To increase understanding of what food processing entails and how it affects nutritional content, Cecilia Nälsén from Örebro University has compiled a literature review on the subject along with other researchers in food science and nutrition. The report is called Processade livsmedel (Processed Foods) and includes everything from various food processes to how these affect nutrient content and our health, and the structure of the current classification system.
Ultra-processed foods is a term that does not have a fixed definition.

Ultra-processed foods is a term that does not have a fixed definition.

However, researchers have created different models that classify foods based on the degree of processing. The best known one is the NOVA system from 2009, which was created by two nutrition researchers in Brazil with the aim of helping consumers choose food that is nutrient-dense but has limited calories. “It is easy to understand the purpose of the classifications, but unfortunately they often don’t achieve their goal. The degree of processing is a very inexact concept, nor do we need advanced systems to understand why we should eat limited amounts of ‘capacity food’, which is food with low nutrient density and high calorie content,” says Cecilia Nälsén, editor-in-chief of the Nutritionsfakta portal.

Instead of talking about processing as a problem, I believe it is better to state the problem more precisely...

“Instead of talking about processing as a problem, I believe it is better to state the problem more precisely, that much of the food we now eat is poor in both nutrients and fibre and contains too many calories and too much salt.” Nälsén believes that we must make it easier for consumers to make good choices. “But they don’t get this help from the concept of ultra-processed, because it includes such a wide range of foods that the result is more confusing than helpful. For example, the NOVA classification means that industrially baked wholegrain bread is defined as ultra-processed.” In our report, we try to highlight the potential positives with advanced technologies and processes. Although Nälsén is critical of the concept of ultra-processed food, she believes that the health effects that are associated with processing should be highlighted. It is important to state that both healthy and less healthy food can be prepared from scratch, just as it is possible to choose healthy and less healthy readymade food,” she says.

Text: Per Westergård
Photo: Ulla-Carin Ekblom