Sensory-Related Industrial Additives in the US Packaged Food Supply

Background: Increasing evidence suggests that ultra-processed foods (UPFs) lead to elevated risk of obesity-related conditions, but UPF measurement has been criticized for its subjectivity and lack of clarity on biological mechanism. Sensory-related industrial additives (SRIAs) are a defining feature of UPFs and may encourage overconsumption by enhancing the sensory quality of foods. However, practical challenges have prevented systematic incorporation of SRIAs into UPF measurement. Objective: The objectives of this work were to describe a new, open-source ingredient list search method and to apply this method to describe the presence of SRIAs in US packaged foods. Methods: We developed computer coding to search for 64 common SRIAs related to sweetness, flavor, appearance, and texture in 241,688 foods in the US Branded Food Products Database (BFPD). The BFPD includes manufacturer-provided ingredient lists for ~300,000 branded and private label food items. We determined the total number of SRIAs (0–64) and the number of different types of SRIAs (sweetness, flavor, appearance, texture, 0–4) in each food, then calculated the percent of all foods with SRIAs. This was done for all foods, and by food group for 224,098 items with food group data. Results: Most (64.9%) foods in the BFPD contained at least one SRIA, and more than a third had at least three. Sweets (89.5%), beverages (84.9%), and ready-to-eat (RTE) foods (82.0%) were the most likely to contain SRIAs. With respect to SRIA types, 25.7% of all food items had at least three of the four types of SRIAs examined, with texture-related additives being the most common. Among sweets, 20% had all four types of SRIAs. Discussion: This work confirms the high prevalence of SRIAs in US packaged foods. They are ubiquitous in sweets, beverages, and RTE foods, but also present in substantial proportions of other food groups. Quantifying the presence of SRIAs in ingredient lists offers a novel way to identify UPFs for research; to distinguish more vs. less ultra-processed foods; and to test whether UPFs increase risk for obesity-related conditions through additives that enhance the product's sensory qualities.