Is this just a class thing or what?
Literally everyone I know understands that processed foods are less healthy than whole foods.
Some, indeed many, choose to eat them anyway. But this isn't like smoking in the 40's with adverts claiming it's good for you.
It seems a priori obvious to me, even. Does anyone actually think that chicken nuggets and chips are as healthy as a whole roast chicken with potatoes and butter? Anyone?
I'm skeptical about a lot of the research that purports to be studying "ultra-processed foods" because as far as I can tell, nobody can actually give a coherent definition of "ultra-processed", and I think that should probably be something that you need to do before you start to study ultra-processed foods to make sure that any effect that is observed is actually a result of the food being "ultra-processed".