Swedish dietary surveys link higher ultraprocessed food intake to poorer nutrition

by Margareta G. Kubista, University of Gothenburg

edited by Swati Mestri, reviewed by Andrew Zinin

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A higher proportion of ultraprocessed food in the diet is generally associated with poorer dietary quality and, among adults, a somewhat higher prevalence of overweight and obesity. This is shown by a study that also critically examines the concept of ultraprocessed foods.

The work is published in the Nutrition Journal.

The study was conducted at the University of Gothenburg in collaboration with the Swedish Food Agency, using data from the agency's national dietary surveys. The study population included adults (18–80 years old), adolescents (11–17 years old) and young children (1.5–4 years old).

The objective was to determine what share of the population's energy intake comes from ultraprocessed foods, while also highlighting the challenges associated with how such foods are defined within the internationally established classification system NOVA.

The NOVA system classifies foods containing additives, as well as certain industrially manufactured products, as ultraprocessed, regardless of their nutritional content. Consequently, this category encompasses a wide range of items, from soft drinks and cured meats to breakfast cereals and industrially produced whole-grain bread.

The study's results show significant variation depending on whether a broad or narrow definition within the framework of the NOVA classification system was applied. According to one classification, ultraprocessed foods accounted for an average of 45% of energy intake among adults, 52% among adolescents and 46% among young children.

Under a stricter NOVA-based classification, in which foods with ambiguous status were not counted as ultraprocessed, the estimates ranged between 23% and 29% of total energy intake.

"Ultraprocessed foods have received a great deal of attention in recent years, but the concept itself is a subject of debate. There is an ongoing discussion regarding the challenges of classifying foods as ultraprocessed and what aspects of a person's diet this classification actually captures," says Linnea Bärebring, a dietitian and associate professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Gothenburg.

What is clear, however, is that adults with a relatively high energy intake from foods classified as ultraprocessed had a less nutritionally adequate diet. A high proportion of ultraprocessed foods was also associated with a slightly higher body mass index in adults, a trend not observed in the younger age groups.

"We observed that those who derived a larger share of their energy from ultraprocessed foods also had a diet containing significantly more added sugar, but less fiber and whole grains. This is a dietary pattern known to be linked to an increased risk of conditions such as cardiovascular disease," says Torsten Sällström, a dietitian and doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg.

Adolescents with a high energy intake from ultraprocessed foods also had a diet with poorer nutritional content. In contrast, for young children, the intake of iron and vitamin E was higher among those with a high consumption of ultraprocessed foods. One explanation for this is that iron-fortified ready-to-consume products for children, such as cereal-based gruel and porridge, are classified as ultraprocessed.

"It would be unfortunate if parents were to avoid fortified porridge or gruel simply because they are labeled as ultraprocessed," notes Emma Patterson, a nutritionist at the Swedish Food Agency and an associate professor of public health nutrition at Karolinska Institutet.

Limiting the consumption of nutrient-poor, energy-dense foods, such as soft drinks, candy, baked goods, chips and processed meat products, has long been a dietary recommendation in Sweden. However, the Swedish Food Agency does not specifically advise against everything that might be defined as ultraprocessed, as this category can also include nutrient-rich foods.

Publication details

Torsten Sällström et al., Intake of ultra-processed foods in Sweden and its association with diet quality and weight status: cross-sectional analyses from three national dietary surveys, Nutrition Journal (2026). DOI: 10.1186/s12937-026-01408-5

Journal information: Nutrition Journal

Key medical concepts

Food, ProcessedEnergy IntakeBody Mass Index

Clinical categories

Nutrition & Healthy eatingPreventive medicineWeight management Provided by University of Gothenburg Who's behind this story?

Swati Mestri

Swati Mestri holds a bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering and has worked as a content editor since 2019. She has experience editing research documents across technology, health care, and materials science, and has a particular interest in technology and space. Full profile →

Andrew Zinin

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