There is reportedly widespread negativity towards the concept of ‘processed food’, yet limited analysis of how it is represented in everyday language. This study examined how processed food was constructed on the social media network Twitter (since rebranded as X), October–December 2018. Tweets were collected using the Keyhole platform. Tweets in English with the highest engagement (≥ 100 retweets and/or likes; n = 87) were examined using discourse analysis, drawing on the discourse‐historical approach. The analysis explored the use of discursive strategies including how processed food is named, characterised and which arguments are employed in tweets. Some tweets explicitly made sweeping statements, advocating the exclusion of ‘all’ processed foods. Processed carbohydrates/sugar and processed meat were frequent topics. ‘Processed’ was used as a verb/adjective, for example, to indicate the level of processing, or in relation to other descriptors such as junk or chemicals. Among tweets with high engagement, processed food was frequently described using negative language and positioned as a danger or threat, specifically to health and well‐being. Conspiracy theories regarding the food and pharmaceutical industry were often invoked, which may indicate distrust towards the intentions of the food industry. The findings suggest that companies and science communicators need to ensure their messaging is clear and as transparent as possible.
Sadler et al. (Thu,) studied this question.