Table 3.

National-level dietary recommendations and statements related to processed or ultra-processed foods.

Organization	Statement or recommendation related to ultra-processed foodsa
Health Canada (21)	“Limit highly processed foods. If you choose these foods, eat them less often and in small amounts.”b
UK Scientific Advisory Council on Nutrition (SACN) (22)	“Consumption of (ultra-) processed foods may be an indicator of other unhealthy dietary patterns and lifestyle behaviours. Diets high in (ultra-) processed foods are often energy dense, high in saturated fat, salt or free sugars, high in processed meat, and/or low in fruit and vegetables and fibre. It is unclear to what extent observed associations between (ultra-) processed foods and adverse health outcomes are explained by established nutritional relationships between nutritional factors and health outcomes on which SACN has undertaken robust risk assessments.”
Nordic Council of Ministries (23)	“Despite the observed association between ultra-processed foods as a category and health outcomes, the NNR2023 Committee decided not to formulate any specific recommendations on ultra-processed foods.”
US Dietary Guidelines for Americans (24)	“Common characteristics of dietary patterns associated with positive health outcomes include … relatively lower consumption of red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, and refined grains.”
Brazil (14)	“Avoid ultra-processed foods.” “Ultra-processed foods have an unbalanced nutritional composition.” “Ultra-processed foods promote excessive consumption of dietary energy.”
Uruguay (15)	“Base your diet on natural foods, and avoid the regular consumption of ultra-processed products with excessive contents of fat, sugar and salt.”
Chile (20)	“Avoid ultra-processed products with “HIGH IN” labelling.”
Peru (17)	“Protect your health avoiding the consumption of ultra-processed foods.”
Israel (18)	“The diet must be varied and based mainly upon … unprocessed food or food that has undergone minimal processing.” “It is recommended to … prefer preparing food at home from raw materials rather than ready-made food or ultra-processed food.” “It is recommended to reduce consumption of the following foods as much as possible … ultra-processed foods containing large amounts of additives such as salt/sugar or their non-natural substitutes.”
Malaysia (19)	“Limit intake of processed and ultra-processed foods.”

^aIn cases where “ultra-processed foods” are not mentioned in the guidance, statements on processed foods are noted.

^b“Highly processed foods” are defined as “processed or prepared foods and drinks that add excess sodium, sugars, or saturated fat to the diets of Canadians”.