Statement from the International Food & Beverage Alliance on the AJPH Survey and Policy Proposals Related to “Ultra-Processed Foods”
Attributable to Rocco Renaldi, Secretary General, International Food & Beverage Alliance (IFBA)
Comparisons between food to tobacco and efforts to apply tobacco-style regulatory models to food oversimplifies complex nutrition challenges and undermines constructive efforts to improve public health. Tobacco is inherently harmful and unsafe at any level of use. Food is essential to life, and many foods that are frequently categorized as “ultra-processed” – including whole grain breads, fortified cereals, yogurts, infant formula, and shelf-stable foods – play an important role in providing safe, affordable, nutritious, and accessible diets for billions of people around the world.
Consumer concerns about health and nutrition are important, and they deserve clear, evidence-based answers. Public opinion research can offer useful insight into those concerns, but it should not be mistaken for scientific consensus on nutrition or public health policy. The survey itself shows that while many Americans have heard the term “ultra-processed foods,” only about one-third feel confident explaining what it means. That reinforces the need for clear, evidence-based communication rather than broad claims that treat an inconsistently defined category of foods as though they are all the same.
There is no scientific consensus that foods classified as “ultra-processed” are addictive in the same pharmacological sense as tobacco, nor is there agreement that food processing itself is an appropriate measure of a food’s healthfulness. Public health policy should be guided by the totality of evidence and focused on improving diet quality and nutrition outcomes.
What is clear is that meaningful public health progress depends on practical, science-based measures that improve diet quality and nutrition outcomes: improving the nutritional quality of foods, supporting clear and transparent information for consumers, expanding access to safe, nutritious, and affordable diets, and encouraging continued innovation across the food system. These are the areas where the International Food and Beverage Alliance (IFBA) and its members are focused – advancing evidence-based nutrition solutions that support consumer choice, not one-size-fits-all analogies that blur important scientific distinctions.
We remain committed to working with policymakers, public health experts, researchers, and other stakeholders to advance practical solutions that improve health outcomes worldwide.