Are Ultra-Processed Foods Always Harmful? | Letters

Health
By Liam

I read Rachel Dixon’s piece (‘Avoid ingredients you don’t know about’: 25 of the healthiest processed foods you can buy in the UK, July 31) with an ironic smile that segued seamlessly into irritation.

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are causing health damage on a massive scale. Cheap, high-carb, sugary, over-packaged foods are targeted at the poorest sections of society who cannot afford £4.50 for a fancy salade niçoise or a litre of flavoured water in fancy cans.

The Guardian is not helping by pointing Waitrose customers to overpriced hummus or falafel, or expensive ice cream. That is not going to solve the diabetes crisis in deprived neighbourhoods.
Laurence N Mann
Twickenham, London

I feel that Rachel Dixon’s article missed an opportunity to educate readers about UPFs. We’ve been told they pose health risks – so what is a UPF? Is it a food made from certain ingredients, the way the food is produced (i.e. processed), or a combination of both? I’ve never liked cooking, and with convenience foods I’m more than happy to let someone else do it so I can enjoy the time I save doing something else. So when does a “convenience food” become a UPF?
Helen Grist
Honingbourne, Worcestershire

Doesn’t the article show that it all comes down to cost? A lot of what you show is Waitrose or expensive high end food. It’s one thing to pay £1.15 for a 40g bag of Tyrell’s crisps, while a 22 pack of 25g Sainsbury’s crisps costs £3.65. The article you should have written would show how people on a budget can afford to eat healthily. Why does the food industry put so much value on healthy products? Pay or die is the question.
Niklas Grundström
East Preston, West Sussex
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