ArticlePublic health nutrition2018
Household availability of ultra-processed foods and obesity in nineteen European countries.
Article in Public health nutrition, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 237 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
237 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 549 citations in OpenAlex.
- Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Cancer Risk: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.Journal of food science · 2026Pooled it
- A meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies of ultra-processed food consumption with DNA methylation in European children.Clinical epigenetics · 2025Pooled it
- Ultra-processed food consumption and metabolic disease risk: an umbrella review of systematic reviews with meta-analyses of observational studies.Frontiers in nutrition · 2024Pooled it
- Ultra-Processed Food Availability and Noncommunicable Diseases: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Ultra-processed food and the risk of overweight and obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2020Pooled it
- Biofortification of Vegetables with Iodine and Molybdenum for Healthy Nutrition: A Controlled Trial.Nutrients · 2025Trial
- Effect of a single ultra processed meal on myocardial endothelial function, adenosine mediated effects and cognitive performances.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Short-term effects of high-protein, lower-carbohydrate ultra-processed foods on human energy balance.Nature metabolism · 2025Trial
- The Results of Ultra-Processed Food Consumption on Weight Change: A Randomized Controlled Community Trial in a Health Promotion Program.Nutrients · 2025Trial
- Effectiveness of a minimally processed food-based nutritional counselling intervention on weight gain in overweight pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial.European journal of nutrition · 2023Trial
- No significant salt or sweet taste preference or sensitivity differences following ad libitum consumption of ultra-processed and unprocessed diets: a randomized controlled pilot study.Chemical senses · 2023Trial
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- Gluten-Free Diet: Nutritional Strategies to Improve Eating Habits in Children with Celiac Disease: A Prospective, Single-arm Intervention Study.Nutrients · 2021Trial
- Effects of thePublic health nutrition · 2020Trial
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- 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 · 2026Article
- Does higher food biodiversity in the Dutch diet lead to lower environmental impact?European journal of nutrition · 2026Article
- Article
177 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo assess household availability of NOVA food groups in nineteen European countries and to analyse the association between availability of ultra-processed foods and prevalence of obesity.
designEcological, cross-sectional study.
settingEurope. SUBJECTS: Estimates of ultra-processed foods calculated from national household budget surveys conducted between 1991 and 2008. Estimates of obesity prevalence obtained from national surveys undertaken near the budget survey time.
resultsAcross the nineteen countries, median average household availability amounted to 33·9 % of total purchased dietary energy for unprocessed or minimally processed foods, 20·3 % for processed culinary ingredients, 19·6 % for processed foods and 26·4 % for ultra-processed foods. The average household availability of ultra-processed foods ranged from 10·2 % in Portugal and 13·4 % in Italy to 46·2 % in Germany and 50·4 % in the UK. A significant positive association was found between national household availability of ultra-processed foods and national prevalence of obesity among adults. After adjustment for national income, prevalence of physical inactivity, prevalence of smoking, measured or self-reported prevalence of obesity, and time lag between estimates on household food availability and obesity, each percentage point increase in the household availability of ultra-processed foods resulted in an increase of 0·25 percentage points in obesity prevalence.
conclusionsThe study contributes to a growing literature showing that the consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with an increased risk of diet-related non-communicable diseases. Its findings reinforce the need for public policies and actions that promote consumption of unprocessed or minimally processed foods and make ultra-processed foods less available and affordable.
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Registered trials
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