Ultra-processed foods and alcohol contribute to 2.7m deaths a year – WHO

WHO said 1.15 million deaths per year in Europe are caused by smoking, 426,857 by alcohol, 117,290 by diets high in processed meats

Overall, tobacco, alcohol, UPF food and fuel industries are wholly or partly responsible for 2.7 million deaths per year in Europe, according to the document. File picture: David Jones/PA Wire

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs), alcohol, tobacco and fossil fuels are killing 2.7 million people every year across Europe, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Experts said “powerful industries” are driving ill health and premature death because they interfere in government policies and efforts to cut cases of cancer, heart disease and diabetes.