# UK regulatory systems for food and drink identify only around half of processed/ultraprocessed products as unhealthy

Source: [Medical Xpress - latest medical and health news stories](https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-11-uk-regulatory-food-processedultraprocessed-products.html) · 2026-11-10 · Medicine
Page: https://themorning.science/story/uk-regulatory-systems-for-food-and-drink-identify-only-around-half-of-processed-c4436cc7993dee27
Kind: research · Impact: medium

## In brief

- Research published in BMJ Medicine finds current UK regulatory systems for food and drink flag only around half of processed and ultraprocessed products as unhealthy.
- Unhealthy products are defined as those high in fat, salt, sugar and energy density.
- A separate UCL-led study reports that over 95% of processed or ultra-processed products would be classified as unhealthy under UK government dietary guidance.

## Why it matters

The two studies give conflicting pictures of how many processed foods UK rules class as unhealthy, which affects how readers can interpret food labels and public health messaging.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-11: Medical Xpress reports on BMJ Medicine research finding UK systems flag only about half of processed products as unhealthy
- 2026-11-11: Medical Xpress reports on UCL-led research finding over 95% of processed foods would be classed as unhealthy under UK guidance

## Coverage

- [UK regulatory systems for food and drink identify only around half of processed/ultraprocessed products as unhealthy](https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-11-uk-regulatory-food-processedultraprocessed-products.html) — Medical Xpress - latest medical and health news stories, 2026-11-10
- [Government guidance indicates 95% of processed foods are unhealthy](https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-11-guidance-foods-unhealthy.html) — Medical Xpress - latest medical and health news stories, 2026-11-10

Tags: nutrition, food policy, ultraprocessed food, public health, uk

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science