Maeve Hanan told the that a weekly shop containing some ultra-processed foods was not inherently unhealthy after reviewing the list item by item. She said the shopping basket was not as bad as expected and still showed a good mix of foods.
Maeve Hanan and bran flakes
Hanan, a member of the British Dietetic Association, pointed to a box of bran flakes and said: "This is ultra-processed, but I often buy this for my family. It's got so many health benefits." Her verdict cuts against the simplest reading of the ultra-processed foods debate, which often treats processing itself as the main problem.
The story says there is growing evidence that a hefty proportion of the food people consume could be damaging to health. Ultra-processed foods are linked to obesity, cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes, and they are also linked to mental health problems and premature death.
, UK and the food label
The story places that warning alongside a more practical shopping rule. A product needs more than five ingredients and at least one ingredient not normally found in a kitchen to be considered ultra-processed. Hanan said products with a long ingredient list are not inherently bad, and that nutritional value is far more important.
She also said: "there's a growing hysteria" and that the messaging around ultra-processed foods is so black and white that it fuels fear. 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 the wider debate
Dr Chris van Tulleken has described ultra-processed foods as "almost impossible to avoid" in the family's diet, while the story notes that scientists, doctors and dietitians cannot agree on whether the harm comes from processing itself or from high fat, sugar, salt and calorie content. The practical divide is the one Hanan drew in the weekly shop: some ultra-processed foods can sit inside a healthy pattern if the overall mix is varied.
For readers trying to apply that approach, her assessment points to balance rather than a ban. The shop she reviewed included ultra-processed items, yet she still described it as a good mix across food groups, leaving the useful question not whether every processed item must go, but how much of the basket is doing the real nutritional work.
