Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) now account for nearly half of the average Australian's diet, with the country falling behind international best practice on nutrition, according to a new series published in The Lancet medical journal. The report finds that Australia, alongside the USA and the UK, has some of the highest consumption rates of UPFs, which make up more than half of daily calorie intake and have become a central part of dietary patterns for most of the population.
The Lancet series describes UPFs as a key driver of the escalating global burden of multiple diet-related chronic diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. The findings are based on analysis of over 100 studies. The report calls for urgent, coordinated public policies and collective actions to address the growing impacts of UPFs, which are produced using new technologies that chemically modify components and add additives to create highly palatable, ready-to-consume products.
Professor Mark Lawrence, a co-author from Deakin University, warned that Australia lacks a national food and nutrition policy, with no such framework since 1992. He criticised the health department's healthy food partnership and the health star rating system as counterproductive, noting that food manufacturers influenced the system to allow ultra-processed alternatives to earn high ratings. Lawrence pointed to Brazil's policy requiring 90% of foods in public school lunches to be unprocessed or minimally processed as a gold standard.
The report also highlights that Australia has the world's highest rates of bowel cancer in people under 50, and recent research suggests UPFs may be linked to precursors of the disease. Dr Priscila Machado, another co-author from Deakin University, said more research is needed on this link. The authors call for policies to support the availability and affordability of fresh and minimally processed foods, and to address socioeconomic and gender inequalities driving demand for UPFs.
A spokesperson for Assistant Minister for Health Rebecca White said Australia's 2013 dietary guidelines are under review, including a systematic review of UPF consumption and its impact on mortality and chronic disease risk.
