UPDATE

Understanding Processed Foods and Their Health Effects.

The UPDATE project aims to evaluate the relationship between food processing, nutritional quality and health outcomes (such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease). This will be done through two international workshops with invited experts.

The project also aims to establish a scientific network that will lay the groundwork for future randomised intervention trials of sufficient duration to inform our understanding of the chronic effects of highly processed foods (HPFs).

 

 

 

During a two-year period two international workshops will be organised with invited experts.

Workshop 1 (October 2025)

Expert workshop on the scientific assessment of current food classification systems and their impact on nutritional quality and health outcomes.

Workshop 2 (Spring 2026)

The next generation of classification of highly processed foods (preliminary title).

 

 

 

You will find publications here when they are available.

We expect to publish:

  • A comprehensive review of food classification systems and level of processing.
  • Two workshop proceedings with consensus statements.
  • The new generation of highly processed foods classification.

 

 

The UPDATE project is led by Professor Susanne Bügel, University of Copenhagen, who is leading the following two working groups:

A Management Group of scientific academics from the University of Copenhagen:

  • Professor Inge Tetens, Co-PI
  • Research assistants Lea Ellen Matthiessen and Beatriz Philippi Rosane
  • Research Coordinator, PhD, Louise Kjølbæk 

A Core Group of National and International colleagues

  • Professor David Ludwig, Harvard University, US, and Steno Diabetes Center, Denmark.
  • Professor Faidon Magkos, NEXS, University of Copenhagen
  • Professor Lilia Arhné, FOOD, University of Copenhagen

 

 

Professor Susanne Bügel

Head of Section, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

1. Personal financial interests
Last 3 years:

Honorarium from The Danish Food and Agriculture association (Landbrug og Fødevarer) for talks given at their annual FoodDay (about Bioavailability of micronutrients).

Honorarium from Lex.dk for texts related to vitamins and minerals (paid per word).

Travel and accommodation expenses paid by The Organic Food Quality and Health association related to board meetings; annual general assembly and conferences.

Accommodation paid by the International Vitamin Conference for attendance at the conference in Copenhagen 2023.

Next 2 years:

Travel and accommodation expenses paid by The Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrirtion Sciences to attend and speak at the International Nutrition Conference in Paris, august 2025. Talk about UPDATE and highly processed Foods.

Travel and accommodation expenses paid by The Danish Adipositas association in relation to their annual meeting in Aarhus, spring 2025 – talk about highly processed Foods and UPDATE.

Honorarium from Lex.dk for texts related to vitamins and minerals (paid per word).

Travel and accommodation expenses paid by The Organic Food Quality and Health association related to board meetings; annual general assembly and conferences.

2. Organizational financial interests
Last 3 years:

The Novo Nordisk Foundation, DK – the UPDATE project – by invitation.

The Danish Dairy Research Foundation, DK. Biomicro project (2023-2026).  Bioavailability of micronutrients in dairy/plants.

CoreOrganic/SUS+ cofoundation - SYSORG project (2021-2024): Organic agro-food systems as models for sustainable food systems in Europe and Northern Africa.

Ekhaga Stiftelsen, SE, INSUM  project (2021-2023):. Indicators for assessment of health effects of consumption of sustainable organic school meals in Eco Regions.

Next 2 years

No further so far.

3. Non-Financial interests

Board member for the Organic Food Quality and Health association – unpaid.

Member of the organizing and Scientific Committee of the International Vitamin Conference.

4. Interests of related parties

None.

 

 

Internal project members

Name Title Phone E-mail
Beatriz Philippi Rosane Research Assistant +4535329842 E-mail
Faidon Magkos Professor +4535333671 E-mail
Inge Tetens Professor +4535332127 E-mail
Lea Ellen Matthiessen PhD Fellow +4535331227 E-mail
Louise Kjølbæk Special Consultant +4535331462 E-mail
Susanne Gjedsted Bügel Professor, Head of Section +4535332490 E-mail

Eksternal project members

Name Title Institution
David Ludvig Professor Harvard University, US, and Steno Diabetes Center, Denmark
Lilia Ahrné Professor Ingredient and Dairy Technology, Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen

UPDATE logo

Funded by

Novo Nordisk Foundation with 3.93 mill DKK (approx. 527.000 Euros).

Project period: January 2025 – December 2026.

Contact

Professor Susanne Bügel, update@nexs.ku.dk