Ultra-Processed Foods: What You Need to Know
Whether you're doing the weekly supermarket shop, deciding what to pack in the kids' lunchboxes, or planning easy midweek dinners, food labels can often feel overwhelming. From long ingredient lists to unfamiliar additives and complicated nutrition panels, it's not always easy to understand exactly what you're eating. That's one reason why ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have become such a hot topic. More people are starting to ask where their food comes from, how it's made, and whether choosing foods that are closer to their natural state could benefit their overall wellbeing. Understanding the difference between processed and ultra-processed foods is a great place to start.
What Are Ultra-Processed Foods?
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have become a major talking point in the UK as more people pay attention to ingredient lists and how their food is made. While most foods go through some level of processing before reaching our kitchens, ultra-processed foods sit at the far end of the spectrum.
UPFs are typically manufactured using industrial processes and contain ingredients that wouldn't normally be used in home cooking. These can include artificial sweeteners, flavourings, colourings, preservatives, emulsifiers, stabilisers, and other additives designed to improve taste, texture, shelf life, or appearance.
Examples of ultra-processed foods include:
- Flavoured soft drinks
- Packaged biscuits and cakes
- Confectionery and sweets
- Instant noodles
- Chips and packaged snacks
- Processed meats such as some sausages, bacon, ham and salami
- Mass-produced breakfast cereals
- Ready meals and frozen convenience foods
The more a food has been altered from its original state and the more additives it contains, the more likely it is to fall into the ultra-processed category.
Why Are People Concerned About UPFs?
Recent research has linked diets high in ultra-processed foods with an increased risk of obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic health conditions. While researchers are still investigating exactly why this relationship exists, one factor is that many UPFs are designed to be highly palatable, making them easy to consume in large quantities.
Ultra-processed foods can also be higher in refined sugars, unhealthy fats, and sodium while containing fewer naturally occurring nutrients. This doesn't mean you need to avoid every processed food, but many health experts recommend focusing on whole and minimally processed foods where possible.
Understanding the Processing Spectrum
Food processing exists on a spectrum, and it's important not to group all processed foods together.
At one end are ultra-processed products, such as artificial sweeteners, diet soft drinks, confectionery, and highly manufactured snack foods. These products often contain multiple ingredients and additives that are far removed from their original source.
In the middle are processed foods. These foods have been altered from their natural state but generally contain fewer ingredients. Examples include refined sugar, cheese, canned vegetables, bread, and olive oil. Refined sugar, for example, is processed because it has been extracted and refined from sugar cane or sugar beet, but it is not generally classified as an ultra-processed food.
At the other end of the spectrum are minimally processed foods. These foods remain close to their natural form and undergo only the processing necessary to make them safe or suitable to eat.
Where Does Steens® Raw Mānuka Honey Fit?
Steens® Raw Mānuka Honey is a minimally processed whole food. Our honey is harvested from New Zealand hives, gently extracted, and packed without artificial ingredients, preservatives, flavourings, colours, or sweeteners.
Unlike many manufactured sweeteners and honey, Steens® Mānuka honey retains naturally occurring compounds found in the hive, including antioxidants, bee bread, and bee pollen thanks to our unique Crushed Wholecomb™ process which crushes the entire honeycomb and only removes the beeswax. Steens® Raw Manuka Honey is the ONLY Manuka Honey to extract and pack this way.
For those looking to reduce their intake of ultra-processed foods, Steens® Mānuka honey can be a natural alternative when sweetening tea, coffee, smoothies, baking, breakfast bowls, and everyday recipes. It's a simple way to choose a food that remains closer to its natural source while still adding delicious sweetness to your day.
While research into ultra-processed foods continues to evolve, many health experts agree that focusing on whole and minimally processed foods more often is a positive step. Rather than aiming for perfection, small everyday swaps can add up over time. Choosing foods that remain close to their natural state, such as Steens® Mānuka honey, can help you build habits that feel both realistic and sustainable.
