Ultra-processed foods are industrial products made mostly from refined ingredients, additives, and little (or no) recognizable whole food, like many packaged snacks, sodas, instant noodles, and frozen ready meals.

Below is a practical guide and list, plus how to spot them.

What “ultra-processed” means (NOVA Group 4)

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) typically:

  • Are made in factories using multiple processing steps and industrial ingredients.
  • Contain additives like colorings, flavorings, emulsifiers, thickeners, and artificial sweeteners.
  • Have long ingredient lists with things you wouldn’t use in a home kitchen (maltodextrin, modified starch, gums, carrageenan, etc.).
  • Are designed to be hyper-palatable (very tasty, “can’t stop eating”), often high in sugar, unhealthy fats, and salt.

A simple rule of thumb: if most of the ingredients aren’t things you’d cook with at home, it’s probably ultra-processed.

Big-picture categories of ultra-processed foods

1. Sugary drinks and flavored beverages

Common examples:

  • Regular soft drinks (soda, cola, lemon-lime drinks)
  • Energy drinks
  • Fruit drinks with little or no real fruit (punches, “fruit cocktails,” colored kids’ drinks)
  • Sweetened iced teas and flavored waters
  • Meal replacement shakes and many powdered drink mixes

These usually contain added sugars, artificial colors/flavors, and other additives.

2. Packaged snacks and sweets

Examples from health and nutrition organizations:

  • Candy and chocolate bars
  • Sweet packaged snacks (cakes, snack cakes, brownies)
  • Pre-packaged cookies and biscuits
  • Sweet or savory packaged snacks (chips, crisps, cheese puffs, flavored crackers)
  • Refined grain pretzels
  • Ice cream and many frozen desserts
  • Cereal and energy bars

These are typically rich in refined flour, sugar, oils, and multiple preservatives or gums.

3. Breakfast cereals and bars

Many ready-to-eat boxed cereals and bars are considered ultra-processed:

  • Sweetened breakfast cereals shaped into rings, flakes, or colorful shapes
  • Granola bars, cereal bars, and “energy” or “protein” bars with long ingredient lists

They often include refined grains, added sugars, flavorings, and emulsifiers.

4. Mass-produced bread and baked goods

Examples:

  • Mass-produced packaged breads and buns (especially long-shelf-life loaves)
  • Packaged pastries and donuts
  • Cake mixes and baking mixes
  • Many tortillas and wraps with multiple preservatives and conditioners

Artisanal bread with just flour, water, yeast, and salt is usually not ultra- processed, but long ingredient lists with emulsifiers and preservatives push products into the ultra-processed group.

5. Processed meats and reconstituted products

Frequently mentioned UPFs:

  • Hot dogs
  • Sausages
  • Ham and other lunch meats/deli meats
  • Bacon, pepperoni, salami, jerky
  • Chicken nuggets, fish sticks, and other poultry/fish “nuggets”

These often use reconstituted meat, preservatives, flavor enhancers, and stabilizers.

6. Instant and ready-to-heat meals

Examples from public health sources:

  • Instant noodles and instant ramen
  • Instant soups and packet sauces
  • Ready-made frozen meals (pasta dishes, pies, pizza, burgers, “TV dinners”)
  • Ready-made boxed pasta or rice dishes with flavor packets

These usually combine refined starches, flavor powders, and additives to create a complete “just add water” or “heat and eat” meal.

7. Spreads, dressings, and sauces

Common ultra-processed items:

  • Margarine and many industrial spreads
  • Many bottled salad dressings
  • Ketchup and some other commercial sauces with lots of additives
  • Instant gravy and sauce packets

Again, it’s the combination of refined oils, stabilizers, flavorings, and preservatives that matters.

8. Sweetened dairy products and “dairy-like” products

Examples:

  • Sweetened yogurt and many fruit yogurts
  • Flavored milk drinks
  • Ice cream and many frozen yogurt desserts
  • Some creamers (especially flavored or non-dairy creamers)

Ingredients such as gums, stabilizers, artificial flavors, and high sugar content usually qualify them as ultra-processed.

9. Plant-based “meats” and some other substitutes

Some nutrition experts note that many plant-based meat and cheese substitutes can be ultra-processed:

  • Plant-based burgers, nuggets, and sausages with long ingredient lists
  • Some plant-based cheeses made mostly from starches, oils, and additives

These can be helpful for certain diets but still fall into the ultra-processed category when heavily formulated.

Compact list: common ultra-processed foods

Here is a quick, non-exhaustive list drawn from health agencies and medical sources.

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Category</th>
      <th>Examples of ultra-processed foods</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Sugary & soft drinks</td>
      <td>Sodas, fruit drinks with little real fruit, energy drinks, sweetened iced teas, flavored waters, meal replacement shakes.[web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Packaged snacks</td>
      <td>Potato chips, crisps, cheese puffs, pretzels, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, flavored crackers.[web:1][web:3][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Sweets & desserts</td>
      <td>Candy, chocolate bars, packaged cookies/biscuits, snack cakes, pastries, ice cream, cake mixes.[web:1][web:3][web:5][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Breakfast items</td>
      <td>Sweetened breakfast cereals, cereal bars, energy bars.[web:5][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Breads & baked goods</td>
      <td>Mass-produced packaged bread and buns, packaged pastries and donuts, some tortillas and wraps with many additives, baking mixes.[web:1][web:5][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Processed meats</td>
      <td>Ham, hot dogs, sausages, bacon, lunch meats, pepperoni, jerky, chicken nuggets, fish sticks.[web:1][web:3][web:5][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Instant & ready meals</td>
      <td>Instant noodles/ramen, instant soups, ready-made meals, frozen pizzas, prepared pies and pasta dishes, instant sauces and gravies.[web:1][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Spreads & sauces</td>
      <td>Margarine and industrial spreads, many commercial dressings, ketchup and sweet sauces, instant sauce packets.[web:5][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Sweetened dairy</td>
      <td>Sweetened yogurt, fruit yogurts, flavored milk drinks, some creamers, many ice creams.[web:5][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Meat & cheese substitutes</td>
      <td>Many plant-based burgers, nuggets, sausages, and cheeses made mostly from refined ingredients and additives.[web:1]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

How to spot ultra-processed foods when shopping

Look for these signs on the label:

  • Long ingredient list (often 10+ items).
  • Ingredients you don’t recognize or wouldn’t cook with (maltodextrin, modified starch, carrageenan, polysorbate 80, artificial sweeteners, etc.).
  • Very high in sugar, sodium, or saturated fat per serving.
  • Words like “instant,” “ready meal,” “snack cake,” or “flavored drink” on highly engineered products.

A quick example:

A simple yogurt with just milk and cultures is minimally processed, but a “fruit yogurt” with added sugar, flavorings, and stabilizers usually counts as ultra-processed.

Why ultra-processed foods are a big topic right now

Recent years have seen rising concern because high intakes of ultra-processed foods are linked in studies to higher risks of obesity, heart disease, and other health issues, especially when they replace whole or minimally processed foods. At the same time, there is debate and pushback from parts of the food industry about how these foods are defined and regulated.

You don’t have to avoid them completely, but many health organizations suggest limiting them and basing most of your diet on whole or minimally processed foods like vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, eggs, fish, and plain dairy.

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Learn what ultra-processed foods are and see a clear ultra-processed foods list, including snacks, drinks, ready meals, and processed meats, plus label tips and the latest context on this trending nutrition topic.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.