Poor diet remains one of the most pressing public health challenges in the UK, with the increasing consumption of ultra processed food (UPFs) a significant contributor to the rising levels of obesity and diet-related illness. The British Medical Association, (BMA) has published a new report, ‘Improving the nation’s diet: the impact of ultra-processed food’, in which it examines the consequences of harmful dietary patterns and renews its calls for Government action to improve the UK’s food environment.
Not only are recommended levels of calories, fat, salt and sugar frequently exceeded, but the UK is second only to the USA as one of the world’s largest consumers of UPFs, with approximately 56% of daily energy intake coming from these products. Diets high in UPFs are associated with poor liver health, depression, cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular disease, increased risk of COVID-19 infection, higher risk of dementia, chronic kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease, type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer, risk of frailty and eating disorders.
Children and young people are particularly affected, with estimates suggesting that around two-thirds of UK adolescents’ daily energy intake comes from UPFs.
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The BMA report highlights that the issue of poor diet is not only a matter of individual choice, since the food environment is heavily shaped by industry practices and lack of accountability for promoting nutritional quality. There is also an issue around accessibility and affordability of healthier options.
The BMA insists that progress on food policy must not stall, and that existing and proposed regulation will only improve the health of the population if they are implemented in full, without delay and not weakened through voluntary industry approaches.
Government must continue to address the poor food environment of this country, including considerations around the inclusion of processing levels in UK regulation. The BMA is calling UK Government to:
• Implement effective food regulation without further delay
• Strengthen industry accountability and reduce undue industry influence
• Reduce children and young people’s exposure to and consumption of UPFs
• Improve access to and affordability of healthy food
• Invest in high-quality research on UPFs to inform future policy design
• Improve public understanding of healthy diets and the role of food processing.
