The definition is a bit flakey but they’re essentially foods that contain emulsifiers, stabilisers, modified starches and so on.
But that stuff can be found in domestic kitchens? Egg yolk is an emulsifier, gelatin is a stabilizer, malt is a modified starch, and I can get all of them at normal grocery stores?
Eggs obviously aren’t UPF, no. Eggs are in group 1 of the NOVA classification system. Using things like eggs and cornflower are fine, it’s the industrial emulsifiers that are the problem.
Here’s a pretty good summary:
There is nothing wrong with emulsifiers per se – think egg yolk, cornflour and other unprocessed / minimally-processed ingredients that are used in cooking. It’s the category of industrially created or modified emulsifiers over which questions hang. Examples commonly used in IDP include sodium stearoyl lactylate (E481); mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E471); and (deep breath) diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, aka DATEM (E472e).
But that stuff can be found in domestic kitchens? Egg yolk is an emulsifier, gelatin is a stabilizer, malt is a modified starch, and I can get all of them at normal grocery stores?
Are eggs UPF now?
Eggs obviously aren’t UPF, no. Eggs are in group 1 of the NOVA classification system. Using things like eggs and cornflower are fine, it’s the industrial emulsifiers that are the problem.
Here’s a pretty good summary:
https://www.sustainweb.org/blogs/oct23-real-bread-is-not-ultra-processed-food-upf/