No Rocher but still a night to remember.
In the early 1990’s, those of us that are old enough, will fondly recall being treated to a memorable advertising campaign promoting Ferrero Rocher. It featured the delicious golden baubles being ostentatiously served (in pyramid formation) at “the Ambassador’s Reception”, culminating in the immortal line “Monsieur, with these Rocher you're really spoiling us.”
Since Ferrero has been one of P&W’s biggest clients over the last two decades, I have had many enjoyable encounters with the company. However, until recently, one thing had eluded me: an evening of hobnobbing with an international Ambassador. Now, I can finally check that off the list!
The evening in question was at The Ambassador of Denmark’s Residence in Knightsbridge and a very interesting evening it was too. It was in fact it was described as “a private panel discussion and reception on the Future of Ultra Processed Foods: Threats, Challenges & Opportunities in the UK”. While, admittedly, this represents a bit more of a mouthful than a spherical chocolate, it was both interesting and enlightening.
The evening was hosted by a distinguished panel of experts from the food industry, including food technologists, supermarket buyers, and at least one store chain owner.
When I accepted the invitation, I’ll admit I wasn’t deeply versed in the specifics of ultra-processed foods (UPFs). As a Partner in a packaging Design Consultancy for over four decades, I was, of course, familiar with UPFs, though they hadn’t been a primary focus in my work. However, about a week before the event, I dove into the subject, reading one book, titled 'Ultra-Processed People' by Chris Van Tulleken, in full and delving into numerous articles and thought pieces to broaden my perspective.
My research, and the evening itself, proved enlightening, and it led me to a more nuanced view of UPFs. Using UPF’s certainly saves money for the consumer by providing “cheap and cheerful” products.
One of the most frequently cited UPF products is pre-packaged bread. It's true that sliced white bread, with its extended ingredient list of preservatives and emulsifiers, is often criticised for its nutritional shortcomings. So, we should all bake our own bread or at the very least buy it every other day from an artisan baker – right? Obviously in an ideal world most of us would prefer this if time and money were not an object. For many modern households where time and budgets are tight, an affordable product under £1.50 that stays fresh for over a week becomes a practical and welcome staple.
But sliced bread is just one example.
UPFs are ubiquitous in our kitchens, from mayonnaise to non-dairy spreads, crisps, soft drinks, pre-packaged pizza, processed meats, packaged pastries, instant noodles, breakfast cereals and frozen ready meals. On average, around 60% of what we eat is classified as a UPF (the figure is even higher in the US at around 70%), and it rises to a whopping 66% among adolescents.
So, does affordable and long-lasting mean UPFs are good? Not necessarily. While UPFs save consumers money with 'cheap and cheerful' products, they’re even more profitable for brands and supermarkets, who often replace costly natural ingredients with cheaper additives. Unfortunately, these savings certainly aren’t fully passed on to consumers.
Health is another essential factor to consider. Many components of UPFs carry significant health concerns. For instance, emulsifiers have been linked to poor gut health, obesity, and even cancer, while certain E-numbers can trigger headaches, allergic reactions (including asthma), hyperactivity, and palpitations.
You may also want to check the ingredients list of your “healthier” low fat and vegan protein products because they are some of the worst offenders.
So, while UPFs are convenient, their health impacts can’t be overlooked.
The World Cancer Research Fund International and Macmillan seem to agree on the following:
“Researchers found that every 10% rise in UPF in a person's diet increased ovarian cancer incidence by 19%, and overall cancer incidence by 2%. UPF was also associated with a greater risk of dying from cancer; in particular ovarian and breast cancers”.
Another thorny topic was regulation. If consumers are well-informed by product packaging, can’t they make their own decisions? Not quite. While it’s relatively straightforward to label products as 'high in sugar, fat, or salt' (HFSS), UPFs are more complicated. These products often contain a variety of chemical additives in varying combinations, making it difficult to determine which ingredient mixes are harmless, harmful, or potentially very harmful for our health in the short, medium, or long term.
My evening at the Ambassador’s was definitely food for thought. While the night’s fare consisted of vegan canapés and organic wine rather than chocolate and champagne, there was still plenty to digest. “You're really spoiling us” were the final words of the glamourous actor in the Ferrero Rocher, advert but spoiling can be interpreted in two ways - are companies producing and mass marketing UPF’s spoiling all of us?
