Global Experts Urge Immediate Action to Reduce Rising Ultra-Processed Food Consumption

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21, 2025 — Global public health experts are calling for urgent, coordinated action to curb the alarming rise in ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption worldwide, warning that the trend poses a growing threat to population health, food systems, and long-term sustainability.

The call follows a comprehensive three-part series published in The Lancet, authored by 43 international researchers representing institutions across Australia, Europe, and the Americas. The experts highlight mounting evidence that UPFs, industrially formulated products high in additives, sugar, salt, unhealthy fats, and artificial ingredients are increasingly replacing traditional and minimally processed diets, contributing to escalating rates of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

According to the report, UPFs now account for more than half of daily caloric intake in several high-income countries and are rising sharply across Asia, including middle-income nations like Malaysia. Researchers warn that this shift is not merely a nutritional issue but a systemic problem shaped by aggressive marketing, political influence, and corporate dominance within food supply chains.

The Lancet authors urge governments to adopt bold public health policies, including restricting UPF marketing, especially to children, introducing front-of-package warning labels, imposing taxes on harmful food products, and removing UPFs entirely from schools, hospitals, and other public institutions. They also call for greater transparency around food manufacturing, clearer ingredient disclosures, and stronger regulation to counter industry practices that discourage reform.

Experts emphasise that without strong intervention, the continued displacement of whole foods by UPFs will undermine global development goals, intensify healthcare burdens, and widen socioeconomic health disparities. They argue that reducing UPF consumption must become a “top-tier global priority” for governments, health organisations, and communities alike.

As Malaysia continues to battle rising obesity and diabetes rates, the findings underscore the need for holistic national policies to reshape food environments and promote healthier, culturally rooted diets.