for money, not health, drives much of the food processing industry. Notice the following from last Fall:

Scientists criticize food manufacturers for massive profits from sales of unhealthy ultraprocessed food

November 18, 2025

Certain ultraprocessed foods, or UPFs, are contributing to worldwide obesity, chronic health conditions and premature death, yet the food industry continues to aggressively market new and existing products in this category for massive profits, according to an unprecedented three-part series authored by 43 global experts in nutrition and supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund, or UNICEF, and the World Health Organization.

More than 50% of the $2.9 trillion paid to shareholders by food corporations between 1962 and 2021 “was distributed by UPF manufacturers alone,” according to research published Tuesday in the leading medical journal The Lancet.

“We found evidence that UPF consumption is increasing everywhere around the world, fueled by powerful global corporations,” said coauthor Carlos Augusto Monteiro, professor emeritus of nutrition and public health in the School of Public Health at Brazil’s University of São Paulo.

“To keep this business model, which is highly profitable, the industry cannot afford to make minimally processed foods as they did in the past, so they use extensive political lobbying to stop effective public health policies that support healthy eating,” said Monteiro, who coined the term “ultraprocessed food” in 2009 when he developed the NOVA classification system, which categorizes foods into four groups by their level of industrial processing.

Companies can “double or triple their profits” by turning corn, wheat, beans and other whole foods “into a colorless and flavorless sawdust which is then reconstructed with artificial flavorings and additives,” said Barry Popkin, the W.R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/18/health/ultraprocessed-industry-profits-wellness

Yes, greed is a factor. And yes, the food industry advertises and promotes processed foods.

That said, remember Eve in the Garden:

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. (Genesis 3:6)

Eve reasoned around God’s restriction. The fruit looked like good and desirable food to her. Ultra-processed foods and many unclean meats that God’s word prohibits look like good and desirable foods to many–so this is not entirely the fault of the food processing industry.

Self-control is something Christians should have (e.g. 2 Peter 1:6).

Highly-processed junk foods may look good, taste good, and seem convenient, but if consumed at all, should be a very small part of anyone’s diet.

Yet most in the West deceive themselves that they are not eating too much of them or that they are fine. Plus there is a lot of advertising that promotes them. That brings to mind another warning from the Apostle Paul:

1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, … 13 … evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:1-2,13)

Because the negative effects take time, many are wrongly persuaded by advertisements and availability to eat too much highly processed foods. Many also deceive themselves into falsely believing that they cannot cause serious problems–yet they can.

The following scripture came to mind:

11 Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. (Ecclesiastes 8:11)

As far as food processing goes, it really started to become a problem in the 19th century. This is when refined flour came out. Then we saw degerminated corn meal and white rice. Grits, which once were made of ground, whole organic corn, are now made with degerminated GMO corn, ‘fortified’ with synthetic vitamins. After corn was ‘degerminated’ many people in the Southern USA died from a disease called pellagra. Instead of going back to whole corn, chemically-derived synthetic vitamins were added, which I consider to be dangerous.

In the 19^th century, after natural brown rice became refined on a large scale, white rice became popular. Many preferred white rice because it could be stored longer than natural brown rice, plus it cooked faster.

In the 19^th century, a disease called beriberi began to cause many deaths in parts of Asia. Symptoms of beriberi include weight loss, emotional disturbances, impaired sensory perception, weakness and pain in the limbs, and periods of irregular heart rate.

At first no one connected the consumption of white rice in with beriberi. Leading ‘infectious disease’ experts attempted to figure out what caused this beriberi outbreak, without success. The real cause was the greatly reduced consumption of B-vitamins that was in the portion of the rice that was refined away—but no one realized this at first.

Now, we have even more highly processed items in the food supply–and also genetically-modified substances that there is limited data on the possible long-term health consequences of their consumption.

What should you eat? You should eat real food and for most people, at least two or more servings of fruit and three of more servings of vegetables daily, relatively small amounts of meats, whole grains, and olive oil come to mind. Refined grains, sugars (whether natural or artificial), sodas, and GMOs should be highly limited or not consumed at all

The Bible teaches:

3 You shall not eat any detestable thing. (Deuteronomy 14:3)

Many ultraprocessed foods contain GMOs and potentially toxic chemicals–hence many truly are detestable.

God’s word also says:

2 … Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good (Isaiah 55:2).

People should try to eat real, not artificial, foods. And if you take vitamins and minerals, take the type whose nutrients are 100% food (which is what I personally do).

In 2022, the Continuing Church of God put out the following sermon on its ContinuingCOG channel:

It is nice that some are warning about some of the evils affecting the food supply.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Christian Health Matters Should Christians be concerned about their health? Does the Bible give any food and health guidelines? Here are links to three related sermons: Let’s Talk About Food, Evil is Affecting the Food Supply, and Let’s Talk About Health.
American foods that gross out foreigners A study done in the Fall of 2014 found out which foods that non-USA Americans considered weird or gross that Americans eat. This video discusses those foods, ingredients in some of those foods, and warns against consuming ‘that which is not bread’ (Isaiah 55:2). Dr. Thiel also warns about synthetic vitamins and some of the issues associated with them. He also discusses something promoted by the late Seventh-day Adventist, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg.
The New Testament Church, History, and Unclean Meats Are foods considered to have been unclean in the Old Testament considered to be food in the New Testament? This article discusses this from the perspective of the New Testament. It also has a list of clean and unclean animals. It also answers the question, is pork healthy or is pork dangerous? There is also a sermon-length video on this: Christians and Unclean Meats; two short videos are also available: Did Jesus declare all animal flesh food? and COVID, Pandemics, and Unclean Meat.
Obesity, processed foods, health risks, and the Bible Does the Bible warn about the consequences of being obese? Is overeating dangerous? Is gluttony condemned? What diseases are associated with eating too much refined foods?
Eating Right, Eating Too Much, and Prophecy Are there disadvantages to being overweight? Is junk food really bad for you? Does the Bible discuss overeating and/or obesity? Is overeating having an effect on the US military? What are the ramifications of personal and national health for overeating? What should you eat? This is a sermonette-length YouTubevideo.
GMOs and Bible Prophecy What are GMOs? Since they were not in the food supply until 1994, how could they possibly relate to Bible prophecy? Do GMOs put the USA and others at risk? Here are some related videos: GMO Risks and the Bible and GMOs, Lab meat, Hydrogenation: Safe or Dangerous?
Chimeras: Has Science Crossed the Line? What are chimeras?  Has science crossed the line? Does the Bible give any clues? A video of related interest is Half human, half pig: What’s the difference?  and Human-Monkey Embryos and Death.
Ten Simple Rules that Lead to Health Herbert Armstrong gives his opinions on this.
Does God Heal Today? What does the Bible teach? Herbert Armstrong tries to explain this.
UK Study Supports Daniel Diet Daniel and his companions looked better eating more vegetables and avoiding strange meats. Has modern science confirmed this?
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.