Connecting ultra-processed food, environment, and public health

Background

Highly processed foods dominate Norwegian diets, contributing nearly 60% of energy intake. Yet their combined effects on health, eating behaviour, and sustainability remain poorly understood.

In recent years, food processing has gained significant attention due to its potential impacts on public health, environmental sustainability, and social well-being. Understanding those is crucial for empowering consumers in their choices and supporting authorities in prioritizing public health and sustainability.

This project addresses the urgent need to uncover how sensory properties and external food environments drive overconsumption and contribute to environmental impact. The project aims to inform strategies for healthier and more sustainable food systems.

Objectives

The main goal is to better understand how eating highly processed food is linked to the environment, climate and public health in Norway.

In the project, we will find out which highly processed foods are most relevant for the Norwegian context (e.g. volume consumed, higher impact on health and environment, cosmetic additive content, intensive processes). We will look at their taste, texture and role in eating behaviour and assess their nutritional quality and possible health effects.

In addition, we will study how these foods affect the environment and society, and map both physical and digital food environments. In the end, we will suggest strategies for making the food system healthier and more sustainable.

What we do

To achieve FoodLink’s goal, we combine cutting-edge research on food properties, consumer behavior, health, and sustainability. We will:

• Study sensory properties of foods – Nofima’s trained sensory panel will analyze texture and other characteristics of selected highly processed foods to understand how these influence eating behavior and satiety.
• Investigate consumer behavior – Large-scale surveys and behavioral studies will reveal how texture sensitivity, eating rate, and food choices relate to overconsumption.
• Map food environments – We will document physical and digital food environments, including retail spaces and online platforms, to understand how availability and communication shape consumer decisions.
• Link data across domains – Using advanced multivariate analysis and machine learning, Nofima will integrate sensory, nutritional, and environmental data to uncover connections between food, health, and sustainability.
• Engage stakeholders – Through workshops and co-creation activities, we will ensure that findings translate into practical recommendations for healthier and more sustainable food systems.

Nofima leads the project and contribute our expertise in sensory science, consumer research, and data integration. Learn more about our sensory panel:

Contact

Paula Varela-Tomasco

Senior Scientist
+47 64 97 01 25