A series of studies published in The Lancet this week adds to the growing evidence: Ultra-processed foods are not good for you.
Researchers have tied them to chronic diseases, like obesity, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. And they argue consumers and policymakers must take action to curb consumption — even as Canadians buy and consume more amounts of the foods.
But there are real barriers to making sure Canadians are able to access and choose healthier options, like whole foods and fresh produce, say researchers, as well as those who work with food-insecure populations.
For one, ultra-processed foods tend to be cheaper. According to one American study, published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition, ultra-processed food costs about 55 cents per 100 calories, while unprocessed foods cost almost triple that for the same caloric value.
They’re also easier to prepare and shelf-stable; that’s helpful, especially for those who are short on time, or who may not have the tools and space to prepare fresh foods.
And there’s data that appears to show Canadians reach for ultra-processed food when they’re short on time. A recent Statistics Canada study analyzing where Canadians ate ultra-processed foods found that Canadians widely ate ready-to-eat foods at breakfast, when they’re often pressed for time.
Kitty Raman Costa knows this well. She runs the Parkdale Community Food Bank in Toronto. Even though her food bank offers fresh produce along with ready-to-eat items, she says many reach for the ultra-processed options because they feel they have no other choice.
“They’re not just more convenient — they’re the only option for people, depending on their circumstances,” she said.
That includes people who live with disabilities or chronic diseases, who have challenges preparing food, Raman Costa said. And those who have inadequate housing also face barriers to accessing healthy food.
“Oftentimes, they don’t have access to a proper kitchen to store and safely prepare fresh food,” she said.
Access to proper and safe housing, which includes a kitchen and proper refrigeration access would help those she serves choose healthier options.
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Another barrier, Raman Costa said, is that some people aren’t sure what to do with some of the changing ingredients on offer at a food bank — like rutabagas.
Skills training for cooking would help reduce that barrier, which is why she says her food bank offers cooking workshops and has created a community cookbook featuring ingredients commonly found at the food bank.
Using cookbooks to improve food literacy is a great strategy, according to experts like David Ma, a professor in the department of human health sciences at the University of Guelph.
“Food literacy in Canada is low,” Ma said, and the fact that Canadians eat too much ultra-processed food is proof.
“We need to do a better job in terms of nutrition literacy and food skills,” he said.
That includes public education — so people know exactly what an ultra-processed food is, as well as teaching children basic cooking skills early.
“Simply understanding how to hold a knife and chop up vegetables; that’s a simple food skill that some families and children do not have,” said Ma, who heads the Guelph Family Health study, which is following hundreds of Ontario families and their diet and lifestyle choices.
His program also offers a series of cookbooks, designed to help busy young families make healthy food from scratch at home.
Eating at home does usually mean people eat less ultra-processed foods, according to the Statistics Canada report, which analyzed survey data from 2015.
But, researchers suggest, even home-cooked meals aren’t immune from unhealthy foods: More than 40 per cent of energy from food consumed at home still came from ultra-processed foods, the report found.
These kinds of foods are everywhere in our food supply — and that might contribute to the problem, the researchers said.
In other parts of the world, like Brazil, governments are trying to tackle the rise of ultra-processed foods in schools. Ninety per cent of the food served in that nation’s free school lunch program must be minimally processed, with much of the produce coming from local farmers.
Canadian nutrition expert Jean Claude Moubarac, helped design the program. Now, the Université de Montréal professor hopes Canada might learn from it — and try to implement a program with similar principles.
“I think we should replicate the spirit of the program, which is to try and re-evaluate the quality of the food that we are offering to our children,” said Moubarac, who is also a co-author of two of the studies published in The Lancet this week.
Other countries, like Mexico, Brazil and Chile, have also restricted marketing of unhealthy foods, especially for children, Moubarac said. Others still have beefed up their food-labelling requirements, to make it easier for people to identify ultra-processed foods.
“We need to try to have a way to bring back the power so we can change our food system by devising creative policies that address our needs,” he said.
Countries like France, Brazil and Mexico are at the forefront of limiting the consumption of ultra-processed foods, Moubarac said, noting he would like to see Canada join their efforts.
“We have a great opportunity to address the chronic diseases that we’re facing in this country by changing the food system,” he said. “We can’t just be the last country to do so.”
