"We need to legislate so that everyone can access fresh produce."

In one way or another, humans have always processed food. We started by cooking it over fire; we dried, cured, salted, or fermented it to preserve it better. And later, we canned it. With all these processes, we gained in food safety and were also able to keep food in good condition for longer periods. These products also saved us time, effort, and money.

However, it's difficult to pinpoint exactly when we went from processing food to ultra-processing it. Some chemical additives and artificial flavorings have been used since at least the 19th century. Saccharin, for example, was invented in 1879. Trans fatty acids were invented by the German chemist Wilhelm Normann, who discovered that adding hydrogen to vegetable or fish oils could solidify them. These oils were much cheaper than animal fats, such as butter or lard, and made it possible to increase the shelf life of products. That's why they began to be used massively at the beginning of the 20th century: in sausages, mayonnaise, cookies... It took a century for the American FDA to ban them in 2015, because they exponentially increase levels of bad cholesterol, which causes cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death.

A recent article in New York Times It was noted that the boom in ultra-processed food occurred after World War II, when the military needed to transport palatable, long-lasting, and calorie-dense rations over long distances. Advances such as food drying, freezing, dehydration, chemical preservation, and packaging contributed to this, opening the door to safe, mass production for a growing population.

"When they first emerged, they made sense," says Camille Lassale, a researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). "They helped reduce food shortages and problems with access to food. But now we have an excess of everything, and most supermarket products are ultra-processed. We need to reverse this trend," she adds.

Some countries, like Chile, have already taken action, and since 2016 have required manufacturers to include a warning on their product labels indicating high levels of added sugars, saturated fats, salt, or calories. As a result, the food industry is changing product recipes. Other countries tax these foods, as is the case with sugary drinks.

"Legislation is needed to reduce the accessibility of these products and, at the same time, implement measures to make fresh products accessible. Many consumers cannot afford them due to economic reasons," Lassale points out.

"I don't have time"

When people are asked why they consume ultra-processed foods instead of fresh ones, the reasons are usually the same: they're cheaper, there's no time to shop and cook, and they make daily life easier. Food expert Toni Massanés, head of the Alícia Foundation, is skeptical of the "excuse" of not having time, or that fresh food is more expensive. "Working hours haven't gotten longer, we've simply changed our priorities: now we prefer to dedicate more time to leisure, like social media, TV series, or sports, than to cooking." Added to this is the fact that we have less and less knowledge about how to prepare food, so we've "outsourced" its preparation. Just as mothers and grandmothers used to cook for us at home for free, now "we demand that it be cheap, and the food industry has given us options," Massanés continues.

Furthermore, eating habits have become more individualized. "It takes 3.5 hours to cook a escudella, whether you're cooking for ten people or just one," notes Massanés, who points out that Catalan households are getting smaller. A couple of generations ago, eight or ten people lived in each house, but now, in contrast, homes with only one or two people are common. "And we're too lazy to cook dishes just for ourselves," adds the director of Alicia.