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The Ultra-Processed Food Crisis
Health & Mind

The Ultra-Processed Food Crisis

How Industrial Food Processing Is Making Us Sick — and What the Science Actually Shows

Laura Martinez

Nutritional epidemiologist at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, studying the health effects of ultra-processed foods and food policy interventions.

February 24, 2026·10 min read

The Ultra-Processed Food Crisis

Ultra-processed foods — industrial formulations containing ingredients rarely used in home cooking — now account for more than 60% of calories consumed in the United States. Research is accumulating that these foods are associated with obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, and even cancer. But the mechanisms are still being debated.

TOPICS
nutritionultra-processed foodhealthdietfood policy
FURTHER READING
BMJ: Ultra-processed Foods
BMJ
Harvard T.H. Chan: Processed Foods
Harvard Chan
FAO: Food Classification
FAO
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