Ultra-Processed Foods: Risks and Concerns Assessing the Adequacy of the EU Regulatory Framework for Food Quality and Safety.

Over the past few decades, the term ultra-processed foods (UPFs) has gained increasing attention in public health policy, due to growing evidence associating their consumption with a higher risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Targeting UPFs in public health policy may present valuable opportunities, as the concept of ultra-processed food encompasses multiple dimensions of food quality and safety. However, there is currently no EU regulatory framework that specifically addresses this category, and the adequacy of existing legislation in targeting the related quality and safety challenges remains unclear. This thesis aims to assess the adequacy of the EU regulatory framework for food quality and safety in relation to UPFs. Chapter 1 provides a review of the concept of UPFs and examines their main safety and quality characteristics. The analysis relies on the framework presented in the FAO ERC/04/REP, which distinguishes four dimensions of food quality—safety, authenticity, expected, and desirable characteristics—and was chosen as it is adopted by the KC-FFQ. Chapter 2 applies the same framework to the analysis of EU food law and legal literature, identifying gaps, particularly in how food law addresses the dimensions linked to UPF overconsumption. Chapter 3 analyses specific legal acts through keywords referring to these dimensions. Overall, the findings indicate that EU legislation does not adequately address UPF-related quality issues, especially those contributing to overconsumption. The conclusions reflect on possible future developments to improve regulation on UPFs at EU level.