I’ve had it with celebrities guilting customers with flawed details about ultra-processed meals (UPF) and their probably “killer” properties.
The most recent is UK bodily well being famous person Joe Wicks, who gained widespread fame throughout the Covid pandemic lockdowns, and is now set to launch an assault on the food and drinks manufacturing trade.
Wicks, together with UPF poster boy Chris van Tulleken, will take to the airwaves in a one-off Channel 4 documentary, Joe Wicks: Licensed to Kill, airing at 8pm on October 6.
Credit score the place it’s due, the title’s a hoot. However that’s the place my reward ends. As common, UPF is wrongly focused and conflated with junk meals. Particularly these excessive in fats, sugar and salt, reminiscent of crisps, sweets, biscuits and muffins.
However Wicks received’t goal these merchandise because the villains, although they usually are when consumed excessively. As a substitute, he’s set to demonise meals which have gained well being halos via social media influencers, particularly merchandise containing added protein.
“Protein has grow to be this factor that’s in all the pieces,” Wicks writes within the UK’s Standard newspaper.
The ‘killer’ substances in protein bars
Many of those merchandise containing added protein have additionally been dosed with chemical compounds, sweeteners, gums and emulsifiers, he states, like they’re poisons utilized by assassins in Victorian novels.
“It’s mainly all chemical compounds, simply powders. There’s no meals in it,” he says.
And to show a degree, Wicks is creating the “unhealthiest ultra-processed meals” he can conjure. Within the documentary, he’ll be making and advertising and marketing his Killer protein bar, full of 96 authorized substances, to “spotlight how laughable the entire trade is”.
Wicks claims it’s simple for the trade to place actually unhealthy substances into these bars and promote them as well being meals. Nevertheless, he’s to date solely highlighted an inventory of substances which were utilized in 1000’s of merchandise on grocery store cabinets for many years. These substances, repeatedly confirmed secure by trusted science, will not be inherently harmful and aren’t consumed within the exaggerated quantities he purports.
To play satan’s advocate, trade might do extra to coach customers on the precise well being properties of their merchandise and cease social influencers from celebrating them as, when it could be the case, wholesome alternate options to issues like chocolate bars.
And that is the problem that’s not being tackled by programmes like Wicks’. Most customers aren’t literate in meals diet, regardless of the mass of labelling techniques on packaging. They only don’t get it, however that’s not their fault.
Grocery store aisles the world over are filled with customers saying: “That’s low fats and that’s low sugar, so it’s wholesome for me.” And that isn’t at all times the case.
Additionally learn → What do consumers REALLY think about UPF? Exclusive insight
Regardless of widespread debate, client understanding of UPFs stays muddled. According to Lumina Intelligence, solely 35% of UK customers agree UPFs will be wholesome if achieved nicely and simply 27% see them as a part of a balanced weight loss plan, whereas over a 3rd are uncertain or impartial.
This confusion underscores the necessity for nuance within the UPF dialog, as 40% merely affiliate UPFs with being “unhealthy on your well being”, which isn’t at all times correct. In actuality, UPFs can play a constructive position: 76% of UK customers purchase meals with added advantages, reminiscent of protein, nutritional vitamins, or minerals – merchandise which might be usually processed however meet real dietary wants.
What’s the UPF resolution?
That is the place the issue lies and the place producers and folks like Wicks should do extra to assist customers higher perceive what they’re consuming.
Demonising substances as “nasty” or “harmful” UPFs isn’t the answer or it could have labored by now and stopped the overconsumption of junk meals.
Wicks says he doesn’t wish to ban the merchandise he’s set to vilify in his documentary. However his slapstick advertising and marketing of the present makes it fairly clear he believes the sector is a killer. If it truly is, then why joke about it?
He rightly factors out the UK – and lots of different international locations – is within the midst of an weight problems epidemic. However then he wrongly states the meals trade is hiding the well being and dietary properties of its merchandise behind advertising and marketing.
Within the UK, Europe and far of the world, substances, dietary values and sometimes visitors mild labels make it unattainable to cover the reality.
Whereas there are lots of secure and nutritionally balanced UPFs, some do contribute to poor well being outcomes when consumed excessively – particularly these excessive in fats, sugar and salt. The meals trade should additionally take duty for a way merchandise are marketed and perceived. Well being halos created by influencer partnerships and imprecise claims can mislead even well-intentioned customers.
There is no such thing as a query, the food and drinks sector should be extra accountable for its position within the rising weight problems disaster, together with growing schooling round its merchandise and their impacts. Nevertheless, there aren’t any winners in campaigns created to demonise entire industries and meals varieties. The secret is higher client schooling.
Wicks’ argument isn’t about ultra-processed meals, it’s about junk meals. However extra particularly, junk meals that cover behind a well being halo. And that’s one thing many within the trade want to see stamped out.
