In the 2023 book Ultra-Processed People, scientist and journalist Chris van Tulleken raises the alarm about foods manipulated to the point that they no longer resemble any raw ingredients – and, he says, designed to be addictive to their consumers. But it’s useful to remember that food processing didn’t begin with manufacturers’ efforts to make foods sweeter, brighter-coloured and more desirable than those of their competitors. Food processing has enabled the world’s increasingly varied, more nutritious menu over the past few hundred years by increasing shelf life – preventing food waste and enabling consumption of nutrient-dense foods all year round where this wouldn’t previously have been possible.

Canned vegetables are not the extent of it, of course: processed food has come a long way. Today it’s possible to buy foods that are enriched with vitamins and nutrients that can make them a beneficial choice. But “hyper-palatable” foods are also a reality: ultra-processed items loaded with ingredients that make them our first choice when we’re craving something sweet, salty, and moreish. And emerging research links increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods to a greater risk of long-term health conditions like cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.

Not all processed foods are created equal

Once you discover that any fruit or vegetable that’s been prepared for consumption in any way can be considered “processed” – even if it’s just been washed, or chopped in half – it becomes clear that the blanket term “processed foods” isn’t particularly useful.

The NOVA Food Classification system was created to sort foods into categories according to how extensively they’ve been altered. According to this system, a mielie just out of the ground with its husk still intact is not processed; washed and packaged corn is minimally processed; canned whole sweetcorn is processed; and factory-made flavoured popcorn is ultra-processed.

The nuance shouldn’t stop there: to understand which foods are of concern to those raising the alarm about ultra-processed foods, and why, it’s useful to look at nutrition more holistically. The NOVA scale is based on the work of Dr. Carlos Monteiro, a professor of Nutrition and Public Health. A 2009 piece by Monteiro in the journal Public Health Nutrition is often cited by those interested in the values, and lack thereof, of processed foods. In it, he makes strong statements such as, “Diets that include a lot of ultra-processed foods are intrinsically nutritionally unbalanced and intrinsically harmful to health.”

But how? It’s true that some processed foods contain nutrients of concern such as salt or saturated fats, or harmful amounts of such nutrients that would be unproblematic in smaller amounts, but this is not what places a food in the ultra-processed category. Critically, the NOVA system doesn’t take nutritional value into account, so it can’t be used as a tool to determine whether a food is “healthy” or not. A minimally processed food is not necessarily nutritious, an ultra-processed food might contain significant amounts of crucial nutrients, and a host of additional factors should be considered when making beneficial food choices. For example, an ultra-processed breakfast cereal that is wholegrain and low in sugar, with added vitamins and minerals, would be a better choice than homemade white bread with butter and homemade jam – because the latter would offer much less nutritional value, no fibre, and high levels of sugar and saturated fat.

Forget forbidden food

Habits and lifestyle are closely linked to the way we eat. According to Cindy Chin, nutrition manager at Woolworths and registered dietitian, there’s little to be gained by classing food items or types as “bad”, because this creates the concept of “forbidden foods” – all the more tempting, and potentially even a catalyst for disordered eating patterns. Chin suggests ensuring, instead, that the bulk of any diet consists of foods that fulfil your nutritional needs. Meeting these needs gives you a good chance of curbing your body’s cravings for the intense tastes of ultra-processed foods – an option far preferable to longing for foods that you’ve placed off-limits.

Ultra-processed foods might be fun for a moment, but they take a lot of the communal, cultural value out of eating. Even if what’s left isn’t physically harmful, it’s no match for a good meal with family and friends. Van Tulleken suggests, and Chin agrees, that “the best dietary advice is to base diets on fresh and minimally processed foods, and on dishes and meals made up from such foods with the addition of refined ingredients extracted from whole foods.” For many of us, efforts at healthy eating involve a lot of elimination, so the use of the word “addition” here is key.

You are what – and where, and when, and why – you eat

In short, the problem with processed foods isn’t that they exist, and the solution to health concerns isn’t to eliminate them, but to minimise these foods in your diet. Food is meant to bring joy, pleasure and satisfaction along with nutrition, so a holistic approach is needed: sometimes, enjoyment can come in a bright, sweet package, while other days, the most delightful meal is a nutritious one, prepared slowly, and eaten in good company.

Canned food recipes here

ALSO READ: 4 ways to think out of the bin when it comes to food waste

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“Everything’s so expensive,” has become a common refrain over the past few years of price increases that are, dare we say it, unprecedented. So, with the costs of everything from brown rice to real estate rising, you may not have noticed a particular price hike in the confectionary aisle. Economists with an interest in agriculture and food production certainly have, and so have chocolate producers.

Understandably, it’s big news that cocoa prices are now around 65% higher than they were just a year ago, reports CoBank, a provider of credit to US farmers and other rural borrowers. Then again, it may not have escaped your notice: the news made mainstream finance media as Bloomberg reported that cocoa prices had more than doubled in the 12 months before the article’s publication in April 2024.

How did this happen?

The situation has arisen from a few small but significant and interconnected factors: unusually heavy rain in West Africa (where most of the world’s cocoa is sourced from) and cases of dreaded black pod disease in the region mean that the region responsible for around 70% of the world’s cocoa output now lags well behind its usual yield.

After these natural disasters, the problem was compounded by erratic trading in cocoa stocks: from causing cocoa-induced chaos in physical trading, the price hikes then became a factor in the cost of futures (for those here for the food without a side serving of trading jargon: a contract agreement to buy commodity assets for a set price at a set future date).

Chocolate producers didn’t go into this situation in fighting form: many confectionary manufacturers had barely recovered from the recent surges in sugar prices before being hit with the increase in the costs of this other key ingredient. “Sugar prices now hover around their year-ago levels – and 23% less than where they stood in mid-November,” explains Billy Roberts, CoBank senior food and beverage economist.  He cautions: “Supplies remain relatively tight, and prices will remain high, just without the dramatic increases that continue to plague cocoa futures.”

We need to be more responsible

For pastry chef Motheba Makhetha, it’s time to take stock, metaphorically and literally. “I think that if you’re fortunate enough to work for a bigger establishment that can afford to still use – and keep up with – the fluctuations in the price chocolate, that’s amazing. However, no matter how big or small we are, we all need to make a conscious effort to be more respectful and responsible with all our ingredients,” she says. “It’s now important more than ever to respect chocolate in all its complexities.”

It’s this respect that drives the approach that Makhetha, winner of the 2023 Eat Out Cacao Barry Dessert award, takes to innovation and creation. “Eating out and having these amazing experiences is not something we can do as frequently as we did in the past,” she explains, “and that’s where I think being respectful of ingredients kicks in: we now have to find ways to utilise everything and become creative with off-cuts and waste. It’s high time we start glamourising being responsible – luxury can be made from anything and everything while being conscious of the effects of today’s economic climate.”

What can we do?

With cocoa prices likely to remain high until a new crop of cocoa comes to market, what’s a chocolate lover to do? Looking at the numbers, it’s clear that the answer is not “give up chocolate” – and anyone who’s surprised to hear that has perhaps never experienced a chocolate craving or met someone who has. Affordable luxuries do have a way of surviving trying times, and chocolate sales are showing the resilience that likely results from being a little treat that many of us feel we deserve when the going gets tough.

“Higher chocolate prices have yet to dissuade consumers, though that could change as costs continue to rise,” reports FoodDive. While this tentatively positive outlook isn’t all good news, the prognosis for the industry looks more like “limited growth” than “collapse and catastrophe”. Consumers do seem to be trying to economise in ways that don’t compromise their enjoyment: choosing different types of treats or swapping between their brands of choice to find the most affordable options.

Other shoppers seeking value for money in challenging times are simply stocking up: bulk-buying and watching out for special deals on favourite treats isn’t a new trick, but it may prove to be the most palatable way to preserve the ability to indulge affordably.

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