New Competere Report Calls for a Shift Beyond Ultra-Processed Food Definitions

Policy guide calls for a shift from static food classification to AI-enabled, personalized prevention

As governments and health authorities intensify efforts to define ultra-processed foods (UPFs), a new Competere policy guide argues that policymakers may be asking the wrong question: rather than seeking the perfect definition, prevention should move beyond classification itself.

The paper proposes a different policy path: replace the search for a universal UPF definition with dynamic decision support that combines product characteristics, quantity, frequency, individual needs, and lifestyle using emerging digital and AI-enabled tools.

Ultra-Processed Foods — Beyond Oversimplification: From Classification to Smarter Prevention, authored by Competere Chair Pietro Paganini, is designed as a practical tool for policymakers and the media navigating the UPF debate. It argues that UPFs can be a useful research signal but are too broad and heterogeneous to serve, on their own, as a reliable basis for regulation, labeling, or prevention.

The report comes as policymakers in the US and Europe examine UPFs more closely. It warns that competing definitions could produce inconsistent classifications, regulatory uncertainty, and growing numbers of exceptions.

“We should not spend the next decade searching for the perfect definition of UPFs while technology is giving us the tools to build better prevention today,” said Paganini. “A definition classifies products. It does not understand people. The challenge is to identify risk better, not simply to classify food better.”

The guide finds that processing alone cannot define health risk. Nutritional quality, energy density, portion size, frequency, food matrix, individual needs, lifestyle, and realistic alternatives all matter. Processing can also improve safety, shelf life, affordability, accessibility, and nutritional value, while some processed products can contribute to unhealthy dietary patterns.

Instead of replacing one classification with another, Competere calls for a shift toward personalized prevention, where AI, wearables, and digital food information help translate general nutrition guidance into decisions tailored to individual needs and diet.

“The future of prevention is not a better label. It is better decision-making,” Paganini said.

The full policy guide is available on Competere.eu.

About Competere

Competere is an independent policy and advocacy organization advancing innovation, trade, and development through evidence-based research and public policy.

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“We should not spend the next decade searching for the perfect definition of UPFs while technology is giving us the tools to build better prevention today.” — Pietro Paganini, Chair, Competere