A health expert has said 'ultra-processed' foods (UPF) should face 'heavy taxation' and suggested that the revenue from this be used to subsidise fresh produce. This comes amid calls for tobacco-style warning signs on product packets and for a total ban on UPF advertisements. UPFs such as ready meals, fizzy drinks, ice cream and processed meals tend to be higher in fat, saturated fat and sugar while lower in fibre, protein and micronutrients.
Calls have been made to treat ultra-processed foods like tobacco products (Image: Getty) Professor Carlos Monteiro, of the University of Sao Paulo, is set to discuss the hazards these present at the International Congress on Obesity in Brazil. He said: “Sales of UPFs in schools and health facilities should be banned, and there should be heavy taxation of UPFs with the revenue generated used to subsidise fresh foods." He also suggested that public health campaigns be used to inform consumers of the dangers presented in Ultra-processed food products.
He added: “Both tobacco and UPFs cause numerous serious illnesses and premature mortality; both are produced by transnational corporations that invest the enormous profits they obtain with their attractive/addictive products in aggressive marketing strategies, and in lobbying against regulation; and both are pathogenic (dangerous) by design, so reformulation is not a solution." However, medics argued that comparing UPFs to tobacco or cigarettes is “very simplistic”. Dr Hilda Mulrooney,.
