Ultra-Processed Food: The Tragedy of the Biological Commons

Document Type : Viewpoint

Authors

1 Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland

2 School of Business, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

3 Irish Heart Foundation, Dublin, Ireland

4 School of Medicine, CMNHS, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland

5 Saolta University Health Care Group, Galway University Hospital, Galway, Ireland

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Full Text

Introduction

An important contributor to the rising global prevalence of obesity1 has been the widespread availability of cheap, unhealthy ultra-processed foods (UPFs). These are “formulations of ingredients, mostly of exclusive industrial use, typically created by a series of industrial techniques and processes.”2 UPFs are nutritionally inferior to unprocessed, minimally processed or processed foods, containing significantly higher proportions of free sugars, total and saturated fats, salt and energy density, and lower proportions of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals.3 ...(Read more...)

References

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History

  • Receive Date: 22 August 2022
  • Revise Date: 27 October 2022
  • Accept Date: 26 November 2022
  • First Publish Date: 27 November 2022

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