Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Food/recipes

For related content, visit our food content hub.

What is in your UPF-free pantry cupboard?

64 replies

HundredPercentUnsure · 02/03/2025 14:39

I've been slowly working on reducing and removing UPFs from our family's diet. Found some UPF in unexpected places like our old tinned tomatoes!

What UPF-free items do you have in your pantry cupboard?

OP posts:
HundredPercentUnsure · 02/03/2025 22:14

ImTheOnlyUpsyOne · 02/03/2025 21:12

For squash, I get Belvoir.
Recently picked up Elderflower Cordial in Ikea, it's nice and refreshing...if i remember correctly, that should be upf free

Ooh nice thank you. I can stick Belvoir on my next supermarket shopping list easy enough!

OP posts:
TwoLeftSocksWithHoles · 02/03/2025 22:22

partyboob · 02/03/2025 22:11

I tried Yuka once after hearing loads of people rave about how enlightening it is. It told me that soya yoghurt (with about 12 ingredients including some that I would consider to be UPF) was a better choice than plain greek yoghurt (1 ingredient).

People just need to read the ingredients list and make their own decisions. It's really not hard.

Oh bugger, you can't trust anything these days.

HundredPercentUnsure · 02/03/2025 22:27

TwoLeftSocksWithHoles · 02/03/2025 18:16

There's an interesting app called YUKA (icon looks like a carrot) and you can scan the bar code and it tells you if it is Excellent. Good, Poor or Bad and what it contains.

I've scanned everything in our cupboards, oddly Pom Bears are 'Poor' and kettle crisps are 'Good'.

It becomes a bit addictive, I've started scanning things in the supermarket now too!

I've not heard of Yuka before either. Does that mean the Yuka app is for rating nutritional content then rather than whether it's UPF or not?

OP posts:
tunainatin · 02/03/2025 22:32

Raw tomatoes chopped small work just as well as tinned for most dishes, that's an easy way to avoid the upf!

ghqpabks · 02/03/2025 22:41

Yuka is useful for explaining the risk of additives. I ignore the overall rating and swaps, I don't care about sugar and fat, I'm looking at additives.

MumofCrohnie · 02/03/2025 22:47

I don't expect we have anything earth shattering and are not completely strict but we do use:

Crosta and mollica wraps and pizzas
Mutti pasta sauce or the Heinz ones or some of the Lloyd Grossman ones are ok
Bhuna curry sauce by Lloyd Grossman
Bonne Maman fruit yoghurts and creme caramels as well as plain Greek yoghurt
Tiptree ketchup and mango chutney
Foraging fox mayonnaise
Haagen Daz vanilla ice cream
Kallo stock tubes and cubes
Tesco own cream cheese
Yorkshire provender soups
Ordinary butter in a butter dish kept on the worktop
We also have oats, pasta, lentils etc like everyone does
Panko breadcrumbs for homemade chicken nuggets

HundredPercentUnsure · 02/03/2025 23:12

MumofCrohnie · 02/03/2025 22:47

I don't expect we have anything earth shattering and are not completely strict but we do use:

Crosta and mollica wraps and pizzas
Mutti pasta sauce or the Heinz ones or some of the Lloyd Grossman ones are ok
Bhuna curry sauce by Lloyd Grossman
Bonne Maman fruit yoghurts and creme caramels as well as plain Greek yoghurt
Tiptree ketchup and mango chutney
Foraging fox mayonnaise
Haagen Daz vanilla ice cream
Kallo stock tubes and cubes
Tesco own cream cheese
Yorkshire provender soups
Ordinary butter in a butter dish kept on the worktop
We also have oats, pasta, lentils etc like everyone does
Panko breadcrumbs for homemade chicken nuggets

Edited

Great list, that's helpful and reassuring as we've got some of those too. I like the Crosta & Mollica bread sticks 👌

I tried the Bonne Maman fruit yoghurt last week (DH bought them as a little treat) and I found them so sweet! I think I've just gotten so accustomed to greek yoghurt it just hit my taste buds a bit too hard 😂

We've been buying Suckies yoghurt for the kids as no additives but I understand they're UPF due to flavouring still. Can anyone recommend a better / UPF free kids yoghurt (to complement the greek yoghurt we already use)?

OP posts:
HundredPercentUnsure · 02/03/2025 23:16

Lots of mayonnaise suggestions on this thread, thank you! We haven't tackled that yet 😊 (Stokes, Hunter & Gather, Foraging Fox)

Any suggestions for UPF free / low prepared mustard, other than English mustard powder?

OP posts:
MumofCrohnie · 02/03/2025 23:17

HundredPercentUnsure · 02/03/2025 23:12

Great list, that's helpful and reassuring as we've got some of those too. I like the Crosta & Mollica bread sticks 👌

I tried the Bonne Maman fruit yoghurt last week (DH bought them as a little treat) and I found them so sweet! I think I've just gotten so accustomed to greek yoghurt it just hit my taste buds a bit too hard 😂

We've been buying Suckies yoghurt for the kids as no additives but I understand they're UPF due to flavouring still. Can anyone recommend a better / UPF free kids yoghurt (to complement the greek yoghurt we already use)?

I think the longley farm yoghurts are upf free.

ItsMutinyontheBunty · 02/03/2025 23:32

I’m just getting started reducing UFPs. I don’t eat wheat anyway so I have plenty of home baking ingredients in. DD and I have been baking our own sweet treats. She loves baking and is enthused about helping me with this! I keep plenty of fresh and frozen fruit in, Greek style yoghurt and eggs.
Have you read/listened to Ultra processed people by Dr Chris Van Tulleken? If you haven’t, I’d recommend it. He says in that it’s more complex than the NOVA levels suggest, but a general rule of thumb is - does it contain ingredients you wouldn’t normally keep in your kitchen? Does it contain ‘flavourings’? If it’s either of those, or has a huge list of ingredients, it’s probably UPF.

HundredPercentUnsure · 03/03/2025 00:13

ItsMutinyontheBunty · 02/03/2025 23:32

I’m just getting started reducing UFPs. I don’t eat wheat anyway so I have plenty of home baking ingredients in. DD and I have been baking our own sweet treats. She loves baking and is enthused about helping me with this! I keep plenty of fresh and frozen fruit in, Greek style yoghurt and eggs.
Have you read/listened to Ultra processed people by Dr Chris Van Tulleken? If you haven’t, I’d recommend it. He says in that it’s more complex than the NOVA levels suggest, but a general rule of thumb is - does it contain ingredients you wouldn’t normally keep in your kitchen? Does it contain ‘flavourings’? If it’s either of those, or has a huge list of ingredients, it’s probably UPF.

I haven't read or listened to the book yet but yes that's the gist of UPF free isn't it, ingredients that you'll have heard of/recognise from your own kitchen shelf. I've been reading Tim Spector, he's an interesting one to read.

I think I'm trying to strive for a healthier balance if anything, as there are some additives like fortified iron or vit D in breakfast cereals etc that aren't in my kitchen cupboard but that are better for you than not, assuming the breakfast cereal isn't packed with sugar in the first instance that is.

I make a lot from scratch where I can, around kids (toddler and preschooler) and working. Here's what we use currently:

Mutti Polpa tin tomatoes
Heinz pasta sauces
Crosta & Mollica bread sticks, wraps and pizza (although more often I use greek yoghurt to make basic pizza bases with the kids)
The Sauce Shop BBQ sauce
The Sauce Shop Ketchup
Pip & Nut peanut butter
Meridian almond butter
Fearne and Rosie jam (or I make my own quick strawberry jam or apricot chia seeds jam)
Jason's Sourdough (sometimes I make a soda bread, less often these days though)
Kallo stock cubes
Kallo veggie cakes (lentil and pea!)
Merchant gourmet grain pouches
Plain greek yoghurt
Suckies yoghurts
Yoyo bears
Honey, maple syrup
Porridge oats
Wheat biscuits cereal
Malted wheats cereal
Alphabites cereal
And the usual things like dried fruit, tinned fruit in juice, tinned beans, pasta, rice etc.

I bake a lot of banana or apple flapjacks, oat cookies, scones, lemon and poppyseed sheet pancake etc.

Reflecting on our list here I guess we have already swapped quite a lot so we aren't doing too bad. Ive not actualy written it out like this until now I suppose! I've definitely noticed I crave processed foods less than I did 6 months or so ago which is definitely a positive. Maybe it's a mental shift, maybe it's a gut or palate shift, maybe both. Not sure!

Next area to work on:

Condiments and table sauces like mayo, mustard, chilli sauce etc and squash.

OP posts:
TwoLeftSocksWithHoles · 03/03/2025 04:44

HundredPercentUnsure · 02/03/2025 22:27

I've not heard of Yuka before either. Does that mean the Yuka app is for rating nutritional content then rather than whether it's UPF or not?

I'm not sure! There does seem to be differing opinion about the app, now I have looked into it a bit more!

https://www.behealthynow.co.uk/healthy-living/yuka-app-review/

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/food/a60600254/yuka-app-review/

https://abbylangernutrition.com/yuka-app-review-scan-or-scam/

PurBal · 03/03/2025 06:52

Love this thread and the resources.

All of the flour! For bread, sandwich rolls, pasta and pizza dough. We still eat dried pasta and the kids like white sliced.
Oats.
Dried lentils.
Tins of beans: pinto, black, butter, kidney
Tinned tomatoes and passata (controversial perhaps)
Herbs and spices.

Homemade chutneys and jams.

Currently looking for options for easy snacks because they tend to be my "go to" but also UPF. Children like nuts but can't have them in most environments.

@FedUpandEatingChocolate what flour do you buy? I'm worried I don't have the space for bulk purchases.

FedUpandEatingChocolate · 03/03/2025 07:03

@PurBal I have a local supplier who delivers huge bags. It goes in the bottom of our indoor larder.

FedUpandEatingChocolate · 03/03/2025 07:04

I recommend watching Tim Spector's and Zoe's Instagram accounts - they have videos with swaps for non UPF products.

AelitaQueenofMars · 03/03/2025 07:15

I stopped using Kallo stock cubes once they started using palm oil. The claim that it’s ’sustainable’ is conplete bollocks.

HundredPercentUnsure · 03/03/2025 07:29

PurBal · 03/03/2025 06:52

Love this thread and the resources.

All of the flour! For bread, sandwich rolls, pasta and pizza dough. We still eat dried pasta and the kids like white sliced.
Oats.
Dried lentils.
Tins of beans: pinto, black, butter, kidney
Tinned tomatoes and passata (controversial perhaps)
Herbs and spices.

Homemade chutneys and jams.

Currently looking for options for easy snacks because they tend to be my "go to" but also UPF. Children like nuts but can't have them in most environments.

@FedUpandEatingChocolate what flour do you buy? I'm worried I don't have the space for bulk purchases.

Currently looking for options for easy snacks because they tend to be my "go to" but also UPF. Children like nuts but can't have them in most environments.

@PurBal this is something I've been grappling with too! It's hard! How old are your kids? Mine are still very small and malleable in terms of accepting (most) of the snack food offerings I give them, they eat a lot of fruit, cottage cheese or cream cheese and crackers/bread sticks, yoghurt, bread sticks and hummus flapjacks, 'egg cakes' - a small round of tortilla wrap in a cupcake tin hole, with some chopped veg topped with whisked egg and a sprinkle of cheese, and I turn the leftover wrap offcuts into tortilla crisps at the same time. Or convenience snacks like some of the organix packet snacks, the cheese crackers - they seem to be fairly low. I put them in pots and call them mini cheddars for my eldest rather than give the visible packet of what eldest calls "baby snacks" 😂 Sheet pancakes too they freeze well and make a good snack with greek yog to dip in, quick to make too. Occasional yo-yo bears, too.

OP posts:
CarefulN0w · 03/03/2025 07:41

There's an instagram account called go upf free that I follow - they have some good finds. Some of my favourites are in the world food aisle.

MethusalahsMum · 03/03/2025 08:42

Mutti tomato ketchup tastes great. Glass bottle too.
Not easy to find so I stock up when I see it.

Stokes stuff tastes good & well worth a try.

Caspianberg · 03/03/2025 09:26

We make our own wraps. They are really easy, and cheap. You just dry fry and store wrapped in a tea towel whilst pile of them cools to keep pliable

We also bought taco press at Christmas and have been making corn based soft tacos.

I always make own naan and roti for with curries. And own pitta bread. All three freeze well so I usually just make a batch at once for convenience.

Can you get Alnatura products in the uk? I find them best for longer upf condiments and other basics

ghqpabks · 03/03/2025 09:36

We also bought taco press at Christmas and have been making corn based soft tacos.

Ooh this sounds good, tacos are my favourite

ScribblingPixie · 03/03/2025 09:42

intrepidgiraffe · 02/03/2025 21:07

Tinned tomatoes are generally not considered Upf - but people that are strict agree that the mutti ones or others that are 100% tomatoes (Aldi do one) are the best.

Yuka app isn't good for identifying Upf - open food is better, but better still to understand what makes something Upf rather than rely on an app.

This article including info on plastic liners in the tins is a downer though
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/best-and-worst-supermarket-chopped-tinned-tomatoes/

kungfoofighting · 03/03/2025 11:37

ScribblingPixie · 03/03/2025 09:42

This article including info on plastic liners in the tins is a downer though
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/best-and-worst-supermarket-chopped-tinned-tomatoes/

This is my concern – as I understand it, anything tinned is generally lined with plastic.

ShutUpForTheLoveOfGod · 03/03/2025 11:54

Caspianberg · 03/03/2025 09:26

We make our own wraps. They are really easy, and cheap. You just dry fry and store wrapped in a tea towel whilst pile of them cools to keep pliable

We also bought taco press at Christmas and have been making corn based soft tacos.

I always make own naan and roti for with curries. And own pitta bread. All three freeze well so I usually just make a batch at once for convenience.

Can you get Alnatura products in the uk? I find them best for longer upf condiments and other basics

@Caspianberg Have you got a recipe for the wraps please? All the one I have tried have been a bit rubbish (or maybe it’s me). We also have a tortilla press but found it doesn’t get them thin (or large) enough so I have to use the rolling pin as well, which kind of defeats the purpose.