Adherence
Public health reformulation of ultra-processed foods (UPF) fails to reduce population-level health harms because industry growth strategies (combatition, swotification, fashion spiral, demand-pumping) drive aggregate UPF consumption upward, negating individual product improvements.
Do not rely on 'reformulated' or 'light' UPFs as a health strategy. The food industry uses reformulation to maintain growth and market share, often increasing total consumption through strategies like smaller, more frequent portions ('portion paradoxes') and novelty marketing. To improve health, the most effective intervention is reducing the overall availability and consumption of the UPF category, not just tweaking its ingredients.
Our findings show that, while public health policies result in individual products becoming more ‘healthy’, these benefits are likely to dwarfed by the aggregate (overall) growth of the UPF category itself.
Why this rating
Based on longitudinal qualitative analysis of trade journals (industry discourse), not clinical or epidemiological outcome data.
Source
Food industry degrowth as a public health strategy: the case of ultra processed baked goods
Norah Campbell et al. · Globalization and Health · 2025
DOI 10.1186/s12992-025-01178-5
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