Ultra-processed foods: A new frontier for investors in food businesses?

Ultra processed foods (UPF) have seized the public’s attention lately in way few other food categorisation systems have.

High consumption of UPFs is consistently associated with an increased risk of negative health outcomes and in the UK, 56% of calories consumed are from UPF foods.

Yet the debate about the concept of ultra-processing has highlighted the almost complete absence of clear government and business policy and strategy for promoting and supporting the role of healthy, minimally processed whole foods in diets.

This briefing seeks to outline the UK context in terms of UPF consumption and policymaking, highlight the contested areas of debate around UPFs, explore corporate exposure to UPFs, and provide some guidance for investors in food businesses whose portfolios are exposed to UPFs.