Ultra-processed foods have undergone extensive processing and contain high levels of fat, sugar, and salt. Growing evidence suggests that these foods play a dominant role in the rise of diet-related disease in New York City and around the world. This forum will define ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and assess strategies to reduce their consumption locally and globally.
Dr. Carlos Monteiro, a leading researcher on UPFs, will discuss the health evidence and describe some of the ways Brazil has taken on the challenge of reducing the consumption of these foods. Dr. Amos Laar, a researcher in Ghana, will describe the rise of UPFs in that nation. Short presentations, a Q&A session, and interactive discussions with forum participants will explore why the global food industry favors UPFs. It will also examine alternative strategies to control UPFs such as public education campaigns, product labeling, industry regulation, and public food sector support. To better understand this growing threat to dietary health, join us for this virtual Urban Food Policy Forum on July 16, 2020.
With contributions from
- Dr. Carlos A. Monteiro, Professor of Nutrition and Public Health, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil; Head of the University’s Centre for Epidemiological Studies in Health and Nutrition
- Dr. Amos Laar, Senior Lecturer, Department of Population, Family & Reproductive Health, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana
- Dr. Frances Fleming-Milici, Director of Marketing Initiatives for the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity
Moderators and presenters
- Dr. Nicholas Freudenberg, Distinguished Professor of Public Health at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy and Director of the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute
- Emma Vignola, MSPH, CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute Fellow and Doctoral Candidate at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy in Community Health and Social Sciences
