Woe betide the fool who inserts themselves into the UPF debate. The battle lines have been drawn, the two sides entrenched, and arguments over the presence of xantham gum on an ingredients deck look set to rage until the end of time.

“The controversy stems from the fact that UPF is a processing classification, not a nutritional one, and that can create confusion,” says Nichola Ludlam-Raine, author of How Not to Eat Ultra-Processed and a spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association. “Some of the public debate has become polarised because people understandably want simple answers in an area that is actually quite complex.”