Maeve Hanan reviewed a weekly supermarket shop for a reporter and said it was not as bad as expected, even though it included some ultra-processed food. She said the basket had a good mix of foods and that some long ingredient lists do not make products inherently bad.
While scanning a box of bran flakes, she said: "This is ultra-processed, but I often buy this for my family. It's got so many health benefits." Hanan, a member of the British Dietetic Association, also said nutritional value was "far more important" than the length of an ingredient list.
Maeve Hanan and the weekly shop
Hanan paused over the shopping list and said: "there's a good mix of foods which cover each food group." That was the central judgment on the shop itself, and it cut against the idea that any product with a long ingredient list automatically makes a week of shopping unhealthy.
She also said the way ultra-processed foods are discussed has gone too far, saying there was "a growing hysteria" because the message is often "so black and white". In her words: "This food is good. This food is bad." She added: "It just fuels fear - and fear around food is never good."
Dr Chris van Tulleken and UK
Dr Chris van Tulleken said ultra-processed foods are "almost impossible to avoid" and studies show more than half the calories consumed in the UK come from ultra-processed food. The article also says these foods have been linked to obesity, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders such as diabetes, mental health problems and premature death.
A basic rule of thumb in the article says a product needs more than five ingredients, with at least one not normally found in your kitchen, to be ultra-processed. Even so, the piece says the exact health effect is harder to pin down, because scientists, doctors and dietitians cannot agree on whether the harm comes from the processing itself or from the fat, sugar, salt and calorie content often found in those foods.
UK food laws and chicken nuggets
The piece adds a practical point for shoppers worried about items such as chicken nuggets: even the most chemical-sounding ingredients are tested and approved under UK food laws. That does not make every product equal, but it does mean the label alone does not tell the whole story.
For readers making their own weekly shop, the useful check is not whether an item is processed at all, but whether the overall basket still covers the main food groups and whether the food’s nutritional value holds up. Hanan’s view is clear: some ultra-processed food can sit in a healthy shop, and the stronger question is which items do the most good for the rest of the week.
