General FAQ
Ultraprocessed Foods 101
Ultraprocessing is categorically different from other kinds of processing.
Less intensive processing techniques — washing, cooking, fermenting, grinding, pasteurization — can enhance food safety, extend shelf life, make food easier to prepare or improve digestibility. Many of these techniques have been in use for thousands of years, evolving in tandem with our ability to digest them.1
Ultraprocessed foods, or UPFs, are a different matter. UPFs are generally made from refined components that have been stripped of nutrition, then reassembled using specialized industrial methods such as hydrogenation, interesterification and precision fermentation. Additives, such as colors, flavors, emulsifiers and texturizers, make these products hyperpalatable, triggering overconsumption and, in some cases, addictive behaviors. Ultraprocessing is relatively new, becoming widespread during the 20th century — concurrent with a dramatic rise in diet-related disease.
UPFs are very common, making up more than 50% of the daily caloric intake in most Western countries.2 Among young people, that percentage is even higher: ultraprocessed foods account for 67% of the foods consumed by children in the US.3
UPFs are now linked to a wide range of adverse health outcomes.4,5,6 Diets high in ultraprocessed food contribute to chronic diseases including heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.7,8,9,10 UPFs can also promote chronic inflammation and disrupt hormone function, contributing to infertility, autoimmune disorders, digestive issues and sleep disturbance.11,12,13,14,15
UPFs can disrupt the gut-brain axis — the biological link between digestion and mood — leading to compromised stress response, mood swings and cognitive decline. Ultraprocessed foods are associated with mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression and other neuropsychiatric conditions.16,17,18,19
Research shows that consumption of ultraprocessed food can literally alter brain structure and function, shrinking the hippocampus (our center of learning and memory) and disrupting neural pathways.20,21 UPFs have been linked to declining cognitive and executive function and accelerated brain aging.22 These effects are particularly concerning for children and adolescents, whose developing brains are especially vulnerable.
They can be. Many foods marketed as healthy — sugar-free or fat-free products, protein bars, plant-based alternatives — can still be ultraprocessed, and it's difficult to tell from the ingredient list alone. Marketing terms like “whole grain” or “no artificial flavors” don’t capture the full picture of how processed a food really is. That’s precisely the gap Non-UPF Verified is designed to close.
Many shoppers say they try to avoid ultraprocessed foods, but still struggle to consistently identify them. Marketing language and unregulated front-of-pack claims like “natural” or “clean” muddy the waters, and ingredient lists don’t reveal how a product was made. The Non-UPF Verified laNon-UPF Verified is an independent certification and labeling program that helps shoppers and eaters identify products that are not ultraprocessed. Launched by the Non-GMO Project, this program is built on a simple belief: people deserve access to real food.
Every Non-UPF Verified product has been evaluated by a third-party Technical Administrator, who assesses ingredient composition, processing intensity and whole product formulation. When you see the mark, you can trust that independent, rigorous review backs it up, not a self-made claim.
1 Andrews P, Johnson RJ (London University College, London, UK; University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA). Evolutionary basis for the human diet: consequences for human health (Review-Symposium). J Intern Med 2020; 287: 226–237, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joim.13011.
2 Eurídice Martínez Steele, Lauren E. O’Connor, Filippa Juul, Neha Khandpur, Larissa Galastri Baraldi, Carlos A. Monteiro, Niyati Parekh, Kirsten A. Herrick, Identifying and Estimating Ultraprocessed Food Intake in the US NHANES According to the Nova Classification System of Food Processing, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 153, Issue 1, 2023, Pages 225-241, ISSN 0022-3166, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2022.09.001.
3 Wang L, Martínez Steele E, Du M, et al. Trends in Consumption of Ultraprocessed Foods Among US Youths Aged 2-19 Years, 1999-2018. JAMA. 2021;326(6):519–530, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2782866.
4 Lane M M, Gamage E, Du S, Ashtree D N, McGuinness A J, Gauci S et al. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses BMJ 2024; 384, https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-077310.
5 Yuan L, Hu H, Li T, Zhang J, Feng Y, Yang X, Li Y, Wu Y, Li X, Huang H, Hu F, Chen C, Zhang M, Zhao Y, Hu D. Dose-response meta-analysis of ultra-processed food with the risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality: evidence from prospective cohort studies. Food Funct. 2023 Mar 20;14(6):2586-2596, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36866803/.
6 Monteiro, Carlos A et al., Ultra-processed foods and human health: the main thesis and the evidence, The Lancet, Volume 0, Issue 0, https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01565-X/abstract.
7 Yuan L, Hu H, Li T, Zhang J, Feng Y, Yang X, Li Y, Wu Y, Li X, Huang H, Hu F, Chen C, Zhang M, Zhao Y, Hu D. Dose-response meta-analysis of ultra-processed food with the risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality: evidence from prospective cohort studies. Food Funct. 2023 Mar 20;14(6):2586-2596, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36866803/.
8 Hall, Kevin D. et al., Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake, Cell Metabolism, Volume 30, Issue 1, 67 - 77.e3, https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(19)30248-7.
9 Moradi S, Entezari MH, Mohammadi H, Jayedi A, Lazaridi AV, Kermani MAH, Miraghajani M. Ultra-processed food consumption and adult obesity risk: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2023;63(2):249-260, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34190668/.
10 Chen Z, Khandpur N, Desjardins C, Wang L, Monteiro CA, Rossato SL, Fung TT, Manson JE, Willett WC, Rimm EB, Hu FB, Sun Q, Drouin-Chartier JP. Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Three Large Prospective U.S. Cohort Studies. Diabetes Care. 2023 Jul 1;46(7):1335-1344, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36854188/.
11 Konjar Špela et al., Systems biology to unravel Western diet-associated triggers in inflammatory bowel disease, Frontiers in Immunology, Volume 16 - 2025, https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1621334.
12 Jessica M. Preston et al., Effect of ultra-processed food consumption on male reproductive and metabolic health, Cell Metabolism, Volume 37, Issue 10, 2025, Pages 1950-1960.e2, ISSN 1550-4131, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550413125003602.
13 Narula, Neeraj et al., Ultraprocessed Grains and Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Results From the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology Study. The American Journal of Gastroenterology ():10.14309/ajg.0000000000003700, August 04, 2025, https://journals.lww.com/ajg/abstract/9900/ultra_processed_grains_and_risk_of_inflammatory.1880.aspx.
14 Delpino FM, et al., Intake of ultra-processed foods and sleep-related outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrition. 2023 Feb;106:111908, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36470114/.
15 Mannino, A., Daly, A., Dunlop, E. et al. Higher consumption of ultra-processed foods and increased likelihood of central nervous system demyelination in a case-control study of Australian adults. Eur J Clin Nutr 77, 611–614 (2023), https://www.nature.com/articles/s41430-023-01271-1.
16 BMJ repeat — Lane M M, Gamage E, Du S, Ashtree D N, McGuinness A J, Gauci S et al. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses BMJ 2024; 384, https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-077310.
17 Roger A.H. Adan et al., Nutritional psychiatry: Towards improving mental health by what you eat, European Neuropsychopharmacology, Volume 29, Issue 12, 2019, Pages 1321-1332, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924977X19317237#sec0006.
18 Hecht EM, Rabil A, Martinez Steele E, Abrams GA, Ware D, Landy DC, Hennekens CH. Cross-sectional examination of ultra-processed food consumption and adverse mental health symptoms. Public Health Nutr. 2022 Nov;25(11):3225-3234, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35899785/.
19 Jacka FN, Pasco JA, Mykletun A, Williams LJ, Hodge AM, O'Reilly SL, Nicholson GC, Kotowicz MA, Berk M. Association of Western and traditional diets with depression and anxiety in women. Am J Psychiatry. 2010 Mar;167(3):305-11, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20048020/.
20 Morys, F., Kanyamibwa, A., Fängström, D. et al. Ultra-processed food consumption affects structural integrity of feeding-related brain regions independent of and via adiposity. npj Metab Health Dis 3, 13 (2025), https://www.nature.com/articles/s44324-025-00056-3.
21 Attuquayefio T, Stevenson RJ, Oaten MJ, Francis HM (2017) A four-day Western-style dietary intervention causes reductions in hippocampal-dependent learning and memory and interoceptive sensitivity. PLoS ONE 12(2): e0172645, https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0172645.
22 Gomes Gonçalves N, Vidal Ferreira N, Khandpur N, et al. Association Between Consumption of Ultraprocessed Foods and Cognitive Decline. JAMA Neurol. 2023;80(2):142–150, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2799140.
