Prevalence Of Processed Foods Compromises Sustainability
July 2, 2025
Dear EarthTalk: Is the prevalence of processed foods an environmental threat? – Lori P., via email
The ubiquity of processed foods in the U.S. and elsewhere is not just a problem for human health but also for the environment. Credit: Pexels.com.
Warm supermarket bread. Mouth-watering hot dogs. Fizzy, sweet soda. Processed and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are pervasive in American diets. In fact, the U.S. leads the world in UPF consumption, with over 60 percent of our daily caloric intake coming from these manufactured products. Despite their popularity, many people remain unaware of the environmental consequences of these convenient foods.
What exactly sets these processed variants apart from wholesome foods? According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), processed foods are altered from their natural state through processes like canning, dehydrating and heating. Ultra-processed foods are more extreme, consisting mostly of substances and additives extracted from foods, such as fats, starches and preservatives. These products usually bear little resemblance to their original ingredients and are what most people imagine when they think of “processed foods.”
Marco Springmann, Senior researcher at the University of Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute, explains, “If you processed some food at home, the chances are you expend more energy doing that, as the process isn’t as streamlined as a big factory.” In other words, preparing minimally processed foods at home may require more energy than industrial production, which relies on highly efficient systems. However, the long-term environmental impact of UPFs expands beyond just energy consumption.
The abrupt rise in UPFs threatens agrobiodiversity, or the variety in animals and plants used in the farming and food sectors. UPF production increases the demand for a narrow selection of high-yield crops—mainly rice, wheat, and corn—despite the existence of over 7,000 edible plants. This issue is further exacerbated by the widespread use of these limited crop species to feed livestock raised for processed meat production. Reducing agrobiodiversity diminishes the variety of consumable foods; during periods of underproduction or climate unpredictability, this could lead to issues in food security.
UPFs also contribute to environmental degradation through waste production: These products are often packaged in single-use plastics such as wrappers, bottles and containers. Each year, about nine million metric tons of plastic enter the oceans, where they can persist for centuries, breaking down into harmful microplastics that contaminate ecosystems.
In addition, UPFs carry a large water footprint, especially soft drinks, which require hundreds of liters of water for production, processing and packaging. They also require vast amounts of land, release greenhouse gases, and lead to eutrophication (the overflow of nutrients in marine settings).
Our eating habits do make a difference: the food supply chain leads to 26 percent of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions globally. But together, whether researching planet-healthy food alternatives or reducing reliance on single-use plastics, being environmentally conscious is a powerful step in deciding our planet’s future.
CONTACTS
Regulatory Policy To Address Ultraprocessed Foods
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