Massive study identifies 32 harmful health conditions directly linked to the consumption of ultra-processed food



A troubling new peer-reviewed study, the largest of its kind, has revealed that ultra-processed food is linked to 32 harmful health conditions and can significantly increase the risk of cancer, diabetes, and an early grave.

The study, a systematic meta-analysis published Wednesday in the BMJ, the British Medical Association's esteemed journal, found evidence pointing to "direct associations between greater exposure to ultra-processed foods and higher risks of all cause mortality, cardiovascular disease related mortality, common mental disorder outcomes, overweight and obesity, and type 2 diabetes."

The fallout of ultra-processed food exposure may be far-reaching granted the global shift in recent years from unprocessed and minimally processed foods to UPFs. According to the study, the present "share of dietary energy derived from ultra-processed foods ranges from 42% and 58% in Australia and the United States."

The study, involving experts from various top institutions, including Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Sorbonne University in France, relies on the definition of "ultra-processed foods" advanced in the Nova food classification system.

According to the Nova system, processed foods usually consist of a primary plant or animal substance to which one or more culinary ingredient — such as oil, butter, sugar, or salt — has been added. An ultra-processed food, alternatively, is not a modified primary material but rather an industrial composite of often chemically manipulated substances that have been extracted from foods, derived from food constituents, and/or cooked up in a laboratory.

UPFs appear in virtually every aisle in the grocery store. They include packaged snacks, soft drinks, instant noodles, sweetened cereals, packaged baked goods, frozen fish sticks, oven-ready pizzas, breakfast bars, and ready-made meals.

Researchers examined the findings of 14 meta-analysis studies published over the past three years with 45 distinct pooled analyses. In 87% of the pooled analyses, estimates of UPF exposure were obtained on the basis of food frequency questionnaires, 24-hour dietary recalls, and participants' dietary history.

Researchers found UPF exposure was consistently associated with 32 adverse health outcomes, including all-cause mortality; cancer-related deaths; cardiovascular disease-related deaths; heart disease-related deaths; breast cancer; central nervous system tumors; chronic lymphocytic leukemia; colorectal cancer; pancreatic cancer; prostate cancer; adverse sleep-related outcomes; anxiety; common mental disorder outcomes; depression; asthma; wheezing; Crohn's disease; ulcerative colitis; obesity; hypertension; and type 2 diabetes.

"On the basis of the random effects model, 32 (71%) distinct pooled analyses showed direct associations between greater ultra-processed food exposure and a higher risk of adverse health outcomes," said the study. "Additionally, of these combined analyses, 11 (34%) showed continued statistical significance when a more stringent threshold was applied."

Heart disease-related death, cardiovascular disease-related death, all-cause mortality, type 2 diabetes, wheezing, and depression were among the 11 adverse health outcomes that showed continued statistical significance in the face of the more stringent threshold.

The Guardian noted that evidence graded as "convincing" in the study indicated that higher UPF exposure was linked to a roughly 50% increase in cardiovascular-related death, a 48-53% higher risk of anxiety and mental disorders, and a 12% increase risk of diabetes.

"Across the pooled analyses, greater exposure to ultra-processed foods, whether measured as higher versus lower consumption, additional servings per day, or a 10% increment, was consistently associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes," added the study.

In a corresponding editorial in BMJ, a pair of Brazilian academics stressed that UPFs "are engineered to be highly desirable, combining sugar, fat, and salt to maximize reward, and adding flavors that induce eating when not hungry. Many are addictive, judged by the standards set for tobacco products, and aggressively marketed with meal deals, super sizing, and advertising."

The Brazilians suggested that investment management companies and manufacturers would "likely resist" efforts to control and reduce the production and consumption of UPFs. With the tobacco parallel in mind, the Brazilian duo recommended rolling out national dietary guidelines cautioning against UPF consumption; prohibiting sales of junk food near schools and hospitals; and regulating UPF marketing.

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'It was alive and moving': Woman buys box of organic spinach that turned out to also contain a frog



A Michigan woman purchased a box of organic baby spinach that came with a nasty surprise inside: a live frog.

In a report by FOX 2 Detroit, a photo showed the frog inside the box of Earthbound Farm baby spinach.

"My daughter was screaming. She was like, 'Oh my God, it's a, it's a frog," Amber Worrick said. "It was alive and moving," she noted. "Just thank God I didn't eat the frog."

The box says that the product is "TRIPLE WASHED."

"I don't believe that it's washed," Worrick said, arguing that if it had been washed, the frog would have been caught.

Worrick had purchased the product at a Meijer supermarket.

"The frog was carefully relocated to a new home outdoors. This product came from Earthbound Farms, one of the many farms Meijer partners with across the country to stock the freshest produce, delivered to our stores daily. We have provided the customer a refund," Meijer noted in a statement, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The outlet also reported that Taylor Farms, which owns Earthbound Farm, communicated the following message via email: "We are in direct communication with our customer partner and the consumer to express our apologies. Food safety and consumer experience are the top priorities for us and we are looking into how this happened and how this can be prevented in the future. Our organic farming practices help promote biodiversity and healthy ecosystems on and around our farms. We will continue to work tirelessly to provide the freshest, finest quality veggies for consumers."

Woman finds live frog found inside sealed organic spinach package www.youtube.com

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Trader Joe's announces recalls due to possibility of rocks, insects in food items



Trader Joes has recently issued recall warnings for cookies and falafel that might contain rocks as well as for soup that might be contaminated by insects.

The grocery chain announced that it had been informed by its supplier of Trader Joe's Almond Windmill Cookies and Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies that items with certain sell by dates could contain rocks.

The relevant sell-by dates for the Almond Windmill Cookies include 10/02/23 and 10/19/23 through 10/21/23. The pertinent dates for the Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies are 10/17/23 through 10/21/23.

"All potentially affected product has been removed from sale and destroyed," Trader Joe's noted. "If you purchased or received any donations of Almond Windmill Cookies and/or Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies, please do not eat them. We urge you to discard the product or return it to any Trader Joe’s for a full refund."

The company has also said that it was apprised by its supplier of Trader Joe's Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup that soups with use by dates of 07/18/23 – 09/15/23 might include insects.

"No known adverse health effects have been reported to date, and all potentially affected product has been removed from sale and destroyed," the company stated.

The supplier of Trader Joe's Fully Cooked Falafel has notified the grocery chain that the item might include rocks, Trader Joe's announced.

"We have been alerted by our supplier of Trader Joe’s Fully Cooked Falafel (SKU# 93935) that the product — sold only in AL, AR, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, Washington DC, and WI stores — may contain rocks," Trader Joe's warned. "All potentially affected product has been removed from sale and destroyed."

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Grocery chain president says theft and violence have increased significantly: 'And for politicians to blame businesses … for leaving is embarrassing'



Giant Food president Ira Kress said that theft and violence have risen significantly over the past several years.

"To say [theft has] risen tenfold in the last five years would not be an understatement," Kress noted, according to the Washington Post, which also reported that the man said that violence has "increased exponentially."

Giant has more than 160 locations, with stores located in Maryland; Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and Delaware, according to its website.

So far, the company has not shut down any stores, the Post reported.

"The last thing I want to do is close stores," Kress said, according to the outlet. "But I've got to be able to run them safely and profitably."

"We used to chase shoplifters," he noted. "And you'd get the product back, and nobody would ever fight you. … I didn't worry about somebody pulling a knife or gun on me [40] years ago."

"It's laughable for any of our politicians — and I've offered to meet and talk with any of them — to be ignorant to what's going on in their communities, in their jurisdictions, with their constituents," Kress said, according to the outlet. "And for politicians to blame businesses … for leaving is embarrassing."

Last year, the Post reported that police said a security guard and a woman shot at each other at a Giant in Prince George's County, Maryland. The outlet reported that police indicated that the woman had been "attempting to commit a theft" by stashing goods in her backpack, but when the security guard approached, she opened fire. The security guard returned fire, police reportedly noted. Both individuals ultimately died.

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Ground beef and chicken prices reach all-time highs just before Memorial Day



Ground beef and chicken breasts are more expensive than ever before and with all-time high prices that leave consumers with few alternatives some people may experience a meatless Memorial Day this upcoming Monday.

Bloomberg reported that ground beef and chicken are now retailing at historic highs of just under $5 per pound and over $4 per pound respectively. With Memorial Day serving as the unofficial start to the outdoor grilling season some grill enthusiasts might opt to order pizzas for the holiday instead.

The price spikes in meat come as inflation, in general, continues to spiral out of control, but in the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine agricultural products are experiencing additional price hikes. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has stalled crop exports in the Black Sea which has increased the global costs of animal feed.

Even the price for propane — which is essential for many grill owners to cook meat — has soared.

Michal Nepveux, a senior analyst of animal protein commodities at the risk-management firm Stable USA, said, “The inflationary environment is starting to take its toll. Instead of steak or chicken, we might have pasta or a pizza.”

The seemingly unending rise in inflation is having a considerable impact on how many Americans feel about President Joe Biden’s job performance.

According to a recent poll published by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Research only 39% of adults in the U.S. approve of Biden’s performance as president.

Overall, only about two in ten adults believe the U.S. is headed in the right direction or that the economy is in a good condition. As Americans grow increasingly frustrated with record high gas prices and historic levels of inflation, Biden’s approval continues to plummet. Notably, his approval among Democrats is also starting to slip.

Biden’s approval among registered Democrats currently sits at 73% which is down from 82% last year.

Only 18% of Americans believe that Biden’s policies have helped the economy more than they have hurt it.

Small business owners — who employ large swaths of the American population — are also feeling increasingly pessimistic about the economy. 57% of small business owners said that they predicted the U.S. economy will continue to worsen into the next year.

As inflation continues to cut into the profit margins of small businesses, the number of small business owners that are expecting their revenues to increase in the coming year dropped to 61% marking a steep decline from May 2020’s level of 79%.