And that’s not all… 66 percent fear the next generation will ‘suffer poorer health’ as a result of eating too much ultra-processed food. A recent survey of 2,000 UK adults on UPFs yielded these and other shocking results showing a high level of awareness…
The Mortar Research survey was carried our earlier this month. Commissioned by UK cookware retailer Lakeland, the survey was designed to profile Brits’ feelings about UPFs. And the changes awareness of processed food’s dangers are making in their lives…
UK UPF sales staggering
At the latest tally, the UK and US led the list of countries with high levels of UPFs in their diets. UPFs make up moe than 50 per cent of what the average person in both realms eats every day.
By comparison, UPF consumption remains below 25 percent in countries such as Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Portugal and across Asia.
The numbers
They’re shocking. But that only proves UK adults are surprisingly aware of the dangers of UPFs. And they’re not just sitting around doing nothing about the situation.
The key findings of the Mortar survey include:
- 59 percent of adults believe UPFs are ‘impossible to avoid’ when shopping on a budget
- 66 percent are worried about their effects on public health
- 68 percent believe the Government should do more to protect people from them.
- 66 percent also think supermarkets should take more responsibility for the UPFs they sell
- 77 percent want clear warning labels on food containing ultra-processed ingredients, and
- 74 percent say children should be taught at school about the dangers of UPFs and the importance of home cooking.
Healthy trends in the offing
Among healthy trends identified by the survey:
- 31 percent have been cooking from scratch more in the last year, with 35 percent more in the last two years, and 44 percent in the last five years.
- 19 percent are cooking from scratch more regularly to avoid UPFs, while 25 percent are doing so to save money, and 26 percent for other health benefits.
Not without bad news
The survey also spotlighted some negative findings:
- 44 percent said they do not have time to cook from scratch
- 16 percent believe cooking at home is too complicated, and
- 19 percent think think it would cost too much.
My take
My biggest concern among the survey’s findings was that 24 percent of UK adults don’t know how to tell UPFs from healthier foods at the supermarket.
No matter how ardent you may be to reduce avoid UPFs, you have to be able to tell them apart from the healthier foods. The awareness is there. Stepped up public education about what UPFs are is the next giant step toward a healthier world…
~ Maggie J.