The Guardian is reaching out to parents, carers, and young people across the United Kingdom to share their personal concerns and experiences regarding the prevalence of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in their diets.
What Are Ultra-Processed Foods and Why the Concern?
Ultra-processed foods are industrial formulations typically containing five or more ingredients, including substances not commonly used in home cooking like emulsifiers, sweeteners, and artificial colours. These products, which range from packaged snacks and sugary cereals to ready meals and soft drinks, are often high in fat, sugar, and salt while being low in essential nutrients like fibre.
Mounting scientific research links high consumption of ultra-processed foods to serious health outcomes. Studies associate them with an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. For children and teenagers, whose bodies and eating habits are still developing, the potential long-term consequences are a significant source of anxiety for many families.
A Call for Personal Stories and Perspectives
The Guardian's callout, launched on Wednesday 4 December 2025, seeks to move beyond the statistics and understand the human stories behind the headlines. Journalists are particularly interested in hearing from specific groups about their daily struggles and observations.
For parents and carers, the inquiry focuses on several key challenges:
- The difficulty of avoiding UPFs when managing busy family schedules and budgets.
- Concerns about the effects of food additives and processing on children's behaviour, concentration, and long-term health.
- The pressure exerted by pervasive marketing aimed at young people.
- Frustrations with the lack of clear, front-of-pack labelling to easily identify ultra-processed products.
Equally important are the voices of young people themselves. The callout invites those aged 16 to 24 to share their views on how these foods fit into their lifestyles, their awareness of the health debates, and whether the convenience and taste of processed options outweigh potential risks for their generation.
Shaping the Conversation on Public Health
This initiative aims to gather a broad spectrum of experiences that will inform The Guardian's future reporting on public health, food policy, and corporate responsibility. The insights collected will help illustrate the real-world dilemmas faced by UK households navigating a food environment saturated with processed options.
By sharing personal accounts, contributors can highlight the practical barriers to eating well and add powerful testimony to the ongoing national discussion about diet, health, and the food industry's role. The findings may also prompt further scrutiny of government policies regarding food advertising, school meals, and nutritional guidelines.
Those wishing to contribute their experiences can do so by following the official callout details provided by The Guardian, ensuring their personal stories become part of this crucial public health dialogue.
