With a lot of talk going around about the state of obesity in America, we started to wonder; how are other countries fairing?
Well, according to research by global nutrition experts, one region is experiencing a influx of “ultra-processed” products that make up almost half of all family food purchases.
Ouch.
They’re talking about the UK Region. Made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Norther Ireland, the culinary culture hasn’t always been centered around healthy eating. According to the research, “real food” has been replaced by salty snacks and sugary cereals, ready-meals and reconstituted meals accompanied by high sugar soft drinks.
The study looked at 19 different European countries and found that UK families are buying more ultra-processed foods than any other in Europe. Amounting to 50.7% of the diet, with Germany coming a close second at 46.2% and Ireland at 45.9%.
Professor Carlos Monteiro, who led the research team, expressed his deep concern regarding the links between ultra-processed food and obesity or poor health. Products like fruit loops don’t actually contain any fruit and are sometimes up to 50% sugar. Clearly there is no nutritional balance or offering inside a product such as that.
The bigger problem is that the majority of these foods are marketed to and for children. This creates an issue with lack of education for the children, and malnutrition as the child develops. The combination of both will only contribute to a growing obesity epidemic and an uneducated population poorly prepared for adulthood.
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