HFSS foods and UPFs highly overlap, British study finds
31 March 2025
Over half of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) consumed in the UK are also foods high in fat, salt, and sugar — either measured by food type or amount of calories —, according to a study by the universities of Cambridge and Newcastle, published in the British Medical Journal.
Researchers studied the diets of different samples totaling 15,655 people, for 11 years from 2008 to 2019. They concluded that 55.6% of UPF foods were also HFSS, and 58.7% of energy intake from UPFs was HFSS, too. Over one third of all foods eaten by people in the sample were HFSS foods and another third were UPFs and over half of the energy intake came from either type of foods.
UPFs and HFSS foods are linked to negative health impacts and lead to increases in the risk of developing non-communicable diseases including cancer.
The aim of the study was to detect a potential need for additional policies covering UPFs, to complement the existing legislation on HFSS foods.
The study also found that extending the HFSS definition to include non-nutritive sweeteners, flavourings, colours and additives would capture nearly 100% of UPFs.
