I would like to underline the importance to consider ultra-processing of foods in this consultation. Indeed, ultra-processed foods can be considered as a holistic indicator of the food system degradation. Behind these foods massively consumed worldwide we can find chronic disease development, animal suffering, environment destruction (pollution, climatic changes and loss of biodiversity), impoverishment of small farmers, destruction of social life and culinary traditions and heritage. In other words the more worlwide population will consume these products the most all these dimensions of food system sustainability will be degrade. These foods are industrial formulation containing ultra-processed ingredients and/or cosmetic additives (coloring, texturing agents and flavor/taste exhausters) to restaure, imitate or exacerbate color, taste and texture. These are either artifical matrices (fake foods) or industrial dishes with cosmetic agents. In addition they are often enriched with salt, sugar and fat rendering them addictive. Through their standardized formulations - using widespread standardized ingredients originating from cracking of very few monocultures (intensive) - they tends to degrade environment, to substitute to real foods and traditional dishes exploding social life (because they often adress people living alone, in travel or in front of screens). Therefore, for all these reasons I think such a category of food should be taken in consideration very seriously from a scientific point of view; all the more that the first studies published have reported increased risks of obesity, diabetes, adiposity, weight gain, hypertension, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, total and breast cancers in population regularly consuming ultra-processed foods. Through these products we, in the same time, adress food system sustainability, and food and nutriton security.
Dr. Erin Milner
I would like to underline the importance to consider ultra-processing of foods in this consultation. Indeed, ultra-processed foods can be considered as a holistic indicator of the food system degradation. Behind these foods massively consumed worldwide we can find chronic disease development, animal suffering, environment destruction (pollution, climatic changes and loss of biodiversity), impoverishment of small farmers, destruction of social life and culinary traditions and heritage. In other words the more worlwide population will consume these products the most all these dimensions of food system sustainability will be degrade. These foods are industrial formulation containing ultra-processed ingredients and/or cosmetic additives (coloring, texturing agents and flavor/taste exhausters) to restaure, imitate or exacerbate color, taste and texture. These are either artifical matrices (fake foods) or industrial dishes with cosmetic agents. In addition they are often enriched with salt, sugar and fat rendering them addictive. Through their standardized formulations - using widespread standardized ingredients originating from cracking of very few monocultures (intensive) - they tends to degrade environment, to substitute to real foods and traditional dishes exploding social life (because they often adress people living alone, in travel or in front of screens). Therefore, for all these reasons I think such a category of food should be taken in consideration very seriously from a scientific point of view; all the more that the first studies published have reported increased risks of obesity, diabetes, adiposity, weight gain, hypertension, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, total and breast cancers in population regularly consuming ultra-processed foods. Through these products we, in the same time, adress food system sustainability, and food and nutriton security.