Are NZ supermarkets filled with processed junk?

[Pseudonym]

Vice.com seems to think so. It's picked up a local story about a study Auckland University did recently, and taken the most extreme angle possible...

 

NZ supermarkets are totally monopolized by processed junk

 

 

As of 2013, some 83 percent of the packaged foods available in the nation’s stores were in the “ultra-processed” category. And worse yet, the brands making them had a virtual monopoly. For instance, although more than 300 breakfast cereals were available, almost a third were made by just two major food brands, including Kellogg’s.

 

“This study observed many variations of virtually the same product,” Waterlander explained in the statement. “The ten largest food manufacturers produced 35 percent of all packaged foods available.”

 

Our own media is at least presenting a slightly more balanced angle. Here's Radio NZ's version of the story... http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/280056/%27supermarket-food-largely-unhealthy%27

 

I think the point that everyone's missing is that the study focused on packaged foods - so obviously they're going to be processed!

 

But what do you reckon... do we have a problem?

[Rebel101]

Actually mainly yes they are.

I do my shopping exclusively from the outside edges of the supermarket and never venture to the inside isles

[Katipo]

Pretty much the only unprocessed part of the supermarket is the fruit/vege section, and the meat section. In the rest you have the fizzy drink aisle, the baking goods and jams/spreads aisle, the confectionery aisle, and the cereal and pasta aisle, plus all the rest.

[Skeletor]

I try and stick to the outside to but then I see the toffee pops and next thing I have 4 packets of biscuits and chocolate milk. Generally the healthier foods are on the outer ring. Vegies, meat,nuts, milk and cheese. Learning to divert to the rice and pasta without seeing shit food you want is the hard part.

[Riccardo]

No, whats the definition of unhealthy and what is the evidence base that validates their measure of healthiness? Salt? Gimme a break, salt has long been shown to be harmless unless you already have some sort of cardiovascular disease.

[Pseudonym]

 

Study author Wilma Waterlander used Food Standards Australia New Zealand's Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion, and categorised food based on how processed it was.

 

So the NPSC takes into account things like protein and fiber and gives points for fruits and vegetables. Here's an overview guide... it's quite interesting.

http://www.foodstandards.govt.nz/industry/labelling/Documents/Short-guide-for-industry-to-the-NPSC.pdf

 

But it doesn't seem to categorise food based on processing, so I guess that's what the study authors applied themselves.

 

It found about 84 percent of them were ultra-processed, a term used for foods that no longer bear any resemblance to their original ingredients, which includes biscuits, chocolate and pizza.

And if that's their definition for ultra-processed food, I wonder if that also includes canned tomatoes and frozen veges?

[Gym rat]

I pretty much stick to the outside part of the supermarket when I am cutting and only go into the the inner part of the supermarket to get frozen veggies or frozen blueberries and for when I am off season it can vary at times inner or outer depending on what I feel like buying at the time.

[Realtalk]

I pretty much stick to the outside part of the supermarket when I am cutting and only go into the the inner part of the supermarket to get frozen veggies or frozen blueberries and for when I am off season it can vary at times inner or outer depending on what I feel like buying at the time.

Freezers are on the outside of supermarket isles usually. You might have to change supermarkets before you catch some kind of inner Isle cancer bro

[Boosting]

At gardens new world they're in the middle.

Your post seens a lot like rebel101's post gymrat. As if you just read what she wrote then paraphrased it.

[_jco]

I hate this new fad of process food = bad food. I don't think there's a bad food. Only bad diet. If you mix it with vegetables and other micronutrient dense food then it's all good.

 

I also hate these 'natural' food these days. Or organic. Fucking hell, all food is organic. Unless we can make silicon based food instead of carbon lol.

[pyro]

I hate this new fad of process food = bad food. I don't think there's a bad food. Only bad diet. If you mix it with vegetables and other micronutrient dense food then it's all good.

 

I also hate these 'natural' food these days. Or organic. Fucking hell, all food is organic. Unless we can make silicon based food instead of carbon lol.

Its true though. The world has a huge obesity problem which has stemmed somewhat from the fad of having low fat products since it was believed that fat was the problem. In the last 2 decades we have ballooned up big time partly because everything has been substituted with sugar. All the artificial crap that's pumped into foods certainly isn't great for you.