Food Processing Flashcards
What is food processing?
Processed food generally describes any food that has been altered from its natural state
Why is food processing important?
It’s integral to providing safe, edible and nutritious foods to the pop.
- useful for increasing shelf life of foods, optimising nutrients availability + food quality as well as to reduce losses + waste
- around 75% of food sales globally are processed to some degree
What are the key benefits of food processing (just list)
- Preservation
- Food safety
- Variety
- Convenience
- Nutrition
How is preservation done and why is it a benefit of food processing?
Via pasteurisation (treated with mild heat to eliminate pathogens + extend shelf-life), pickling or canning + salting
- distributors can ship products over greater distances
- retailers can stock products for longer
- consumers can keep foods longer
- combats food waste
How is food safety done and why is it a benefit of food processing?
Via washing, pasteurising, cooking, drying and freezing
- consumers are at a lower risk of foodborne illnesses
What is variety and why is it a benefit of food processing?
Milling grains, mixing ingredients, adding flavours, colours or preservatives
- manufacturers can gain higher profits + traction in market
- access to wider variety of products
What is convenience and why is it a benefit of food processing?
Fast-foods + accessible wherever
- higher sales by responding to consumer demand for convenience food
How is nutrition done and why is it a benefit of food processing?
Fortifying milk with vitamin D, salt with iodine and grains with B vitamins, iron and folic acid etc
- fortification as a selling point
- lower risk of certain nutrient deficiencies
- tailoring to certain dietary needs
What is required to be done to non-wholemeal wheat flour in UK?
There is a mandatory fortification process using folic acid
- All non-wholemeal flour must be fortified with folic acid to reduce neural tube defects by 20% in pop. (spina bifita in babies etc)
- wholemeal flour already has folic acid so fortifying this would lead to an ‘overdose’, therefore it’s not required
What are the drawbacks of food processing? (just list)
- Nutrient loss + structural changes
- Additives + preservatives
- Increased sodium, sugar + unhealthy fats
- Risk of contamination
- Environmental impact
- Chemicals in food packaging
Drawback 1
Explain nutrient loss + structural changes
- degradation of heat-sensitive vitamins + minerals
- refining process can strip essential nutrients
- processing induces sig. changes to food matrix
Drawback 2
Explain additives + preservatives
Potential health concerns or issues for individuals with sensitivities or allergies
Drawback 3
Explain increased sodium, sugar + unhealthy fats
Excessive consumption is linked to various health issues
Drawback 4
Explain risk of contamination
Contaminants such as bacteria, moulds, toxins + chemicals can pose health risks
Drawback 5
Explain environmental impact
Food packaging poses an environmental concern
- air + water pollution
- greenhouse gas emissions
Drawback 6
Explain chemicals in food packaging
Bisphenol A (BPA) - is commonly used in food containers
- there is a link between BPA and CVD, T2D, cancers and changes to immune function
What is the NOVA diet classification system of food processing?
Explain the groups
It’s a framework for grouping foods + drinks based on the extent and purpose of food processing applied to them
Group 1 - un/minimally processed = fresh, dry or frozen veg, fruit, grains, legumes, meat, fish, eggs, nuts + seeds
Group 2 - processed culinary ingredients = plant oils, animal fats, maple syrup, honey, sugar + salt
Group 3 - processed foods = canned/pickled veg, meat or fish or fruit, artisanal bread, cheese, salted meats, alcohol
Group 4 - ultra-processed = sugar-sweetened bevs, sweet + savoury packaged snacks, pre-prep frozen meals, canned soups etc
Evidence on association between ultra-processed food (UPF) and health
What were the key findings of (1) meta-analysis and (2) systematic review (Lane et al, 2020)
Meta-analysis - higher intake of UPF was associated with greater risk of obesity, all-cause mortality, metabolic syndrome + depression in adults
Systematic review - positive association between T2D, frailty, IBS, CVD risk, cancers (but not CVD mortality or colorectal / prostate cancer)
What are the limitations of observational studies on UPF intake?
- Use of non-validated food-frequency questionnaires
- Association vs causation - these studies identify associations, also lack indications of underlying mechanisms driving the relationship
- Potential confounding factors - UPF consumption often linked with higher intake of energy, added sugars, sodium, saturated fat etc
- sedentary behaviour + socioeconomic status also correlate with UPF intake
STUDY - the effect of increased calorie intake using UPFs
What did they find?
A UPF diet consisting of consuming a mean energy intake of 500kcal higher
- Body weight increased by 0.9kg following a 2 week UPF diet (opposite for unprocessed)
- no reported differences in pleasantness or appetite sensations
Therefore…limiting UPF may be an effective strategy for obesity prevention + treatment
Explain what ‘not all UPFs are equal’ means
It’s important to know the classification scheme - as it does not assess nutritional values and only takes into account general UPFs
e.g. some NOVA 4 category foods (ultra-processed) include fish fingers, beans on toast, wholemeal bread + cereals + fruit yoghurts
- but these can actually be used as part of a balanced diet
In the UK, what proportion of food intake is UPF?
Are there differences across Europe?
50-57% of the food intake the UK population consume is from UPFs
- in the south of Europe, intake is much lower (could be due to higher number of promotional deals UK has on UPFs)
So what can be done about this… what is food reformulation?
Re-designing an existing processed product with the objective of making it healthier
- can target specific nutrients
- goal is to contribute to a better food environment for consumers
What are some key reformulation strategies?
- Decreasing salt + sugar content
- Decreasing saturated / trans-fat
- Decreasing energy content
- Increasing fibre content
Changing the composition of foods whilst changing consumers eating habits + choices but need to be accepted by consumers (key driver in changing diets)
Why is the food environment seen as a global issues?
Non-communicable diseases (including CMD) are the leading causes of death
- an unhealthy diet, as well as other lifestyle factors, are key contributors however they are modifiable!
Describe the importance of the food environment for healthier habits
A healthy environment has been shown to be a stronger driver of healthy eating than health promotion and education efforts
So what is a solution to creating a healthy food environment?
Reformulation of packaged and processed foods can play a key role in improving environments
Whilst food reformulation is a good idea, what are some challenges that could be faced?
- Technical challenges - changing ingredients may affect taste, texture + appearance of food (less appealing?)
- Cost considerations - may be more costly for healthier ingredients (both for manufacturer + consumer) + less widely available - not good for price-sensitive environments
- Consumer acceptance - may resist changes due to strong preferences for familiar flavours + textures + sceptical about benefits
How could the challenges to food reformulation be overcome?
Balancing consumer demand + public health
Food industry navigates tension between offering consumer-preferred products + promoting healthier options by…
- ‘Choice-editing’ = curating available choices to steer consumers toward better options
Expanding on this, what is silent reformulation?
Making gradual + subtle changes to improve the nutritional profile of food products without explicitly informing consumers
Why is silent reformulation a good option?
- can help maintain consumer acceptance whilst improving nutritional content
- helps reduce the intake of energy
- proven effective for improving salt + trans-fat profile in processed food
Why do the population need to reduce their sodium (salt) intake?
Recommended that we consume no more than 6g of salt per day (1tsp)
- however, on average, we consume 8.5g per day in which 4/5th of salt we consume is in foods we buy
What are the effects of too much salt?
- Raise BP
- Damage blood vessels
- Hormonal changes
- Inflammation
- Damage stomach lining
- Calcium lost from bones
What are industrially-produced trans fatty-acids (TFAs)?
Artificial trans-fats that are created during an industrial process that adds hydrogen to unsaturated vegetable oil
Partial hydrogenation process - turns liquid oil into a more solid form at room-temp (suitable for cooking, frying + baking etc)
Why are industrially produced TFAs good?
Good for improving stability, melt profile, resistance to oxidation and shelf-life of vegetable oils
What’s the impact of industrially produced TFAs on health?
SACN recommends no more than 2% of energy intake from trans-fats (however currently at 0.5% on pop. level)
- but replacing 2% energy from SFAs with TFAs was associated with an increased risk of CHD
Overall a multifaceted approach is need to improve public health.
Alongside food reformulation, what other actions can be put in place?
- Food taxes + subsidies
- Restrictions of food advertising + marketing
- Front-of-pack labelling
- Changes to food environment that improve availability, affordability + demand for whole and minimally processed foods
- Consumer education
