Food processing can improve food safety, extend shelf life and even improve the availability of nutrients. At the same time, diets rich in so-called 'ultra-processed foods' are often associated with negative health effects while their production and distribution are intertwined within broader and complex societal systems, including agriculture, food safety, industry, trade, consumer protection, social justice, culture, environmental sustainability, animal welfare, and biodiversity.
Understanding the balance between potential benefits and risks and defining and managing the ethical considerations of such a complex, multifaceted issue is challenging.
The EGE will be answering the question: what ethical considerations should guide policy action in the EU on addressing ultra-processed foods (UPF) from production to consumption, including in relation to health protection, the right to access to adequate and nutritious food, consumer protection and autonomy, social justice, corporate responsibility, animal welfare and environmental impacts?