Is the war on ultra-processed foods justified?

Ultra-processed food is back under the spotlight. ‘In the last decade, the evidence has been slowly growing that ultra-processed food is harmful for us in ways we hadn’t thought. We’re talking about a whole variety of cancers, heart disease, strokes, dementia,’ Tim Spector, a professor of epidemiology at King’s College London, told a recent BBC Panorama documentary.

Calls for a crackdown are growing: Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins says a ban is ‘common sense’. The idea sounds appealing: outlawing the sale of foods that some people believe are the main reason for obesity, type 2 diabetes and other disease would clearly have an impact – although not necessarily the one intended. Banning infant formula, classed as ultra-processed food, would clearly endanger many lives. And there will be many other unintended consequences, such as rising food costs.