Consumer Perceptions of the Healthfulness of ‘Ultra-Processed’ Food Products: A Cross-Sectional Study in Vermont

Background Recent research increasingly associates ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption with a range of diet-related diseases, leading to discussions of interventions for reducing UPF consumption. However, little is known regarding consumer perceptions of UPF, including the degree to which consumers prioritize nutrient content relative to degree of processing when evaluating a food's overall healthfulness. Objective To identify the proportion of adult consumers who have heard of the term “ultra-processed food” in a statewide sample of adults residing in Vermont, and to examine the criteria Vermont consumers prioritize when evaluating a food product's healthfulness. Study Design, Setting, Participants Online survey collected from 671 Vermont residents in 2022, randomly sampled from a commercially available email list. Survey questions assessed perceptions of UPF and how consumers prioritize nutrient (sugar, fat, sodium) and non-nutrient (ingredients, processing) criteria when assessing the healthfulness of packaged foods. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Descriptive statistics present perceptions of UPF, the proportion of respondents prioritizing each criterion, and demographic characteristics (age, gender, income, education) of the sample. Associations between variables are compared using chi-squares and logistic regression (p<0.05). Results When assessing the healthfulness of food products, respondents prioritized levels of added sugar (52.6% of respondents), ingredients (44.4%), and minimal processing (42.8%); and were less concerned with sodium (41.3%) and fat (37.3%) contents. Half of respondents (55%) had previously heard of the term “ultra-processed foods,” and the majority (91%) of those who had heard of UPF were concerned about the levels of UPF in their diets. Nearly a third of respondents (30%) reported making changes to reduce their UPF purchase and consumption patterns, and these respondents were more likely to prioritize minimal processing (OR: 2.99, 95% CI: 2.0-4.4) and kitchen ingredients (OR: 1.70; 95% CI: 1.2-2.5) after controlling for demographic variables. Conclusion The public is concerned with high levels of ultra-processed foods in their diets and considers a range of non-nutrient criteria when identifying healthier food choices, including criteria related to ultra-processing. Funding None Recent research increasingly associates ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption with a range of diet-related diseases, leading to discussions of interventions for reducing UPF consumption. However, little is known regarding consumer perceptions of UPF, including the degree to which consumers prioritize nutrient content relative to degree of processing when evaluating a food's overall healthfulness. To identify the proportion of adult consumers who have heard of the term “ultra-processed food” in a statewide sample of adults residing in Vermont, and to examine the criteria Vermont consumers prioritize when evaluating a food product's healthfulness. Online survey collected from 671 Vermont residents in 2022, randomly sampled from a commercially available email list. Survey questions assessed perceptions of UPF and how consumers prioritize nutrient (sugar, fat, sodium) and non-nutrient (ingredients, processing) criteria when assessing the healthfulness of packaged foods. Descriptive statistics present perceptions of UPF, the proportion of respondents prioritizing each criterion, and demographic characteristics (age, gender, income, education) of the sample. Associations between variables are compared using chi-squares and logistic regression (p<0.05). When assessing the healthfulness of food products, respondents prioritized levels of added sugar (52.6% of respondents), ingredients (44.4%), and minimal processing (42.8%); and were less concerned with sodium (41.3%) and fat (37.3%) contents. Half of respondents (55%) had previously heard of the term “ultra-processed foods,” and the majority (91%) of those who had heard of UPF were concerned about the levels of UPF in their diets. Nearly a third of respondents (30%) reported making changes to reduce their UPF purchase and consumption patterns, and these respondents were more likely to prioritize minimal processing (OR: 2.99, 95% CI: 2.0-4.4) and kitchen ingredients (OR: 1.70; 95% CI: 1.2-2.5) after controlling for demographic variables. The public is concerned with high levels of ultra-processed foods in their diets and considers a range of non-nutrient criteria when identifying healthier food choices, including criteria related to ultra-processing.