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Ultra-processed foods are made industrially by breaking down whole foods into components like sugars, proteins, starches, and fibre.
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The Economist
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For millennia, people have altered food to please their palates. More than 3,000 years ago, Mesoamericans, living in what is Mexico and Central America today, cooked corn kernels in a solution of wood ash or limestone. The process, known as nixtamalisation, unlocked nutrients and softened the tough outer shells of the corn, making them easier to grind.
With the invention of canned goods and pasteurisation in the 19th century, alchemy became possible on an industrial scale. Processing innovations made food cheaper, more convenient and plentiful. According to the UN, the average daily food intake of a person in upper- and middle-income countries increased by about 40 per cent between 1975 and 2021, to 3,300 kilocalories. In that time, obesity rates have more than tripled; today, nearly one in three people globally is either obese or overweight.
