It started with a jelly snake. I had been handing out a single jelly snake to each girl in my daughter’s little athletics team at the end of the sessions I was age manager for (a role I share, alternating weeks with another mum).

My decision to hand out the lolly was innocuous enough, I thought. But the real bite was in what it represented – an issue that impacts all of us.

Feeding food anxiety with jelly snakes.Credit: iStock

One afternoon, as I handed out one jelly snake to each girl, a mother marched towards me, demanding to know what was the occasion. I was stumped. There was no “occasion”, it was simply a small reward for some cooked kids who had spent an hour and a half in the blazing sun running, jumping and throwing after a long day at school.

Visibly angry, the other mum turned on her heel, taking the jelly snake from her daughter’s hand. Later, she lodged a formal complaint about my actions with the club. She wanted to know what was the club’s junk food policy and why her child was being given a lolly every week.

Initially, I felt bad for the girl but also for being presumptuous. After all, different families have different rules and attitudes – I had never intended to be disrespectful.

Still, I couldn’t help but feel there was a broader picture at play: namely, how we digest (excuse the pun) the growing evidence that ultra-processed foods are detrimental to our health, while still cultivating a healthy attitude towards unhealthy foods.

At the end of February, the world’s largest review involving almost 10 million people around the world found that ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are associated with an increased risk of 32 adverse health outcomes including cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, obesity, sleep problems and mental disorders such as depression and anxiety.

And it wasn’t just sweets like jelly snakes, UPFs include pre-packed bread and baked goods, cereals, snacks, many nut milks, sugary drinks, processed meats, sweetened yoghurts, soups, sauces and ready-made meals. They are all foods that have been dramatically altered from their original state and contain various additives including emulsifiers, colours, flavours, thickeners and sweeteners.