The 20 Things Plant-Based Brands Should Know About Ultra-Processed Foods

UPFs have become public enemy number one, and the plant-based meat sector has been caught in the media crossfire. Here’s everything CPG brands and founders need to know.

There are many explanations for why plant-based meat isn’t selling as well as it used to; among the chief reasons is the growing public concern surrounding ultra-processed foods (UPFs).

Part of the Nova classification developed by a Brazilian research team led by Prof Carlos Monteiro, UPFs are defined as products comprising industrial formulations and techniques like extrusion or pre-frying, and cosmetic substances such as high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils.

So everything from that tub of ice cream in your freezer to the canned soup in your drawer is a UPF. So are the chicken nuggets you eat at McDonald’s, and yes, the Beyond Burger you buy at supermarkets.

The discourse is shrouded in misleading information, and plant-based meat products have unfairly been categorised in the same group as Coca-Cola, Oreos, Corn Flakes, and Lay’s.

It has ushered in a new era for meat alternatives, as consumers become wary of their perceived negative health impacts simply because they’re UPFs. But as with most things in the food industry, there’s way more than meets the eye.

Here’s what plant-based brands and founders need to know to help navigate this new landscape.

Read Green Queen’s FAQ guide on ultra-processed foods and plant-based meat.

1. Many UPFs are linked to over 32 health conditions and diseases

One study has linked UPFs to 32 harmful health conditions, including cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, poor mental health, and early death. It linked high UPF consumption to a 50% higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

2. …and too many people eat too many of them

Another review found that death rates are highest in countries where the population gets the largest percentage of energy calories from UPFs. In the US and the UK, where they make up around 60% of all calories consumed, the research linked 14% of all deaths to these foods.

3. But not all UPFs are created equal

A 2023 study argued that some UPFs – like breads and cereals – can be good for you because of their fibre content. Plant-based meats typically contain a high amount of dietary fibre, are free of cholesterol, and are low in saturated fat, sugar and calories, and so are “not associated with risk of multimorbidity” (when someone has two life-threatening diseases at the same time).

4. Media coverage about UPFs vilifies plant-based meat

A widely cited and controversial study based on the UK Biobank linked UPFs to heart disease and early death, and headlines squarely blamed “fake meats” instead of the real culprits – cakes, sugary drinks, and processed meats. In reality, plant-based meat accounted for only 0.2% of all calories eaten in the study.

5. UPF research is misleading consumers about meat alternatives

One review of UPF research suggests that most studies overlook important nuances when it comes to plant-based meat, potentially misleading consumers about the health impact of the latter. “Plant-based meat has a very different nutritional profile from most UPFs, and these metrics do not generally apply to [it],” it said, calling on public health professionals to “challenge misconceptions on processing and plant-based meat”.

6. RFK Jr and the MAHA movement are deeply anti-UPF

As part of its Make America Healthy Again crusade, health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has been highly critical of UPFs and what he calls “fake meat”. In 2022, he retweeted a story titled ‘The Fake Meat Scam’, which read: “Using strategies to position it as a healthy alternative for natural meat, the industry’s fake meat is just another name for ultra-processed food, full of GE and pesticide-laden ingredients designed to look as much like meat as possible.”

He had vowed to remove UPFs from school lunches if he became health secretary, though later said he wouldn’t call for a ban on these products.

7. Casey Means could spell trouble for UPFs

Wellness influencer and Levels co-founder Casey Means could become the next Surgeon General of the US. Many of her views are aligned with and championed by RFK Jr, including her stance on UPFs. She has advocated putting a warning label on UPFs, and called plant-based meat “toxic sludge”.

8. UPFs are a non-partisan issue in the US

It’s not just the right that has an issue with UPFs. California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed an executive order to crack down on these foods, looking into potential actions that can limit the harms associated with them, which could include the use of warning labels on packaging.

9. There are now certification labels for products free from UPFs and seed oils

The folks at the Non-GMO Project have launched an on-pack Non-UPF Verified label to “address the pervasive dominance of ultra-processed food”. The organisation is conducting a pilot with over 20 brands, working on an initial draft of the label.

In a similar vein, the Seed Oil Free Alliance has rolled out a certification label for products that eschew these fats, just as beef tallow becomes resurgent, thanks to multiple endorsements by RFK Jr.

10. Consumers are wary of UPFs, and they’re voting with their wallets

In Europe, 65% of consumers believe UPFs are unhealthy, and that deters 54% of them from buying plant-based meat. And in the UK, ultra-processing is the second most pressing food concern (after inflation), with 77% of people saying so. Meanwhile, 85% of Americans wanted to avoid UPFs last year, but felt overwhelmed or unsupported in their desire to do so.

This has directly impacted the sales of plant-based meat, which fell by 7% in the US and 9% in the UK in 2024. Industry giant Beyond Meat suffered a blow in the first quarter of this year, with the firm blaming misinformation (among other things) on its 9% decline in revenue.

11. This has led to whole-food plant-based brands gaining market share in the US…

The UPF backlash has breathed life into the whole-food plant-based category. One of the biggest benefactors is Actual Veggies, the New York-based maker of veggie burgers. It raised $7M in a dire fundraising landscape for meat-free firms, doubled its distribution, and saw annual revenues grow by 125% in 2024. Then, it displaced a legacy meatless burger brand at the caterer for some of the biggest companies in the US.

12. ..and in the UK, where CPGs are creating entirely new product formats

The renewed enthusiasm for whole foods has led to the creation of a new kind of plant-based product, blending plants in block-like formats to be used as an alternative to meat alternatives themselves. In the UK, this movement is led by Oh So Wholesome’s Veg’chop and THIS’s Super Superfood, which are taking on both animal proteins and tofu.

13. Plant-based meat brands are pushing back with online health hubs (Impossible Foods)…

To counter the anti-UPF narrative, Impossible Foods launched an online health hub to battle “misleading claims that are reductive, overly simplistic, and oftentimes just plain wrong”, highlighting detailed nutritional information about every ingredient used in its products, alongside side-by-side comparisons with conventional meat and an endorsement by the American Heart Association.

14. …and documentary shorts (Beyond Meat)

Beyond Meat, meanwhile, hit back at the livestock industry with a nine-minute documentary featuring leading medical and nutrition experts”, including Stanford professor Dr Christopher Gardner and renowned dietitian Joy Bauer. One section involved CEO Ethan Brown explaining how its products are made, directly responding to critics of UPFs.

15. Big Food is being sued by a teenager claiming UPFs are addictive

Bryce Martinez, an 18-year-old from Pennsylvania, has sued 11 food corporations – including Nestlé, Coca-Cola and Kraft Heinz – for engineering ultra-processed foods (UPFs) to be as addictive as cigarettes. Martinez was diagnosed with fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes when he was 16, allegedly after consuming “harmful levels” of UPFs from these companies.

16. And it’s fighting back with its own content platform…

The Consumer Brands Association, which represents over 2,000 brands and over 60 CPG companies – including Nestlé, Danone, Coca-Cola, Danone, Ferrero, Pepsico, and Mondelēz International – has launched Food Processing Facts, a website designed to serve as a resource for “fact-based information and dispelling myths on food processing and safety”.

17. …and government lobbying

In the UK, the Food and Drink Federation has successfully lobbied against the government’s push to offer discounts on minimally processed and nutritious foods. The body represents Nestlé, Unilever, Mars, Mondelēz International, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Danone, among others.

18. The maker of Ozempic is swinging big in the UPF fight

Novo Nordisk Foundation, the controlling shareholder in the eponymous pharmaceutical giant, most famous for diabetes and obesity medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and NovoRapid, has funded a research effort to develop the “next generation” of the Nova classification. Experts have strongly criticised the move, raising concerns about a conflict of interest.

At the same time, Novo Nordisk Foundation has provided a grant worth 50 million kroner ($7.6M) to the University of Copenhagen to develop less processed plant-based proteins.

19. Plant-based meat is healthier, according to multiple studies and research reviews…

A health analysis of the nutritional differences between conventional meat and plant-based versions in four European countries found that meat alternatives have lower calories and saturated fat, higher fibre, and largely an equivalent amount of protein.

Similarly, an 11-country study based on internationally recognised nutrition guidelines found that the average nutritional quality of all plant-based meat products analysed was slightly better than animal-derived meat.

20. …and many consumers know it.

Industry leaders like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods have been doubling down on the health aspect of their products because they know that, despite all the misinformation, consumers are aware that plant-based food is healthy. It’s something that 50% of Americans believe, according to one survey.

Another recent poll found that 48% of US consumers feel vegan food is healthier, and 36% wanted to eat fewer animal proteins due to personal health concerns.

Amid all the furore over UPFs, there are clear opportunities for brands to showcase their nutritional and health attributes, especially if they deal with products using whole foods and fewer ingredients.