Over-processed and young people: an underestimated public health risk

To this end, the Fondazione Aletheia places the correlation between food and health and the quality of nutrition among the main issues to be addressed, which we will be able to offer in the future with the support of an independent scientific committee, made up of professionals from different fields to help translate research efforts into concrete actions.

Among the problems to be urgently addressed is the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) by children and adolescents, with these products often chosen by parents because they are very quick to prepare and cheap.

Ultra-processed products, in addition to undergoing multiple processing, are composed of substances not usually used in cooking, such as maltodextrins, hydrolysed proteins or hydrogenated fats, and generally contain numerous additives such as colourings, preservatives, anti-oxidants, anti-caking agents, flavour enhancers and sweeteners.

This category includes, for example, many ready-made and frozen meals, carbonated and sugary drinks, many of the pre-packaged bakery products, spreads, sweet or salty packaged snacks, etc.

Consumption of these foods now accounts for about 60 per cent of calories consumed by adults in the United States and 70 per cent in adolescents, but it is also increasing in other countries, such as Italy, where average consumption accounts for about 14 per cent of daily calories consumed by adults and a quarter of those consumed by children and adolescents, as shown by a recent Italian study.

The study also demonstrated an increased risk of mortality due to cardiovascular and other problems in adult subjects who showed a low diet quality and a high consumption of UFP.

In this regard, an initiative aimed at curbing the spread and consumption of UPF and junk food (the so-calledjunk food) comes from the British government, which as of October 2025 will implement a ban on TV commercials before 9pm. It is obviously a small step, but combined with others it could make all the difference.As also reported by the Ministry of Health, the Mediterranean Diet is not only an example of a balanced diet for the prevention of major macro- and micronutrient deficiencies, but also an important strategy for reducing non-communicable diseases.

Our country, with its millenary tradition of producing excellent quality food, should play a key role in educating and promoting healthy and sustainable nutrition, a key tool for improving our health and quality of life, particularly of future generations, and the Aletheia Foundation is working to actively contribute to this process.

Antonio Gasbarrini, President Aletheia Scientific Committee. Full Professor of Internal Medicine, Dean Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Università Cattolica del S. Cuore, Rome

Esmeralda Capristo, Member of the Aletheia Scientific Committee . Associate Professor of Food Science and Applied Dietary Techniques, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome