Ultra-Processed Foods Are Facing a Reckoning: How Plant Cell Culture Ingredients Can Build a Healthier Food System

By Frank Jaksch, CEO, Ayana Bio 

A New Inflection Point for the Global Food System 

In late 2025, two events signaled a dramatic turning point in how the world views ultra-processed foods (UPFs). First, The Lancet released a sweeping report concluding that UPFs pose a public-health threat comparable to tobacco and alcohol. Soon after, the City of San Francisco filed a landmark lawsuit against ten major food manufacturers for the health harms associated with UPFs.  

Taken together, both developments point to the same conclusion: the food system is moving into a phase of rapid disruption. Consumers, regulators, and retailers are no longer satisfied with half-measures or slow reformulation. They want real, structural change in how food is made, preserved, flavored, and delivered. 

This shift is not theoretical. It is happening now. And it will reshape how companies innovate, invest, and compete, especially around supply chain security for food ingredients.

Against this backdrop, we see a clear path forward: plant cell culture ingredients for food offer one of the most powerful tools to help the industry transition from “ultra-processed” to “smart processed.” We define smart processed as foods that are convenient and delicious but also clean, nutritional, and scientifically grounded. 

The Lancet’s Message Is Clear: UPFs Are Not Just About Sugar, Salt, and Fat 

Historically, the food industry has framed UPFs as a nutrient-balance problem. The solution was simple: reduce sugar, reduce sodium, and reduce fat. However, The Lancet report dismantles this narrative and points to the need for real change. 

According to the report, UPFs harm health far beyond their nutrient profile. The risks come from: 

• The displacement of whole foods from global diets 

• Hyper-palatable formulations that drive overeating 

• Loss of natural phytochemicals 

• Additives and processing aids 

• Endocrine-disrupting chemicals from packaging 

• Altered food matrices that disrupt digestion and satiety 

Ultimately, this perspective challenges the long-held belief that “a calorie is a calorie.” The Lancet authors argue that UPFs should be viewed as a distinct class of industrial products, not simply food with too much sodium or sugar. 

In short, reformulation alone is not enough. The food system needs reconstruction. 

Disease Risk Equivalent to the Opposite of the Mediterranean Diet 

The Lancet report reviewed more than 100 prospective studies and concluded that high UPF intake is associated with increased risk of: 

• Obesity 
• Type 2 diabetes 
• Hypertension 
• Cardiovascular disease 
• Chronic kidney disease 
• Crohn’s disease 
• Depression 
• All-cause mortality 

Regardless, no matter how UPFs are defined, the magnitude of these associations is compared directly to the protective effect of the Mediterranean diet, but in the opposite direction. 

This framing is controversial, but public opinion and regulatory priorities are already shifting. 

Retail and CPG Response: Synthetic Colorants Are Disappearing First 

The first evidence of industry transformation is already visible. By late 2025: 

• PepsiCo launched NKD Doritos and Cheetos, removing synthetic dyes and artificial flavors. 
• Nestlé announced the phase-out of all synthetic food colorants in the U.S. by mid-2026. 
• Retailers like Walmart signaled similar commitments, including the elimination of multiple synthetic additives from private-label foods. 

Colorants were low-hanging fruit. They are visible, easily understood by consumers, and increasingly unnecessary. Nevertheless, this first wave is only the beginning. 

 2026 Will Be the Year Synthetic Preservatives Take Center Stage 

Looking ahead, synthetic preservatives will be the next “controversial ingredient class” to face pressure. Specifically, multiple trends are converging: 

1. Growing concern over additives and contaminants 
2. Rising preference for natural, recognizable ingredients 
3. Scrutiny of packaging-derived endocrine disruptors 
4. New litigation risk following the San Francisco lawsuit 
5. Increased retailer commitments to clean-label standards 

Fundamentally, long shelf life stability and preservation are core attributes of UPFs. Removing synthetic preservatives such as BHA, BHT, TBHQ, sorbates, and benzoates will force companies to adopt new ingredient technologies, not just light reformulation. 

This is where plant cell culture ingredients for food can help rebuild the system from the inside out. 

Plant Cell Culture: A Scalable Solution for Clean-Label Preservation 

Notably, one of the most promising natural alternatives to synthetic preservatives is rosmarinic acid, a powerful antioxidant and antimicrobial polyphenol found in herbs like rosemary and sage, rich in sage-derived polyphenols and bioactives. 

Ayana Bio produces plant cell–derived rosmarinic acid for preservation with: 

• No pesticides 

• No environmental contaminants 

• No supply-chain variability 

• No flavor notes that overpower food and beverage 

• No agricultural land or water burden 

• High consistency and purity 

As a result, plant cell-derived rosmarinic acid is an ingredient that provides clean-label preservation while supporting flavor stability and oxidative protection. 

As synthetic preservatives come under scrutiny, plant cell culture ingredients will play a central role in building safe, effective, sustainable, and scalable alternatives. 

“Smart Processed Foods”: The Future Beyond Ultra-Processing 

Realistically, the future is not going to eliminate the need for the convenience of processed foods. Today’s consumers need foods that fit their busy lifestyles. At the same time, they also deserve foods that support their long-term health goals. 

Ayana Bio’s vision is a food system driven by “smart processing,” not ultra-processing: 

• Food made with clean, transparent inputs 
• Nutritional quality enhanced with plant bioactives
• Preservation supported by natural compounds 
• Supply chains that are resilient and sustainable 
• Technologies that complement, not replace, whole foods 

 In practice, this next wave of food innovation includes: 

• Plant cell culture ingredients for food that add antioxidants, polyphenols, and functional benefits 
• Stable, natural emulsifiers and stabilizers 
• Natural colorants and flavor modulators 
• Botanical actives for sleep, cognition, stress, and immunity 

Of course, we will not eliminate processing. However, we can eliminate the harmful aspects of processing. 

Why Plant Cell Culture is the Right Technology at the Right Time 

Plant cell culture is designed for this moment—particularly when compared with plant cell culture vs. other food tech approaches that attempt to replace foods rather than improve them. It delivers exactly what the UPF conversation demands: 

1. Clean, controllable inputs:No weather, soil, or seasonal variability.
2. Scalable and sustainable production: Minimal land and water. No pesticides.
3. High nutritional value: Restores bioactives missing from UPFs.
4. Natural and Transparent: Full traceability.
5. A foundation for functional and “smart processed” foods: Meets consumer needs without reverting to legacy UPF models.

These advantages are enabled by advances in culture media innovation in plant cell cultivation, allowing precise control over bioactive production.”The industry is looking for a path forward, and plant cell culture provides it. 

The Stakes: UPFs Are Losing Legal, Scientific, and Consumer Trust 

The Lancet report asserts that UPFs are a major public-health threat. Combined with the growing wave of litigation, political pressure, and consumer skepticism, this creates an environment where: 

• Reformulation is no longer enough 
• Transparency will be mandatory 
• Novel ingredient technologies will be essential 
• Retail buyers will raise clean-label standards 
• Funding will shift toward companies enabling healthier processing 

Food companies that ignore these trends may face regulatory exposure, reputational damage, or declining consumer trust. The companies that respond proactively will define the next generation of food. 

Ayana Bio’s Commitment: Leading the Transition to a Smarter Food System 

At Ayana Bio, our mission is to rebuild the foundation of food ingredients using plant cell cultivation. Ayana Bio is committed to producing botanical ingredients that are: 

• Clean 
• Consistent 
• Safe 
• Scalable 
• Sustainably sourced 
• Compatible with “smart processed” food systems 

We do this because plant cell culture can deliver supply chain security that the industry needs. We believe that bioactives, antioxidants, and natural preservatives can help close the health gap created by decades of overreliance on ultra-processed foods. Plant cell culture enables this vision at scale. 

The Moment for Change Is Now 

Taken together, The Lancet report and the San Francisco lawsuit are not isolated events. They are early markers of a profound shift in how society views food, health, and industry responsibility. 

Going forward, companies that embrace clean, innovative technologies, including plant cell culture ingredients for food, will be positioned to lead as awareness grows around questions like are plant cell ingredients natural?

Ultimately, Ayana Bio stands ready to support CPG companies, retailers, and food innovators in this transition. Together, we can build a food system that is not only profitable and scalable, but truly health-promoting, sustainable, and future-ready.