Ultra-processed foods in institutional food services: what are diners eating?

Introduction. Frequent use of ultra-processed foods (UPF) leads to poor health outcomes, and the population must avoid their consumption. Objective. To assess the occurrence of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in culinary lunch menus from various institutional food services. Materials and methods. Over one month, the five institutional food services analyzed served 1,128 culinary preparations; and a total of 3,863 ingredients were classified according to the extent and purpose of processing using the NOVA classification system. Associations between the occurrence of UPFs and the type, size, and management of food service establishments were analyzed. Five institutional food services in three municipalities (Bauru, Limeira, and Campinas), Brazil. Results. We found 8.4 % up to 12.6 % UPF ingredients used in culinary preparations. The highest frequency of UPFs was associated with private cafeterias (p = 0.002). Most UPFs were part of the recipe or the main ingredient in protein dishes and desserts (p < 0.05) and in university and hospital food services, respectively. UPF use was associated with food service size and type of management (p ≤ 0.003) and was more prevalent in protein dishes (p = 0.003) and large-size institutional food services (28.8 %). Self-managed units (p = 0.03) also use high amounts of UPFs in protein dishes (20.3 %). Conclusions. The presence of UPF rounded 10%; the validity of this value needs further studies. There are no comparative data in the scientific literature regarding the use of these ingredients in institutional food service culinary preparations. Therefore, it is necessary to stimulate reflection to promote healthy food habits and adequate nutrition for diners.