A university researcher monitoring ultra-processed products and ingredients entering New Zealand urges tougher marketing regulations, particularly those targeting children.
Dr Kelly Garton from the University of Auckland notes that ultra-processed foods accounted for 23% of New Zealand’s imports in 2023, up from just 7% in 1990.
She said it’s time for the government to intervene, as consumers are being influenced in ways beyond their control. A key step would be improved labelling and restrictions on child-targeted packaging.
“I would love for our labels to give much clearer indications to consumers of what’s in their food. Getting rid of any of those misleading claims around healthiness or environmental friendliness, for example, as well as not allowing ultra-processed foods to have marketing packaging that’s targeting kids.”
Garton noted that much of the marketing currently targets young people and their parents.
“A lot of these products will have colours, shapes, flavours, or textures that are meant to appeal to children and younger people. And so obviously that’s meant to sell more products.”
“A lot of the marketing is targeted at parents. It might have a certain amount of health washing, you know, a good source of protein when maybe it’s a protein derivative that’s been added back in, not necessarily a healthy whole protein that you could be consuming otherwise.”
“We are now reliant on these products in many ways that we can’t control; these are the products that are by and large the most available and affordable, and they’re heavily marketed to us.
“Also in terms of our social and economic circumstances, many of us, most of us, are time poor. Many of us are financially constrained. We’re overly reliant on foods that are cheap, shelf-stable, and very convenient. Added to that, fresh fruit and veg is absurdly expensive these days.”
Garton decoded the ingredients of various ultra-processed products, noting that flavourings often serve as a red flag.
“These flavours or natural colourings are put there to emulate or to mask or enhance flavours that whole foods would have. So they’re inherently manipulating our sense receptors.”
However, not all ultra-processed foods need to be avoided just because they fall into that category.
“These products would fall under the ultra-processed classification. Not all of them are going to be bad for us.”
“Some of them, especially those that give us a lot of fibre and are low in sugar, can be absolutely part of a healthy diet, especially given the constraints that we’re under these days.”