Processed and over-processed foods: what they are and how they differ

There is still a lot of confusion around the term ‘processed’, which has acquired a negative meaning in the collective imagination today, as far as the food context is concerned. This is because a food defined as ‘processed’ is often judged to be of inferior quality and less healthy than a fresh food, because it is ‘processed’ or because it is thought to be ‘treated’ with additives, chemicals or preservatives that are not beneficial to health. Let’s see what is really meant by ‘processed foods’, why they are not bad for you and how they differ from ‘ultra-processed’ foods.

According to the NOVA classification, ‘processed’ food is defined as food that is simply made with two or three ingredients and has undergone processing, such as cooking and preserving. So it is by no means an unhealthy food as is mistakenly thought. On the contrary, most of the products we consume on a daily basis fall into this category, such as pasta, bread, pickled vegetables, canned legumes, cold meats, yoghurt, beer and wine, just to name a few. So even we at home create processed foods when we subject fresh food to further processing.

It goes without saying that it is not these foods that are detrimental to health, but ‘ultra-processed’ or ‘over-processed’ foods, which constitute another distinct category. These in fact are the result of lengthy industrial processing, such as hydrogenation, hydrolysis, extrusion, moulding and remodelling, i.e., heavy-duty processes that heavily alter the structure of the starting fresh food, generating other compounds such as hydrolysed proteins, protein isolates, maltodextrins, hydrogenated oils and fats, sugar and modified starches. They also contain more than 5 ingredients, including additives such as flavouring agents, stabilisers, colouring agents, preservatives, emulsifiers, humectants, anti-caking agents, flavour enhancers and sweeteners.

This category includes, for example, veg burgers, vegan cutlets and fake vegetable steaks made from legumes such as soya, peas or gluten, i.e. fake products that attempt to imitate the sensory qualities of real ones, masking the unwanted flavours and smells of the original vegetable food, which is totally altered. The consumption of these super-processed and ultra-processed products is associated with a higher risk of obesity, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, hence strokes, ischaemia, heart attacks and a higher mortality rate. Cold cuts are therefore not over-processed foods as is often thought, but ‘processed meats’ or ‘processed meats’ with simple ingredients such as salt, pepper, herbs and spices, depending on the traditional recipe.

Regarding chicken meat specifically, recently published reviews have emphasised the benefits of its fresh version on cardiovascular and metabolic health, while less evidence was found for its ‘processed’ version. This is not to say that ‘processed chicken’ is bad for you, but this lesser evidence of beneficial effects may be caused by aggressive cooking methods that can form harmful compounds or by the excess sodium that can be found in low-quality products.

So, roasted, smoked, cut or grilled chicken products are all ‘processed’ foods, whether processed domestically or industrially, and their consumption is generally safe for health, paying attention to quality and methods of preparation and cooking to best enjoy their benefits. Instead, it would be better to avoid or minimise consumption of the modern hyper-processed foods that invade our supermarket shelves, which are often promoted by marketing as healthy just because they are of plant origin, when they are the ones that should be of most concern.

Further reading:

Dr. Assunta Susanna Bramante

Diet and Nutrition Adviser, Meat Specialist, Science Communicator, Agronomist PhD in Animal Production, Food Health and Hygiene in Mediterranean Climate Countries – www.genbioagronutrition.blogspot.com – www.susannabramante.blogspot.com