Please join us for the monthly program via Microsoft Teams (link and call-in information provided below). On the date of the scheduled meeting, networking begins at 6:30 PM and the featured program will start promptly at 7:00 PM.
JANUARY PROGRAM INFORMATION
John G. Surak, PhD will be presenting our program content for January 2026, and below is some background information on both the topic and speaker.
About our program topic:
Ultra Processed Foods: To Eat Or Not To Eat… THAT Is The Question:
It has been hypothesized that Ultra Processed foods (UPF) are the primary cause of a number of chronic diseases including: obesity, type 2-diabetes, autism, hypertension, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and cancer
UPF do not have a clear and widely accepted definition. This has led to confusing reporting of the issue in the media and differing interpretations within the scientific communities; and has also caused issues between scientists, politicians, and regulators.
In 2025, the FDA, and USDA Food Safety Inspection Service, were charged with developing a definition of Ultra Processed Foods. In September the comment period was extended until October 23rd. As of the date of writing this abstract, the FDA and USDA-Food Safety Inspection Service has not defined UPF.
One of the popular definitions was published in 2009 by Dr. Carlos Monteiro and colleagues at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Dr. Monteiro’s NOVA classification system divided foods into four groups:
- Group 1: Unprocessed or minimally processed foods
- Group 2: Processed culinary ingredients
- Group 3: Processed foods
- Group 4: Ultra processed foods
During the presentation, we will take a look into Ultra Processed Foods. Our journey will include critically assessing the current status of the UPF and consider whether we should eat UPF, limit our intake of UPF or eliminate UPF from the diet.
About our speaker:
John G. Surak, PhD is principal of John Surak and Associates, a full-service food safety and quality consulting service. He works with the food processing industry to develop food safety management systems, design and implement process control systems, and implement Six Sigma and business analytics systems. Dr. Surak, with more than 50 years of experience, has worked with industry and governmental agencies to apply the principles of quality and food safety management.
Dr. Surak has held industrial positions including serving as vice president of quality and food safety for the Brooks Food Group. Dr. Surak is a Professor Emeritus at Clemson University. In 2015, he was awarded the ASQ Freund-Marquardt Medal for his contributions to ISO food safety standards.