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