{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 2002000,
        "msgid": "expert-food-quality-cannot-be-judged-solely-by-processing-levels-1790334515",
        "date": "2026-09-25 17:08:03",
        "title": "Expert: Food quality cannot be judged solely by processing levels",
        "author": "",
        "source": "ANTARA_ID",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Social Policy",
        "summary": "Food science experts from IPB University argue that the nutritional quality of food should not be judged based on the complexity of its processing stages alone. They emphasise that nutritional content, consumption frequency, and the specific purpose of processing must be considered to avoid misclassifying ultra-processed foods.",
        "content": "<p>There is no scientific basis to conclude that the more complex or\nnumerous the processing stages of a food product, the worse its quality\nmust be.<\/p>\n<p>Prof.\u00a0Purwiyatno Hariyadi, a Professor of Food Science and Technology\nat IPB University, stated that food quality cannot be assessed solely\nbased on the level of processing; instead, it is necessary to examine\nnutritional content and the objectives of the food processing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no scientific basis to conclude that the more complex or\nnumerous the processing stages of a food, the worse its quality must be.\nWhat needs to be assessed is what processes are performed, under what\nconditions, what changes they induce, and which quality attributes are\naffected,\u201d said Prof.\u00a0Purwiyatno.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking in Jakarta on Friday, he noted that while several studies\nhave found a link between high consumption of ultra-processed foods\n(UPF) and various health issues\u2014including a major 2024 review in the BMJ\nlinking UPF to obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, mental\ndisorders, and various causes of death\u2014this link cannot be directly\ninterpreted as processing being the sole cause. Nutritional content,\nformulation, quantity, frequency of consumption, and overall dietary\npatterns must also be taken into account.<\/p>\n<p>Food processing serves various purposes. He explained that heating,\npasteurisation, sterilisation, fermentation, drying, and freezing can be\nused to enhance safety, extend shelf life, improve digestibility, or\nproduce specific food characteristics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we need is not simpler labels, but information that is\nincreasingly specific and measurable,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the International Special Dietary Foods Industries\n(ISDI) has warned that using an overly broad UPF classification risks\nplacing products with vastly different functions and nutritional\nprofiles into the same category. Therefore, the context of food use is\nvital. Products high in sugar, salt, or saturated fats that are consumed\nexcessively should not be treated the same as products formulated to\nmeet specific nutritional needs simply because both undergo multiple\nprocessing stages.<\/p>\n<p>In alignment with this view, Prof.\u00a0Ali Khomsan, a public nutrition\nexpert from IPB University, stated that the debate regarding UPF does\nnot mean the public must choose between accepting or avoiding all foods\nwithin that category.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/expert-food-quality-cannot-be-judged-solely-by-processing-levels-1790334515",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}