Efforts from different sectors against ultra-processed foods seem insufficient. The figures for overweight in Colombia continue to be discouraging and worrying. The consumption of these products is closely linked to at least two alarming data points: more than 50% of Colombian adults have excess weight, and 24.4% of children between 5 and 12 years old and 17.9% of adolescents are overweight.
The data on children, adolescents, and adults was provided by the 2015 National Survey of Nutritional Situation (ENSIN), which shows that the problem affects practically the entire Colombian population. Although these findings are not very recent, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) found that between 2000 and 2013 sales of ultra-processed foods in Latin America grew by 26.7%, demonstrating that a sustained change in eating patterns persists.
Ultra-processed foods are designed to be intensely appealing to taste
On the other hand, data from ANIF – Economic Think Tank shows that in Colombia, of the 2.2 trillion pesos collected from health taxes, 1.9 trillion come from ultra-processed products, reflecting their weight in the economy, and above all in everyday consumption. Faced with this scenario, experts insist on the need to better understand their characteristics and effects on health.
Ultra-processed foods are products made from multiple ingredients and additives such as colorants, preservatives, and sweeteners, designed to improve their taste, appearance, and shelf life, explains an article from the National University News Agency, adding that they are characterized by their high content of sugars, sodium, and fats, as well as their low nutritional value, which makes them a frequent but unhealthy choice in the daily diet.
“These products involve a higher degree of industrial modification and are usually designed to be intensely appealing to taste, but this formulation does not respond to nutritional criteria but to consumer acceptance,” Tania Yadira Martinez, professor in the Department of Human Nutrition at the National University of Colombia (UNAL), explained to that media outlet.
On the contrary, the result of their consumption is another: excess weight is a condition associated with diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, hypertension, and even some types of cancer.
Children, the main target of ultra-processed campaigns
The UNAL News Agency warns that marketing is one of the main tools used to promote the consumption of these products. The industry employs strategies such as advertising on television and social media, use of influencers, promotions, and eye-catching packaging, which increases their visibility and reinforces their presence in everyday life.
With these strategies, the child population has become one of the main target audiences. Academic studies indicate that sugary drinks, sweets, ice cream, and breakfast cereals concentrate a large part of the promotion in the market. PAHO warns that early exposure to this advertising influences food preferences and is associated with increased overweight and obesity, the article adds.
Additionally, Professor Martinez reminded that “before we were more in the countryside and now there is an effect of urbanization. This makes lifestyles faster and simpler foods are needed for consumption.” This change has reduced the time devoted to food preparation and has favored the choice of ready-to-eat products, displacing traditional practices such as cooking at home and progressively transforming the diet toward more practical and easily accessible options.
Although in Colombia there are regulations such as Law 2277 of 2022, which introduced so-called health taxes that levy sugary drinks and ultra-processed products with high content of sugars, sodium, or saturated fats, and establishes the implementation of front-of-package warning labels, experts consider that promoting healthy eating habits remains a challenge. Regulating advertising, improving school environments, and ensuring access to fresh foods are priority actions.