A packet of chips, as grandpa’s loving treat after school. A sweetened fruit drink with lunch, mothers think, as a great option in the sweltering heat of summer. A packaged breakfast cereal because there is no time to cook. A biscuit or chocolate bar tucked into a school lunchbox.
None of these foods, taken once in a while, is likely to determine a child's health. The concern begins when such products become a routine part of the diet and gradually displace fruits, vegetables, pulses, whole grains and other minimally processed foods.
Public-health researchers are watching that shift with concern because childhood is not simply a period of growth- it is also when eating patterns, body composition, and metabolic health are established.
What makes a food "ultra-processed"?
Ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, are more than just processed foods.
Processing can include cooking, freezing, pasteurising, or milling— processes that can make food safer and easier to eat.
Ultra-processed foods are different. Under the NOVA classification, they are industrial formulations generally made with multiple ingredients and additives, preservatives, and often containing little or no intact whole food. They are commonly designed to be convenient, highly palatable, long-lasting, and ready to eat or heat.
“The best definition is food that cannot be made in the kitchen; it is manufactured by industries,” says Dr Arun Gupta, eminent paediatrician and Convener, Nutritional Advocacy in Public Interest. “It's prepared from real food, but its structure is changed-the matrix of the food is changed to refine it. Then flavours are added to it along with preservatives and emulsifiers, which become like additives to increase shelf life and get the consumers addicted to them,” he says.
He says most of these ultra-processed foods are packaged foods which are also energy-dense and relatively high in sugar, salt, or unhealthy fats, while being low in fibre.
“In recent decades, as our kitchens have shifted out of our homes, there has been a dramatic global dietary
transition. Traditional meals based on whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, and local foods are increasingly being replaced by ready-to-eat/ready-to-cook packaged products called ultra-processed foods (UPFs).
UPFs are industrial formulations high in added sugar, salt, unhealthy fats, and artificial additives like colours,
preservatives, and flavour enhancers. They are actually manufactured, engineered products (not foods) designed
to create hyper-palatability, convenience, and long shelf life to gain huge profits,” says Dr Rekha Harish, former professor and head of pa-paediatrics, HIMSR New Delhi and GMC Jammu.
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The adverse health outcomes
For children, this creates a particular problem: these foods are often not occasional treats. They can become part of breakfast, the school lunchbox, the after-school snack and even dinner.
Dr Harish says detailed dietary surveys show that UPF consumption is now a major contributor to daily calories in many high-income countries: In the United States, about 55% of all daily calories consumed by individuals aged one year and above come from UPFs, with children and adolescents consuming nearly 62% of their energy from these products. In the United Kingdom, analyses of national nutrition data indicate adolescents may get nearly two-thirds of their calories from ultra-processed products.
While we have no detailed studies, consumption is increasingly rising.
Retail sales of UPFs in India increased nearly 40-fold between 2006 and 2019 (from about USD 0.9 billion to almost USD 38 billion), reflecting intensified market penetration and changing food environments.
“The 2025-26 Economic Survey of India noted that UPF sales have grown over 150% in the past 14 years, with aggressive marketing particularly targeting children and adolescents. Regional dietary surveys show that in parts of North India, ~75% of people reported consuming UPFs on the previous day, with UPFs contributing 13–17% of total energy intake among consumers,” says Dr Harish.
The problem may start before the weighing scale changes.
One of the biggest misconceptions about childhood nutrition is that the problem begins only when a child becomes visibly overweight.
It doesn't. A child's diet can influence the quality and quantity of calories consumed, appetite, dietary diversity, and body composition long before obesity becomes obvious.
Research examining children and adolescents has increasingly found an association between higher UPF consumption and greater body fat. A systematic review of 26 studies found that most studies reported a positive association between UPF consumption and body fat during childhood and adolescence.
“A large review involving nearly 9.9 million people found that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) was linked to 32 different health problems, including obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, mental health disorders and some cancers. The more UPFs people ate, the greater their risk of weight gain and obesity. This is particularly concerning as these dietary patterns are adding to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), conditions that were once largely associated with older adults but are now increasingly being seen in children,” said Dr Gupta.
While the studies show a strong association, Children's physical activity, family eating patterns, socioeconomic circumstances, sleep, and overall diet also compound the problems.
When marketing becomes part of the diet
“The packaged-food industry has also become exceptionally good at making products attractive to children: bright packaging, cartoon characters, celebrity endorsements, toys, digital advertising and products specifically formulated around children's taste preferences,” says Dr Gupta. "As a result, children don't make food choices in a vacuum. They make choices in an environment carefully designed to influence what they want to eat," he adds.
Children are particularly vulnerable consumers because they may not fully understand advertising's persuasive intent.
Experts across the country have called for a stop in promotional activities around ultra-processed food. In August 2026, more than 30 leading Indian doctors, medical scientists, and public health experts signed a comprehensive public statement urging the Centre and regulatory bodies to impose a sweeping ban on junk food and ultra-processed food (UPF) advertisements.
India already has regulations to promote safe and balanced diets in schools. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s 2020 regulations address food promotion, advertising and the sale of foods to children in and around school premises.
The doctors called for legislation, a definition of ultra-processed foods, and a ban on celebrity endorsements.
Yet implementation and the wider food environment remain challenges. Eminent diabetologist Dr Anoop Misra, who was one of the signatories, said, “ India must stop selling unhealthy food to children as if it was harmless fun”. “ India cannot eat its way to better health while junk food is advertised as entertainment. If we want to stop the epidemic of obesity and diabetes, we have to stop this,” he said.
Labels matter
Parents cannot make informed decisions if they have to decode complicated nutrition panels every time they buy a packet of food.
This is where front-of-pack labelling comes in.
Interpretive warning labels can make information immediately understandable — particularly for products high in sugar, salt or saturated fat.
India's debate over front-of-pack nutritional warnings has become increasingly contentious, with public-health experts arguing that consumers need simple, visible information rather than labels that require nutritional expertise to interpret.
After the Supreme Court’s intervention, FSSAI has proposed a front-of-pack labelling system in which any product with two ingredients exceeding the recommended level will carry a warning. The food industry, including multinationals like Nestle, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, has also said it is ready to comply with labelling legislation.
While health advocates call the proposal soft and say the warnings may not be strong enough, industry says it needs more deliberation.
“The answer isn't to ban every packet, just to tell the public what they are eating and help them make informed choices,” said Dr Gupta.
What parents can do
For parents, the most useful message may be simple: look at the overall pattern, not one food.
Ishi Khosla, eminent nutritionist and author, gives a small guide.
A child's everyday diet should be built on a strong foundation of vegetables and fruits, pulses, whole grains or other minimally processed staples, nuts and seeds, dairy or appropriate alternatives, and adequate sources of protein.
Packaged foods can minimally exist around that foundation rather than replacing it.
Water can be the default drink rather than sugary beverages.
Home-prepared snacks can be made easier and more convenient.
And children can be taught to recognise food not merely by its branding or taste but by where it comes from and what it contributes to their bodies.
Children need to be taught about the importance of gut health and our microbiome, not just calories, carbs, and protein…