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Call for papersNutrition and public health

Call for Papers: Ultra-processed food and health: evidence, mechanisms, and policy implications (BMC Medicine)

BMC Medicine’s collection examines the health implications of ultra-processed foods, the mechanisms involved and the policy response. This guide covers topic areas consistent with that scope, fit checks for manuscripts and points to confirm before submission.

Pubrica InsightsEditorial team, reviewed by a subject specialist
Deadline
11 January 2027
Last checked
10 November 2026
Reading time
5 min
Sources
1
Submit through the official call

Key dates

Manuscript deadline
11 January 2027
Details last checked
10 November 2026
Open the official call

About the journal

Journal
BMC Medicine
Publisher
BMC, part of Springer Nature
Call type
Call for papers
Scope
Health implications of ultra-processed foods, their mechanisms and the policy response.
Guest editors
Listed on the official collection page
Access and fees
Open access; an article processing charge normally applies on acceptance
Originality
Original work, not under review elsewhere; confirm on the official page

Topics consistent with the call

  • Cohort studies of ultra-processed food intake and chronic disease outcomes
  • Trials examining effects of ultra-processed diets on intake, weight or metabolism
  • Mechanistic research on food processing, additives, food matrix and biological pathways
  • Methods for classifying and measuring ultra-processed food consumption
  • Evaluations of policies such as labelling, taxation or marketing restrictions
  • Social and economic patterning of ultra-processed food consumption and health

Based on the published scope; the full list of themes is on the official call page.

Is your work a fit? Check before you write

  1. The manuscript addresses health effects, mechanisms or policy responses relating to ultra-processed foods.
  2. The food classification system and dietary assessment method are stated and their limitations discussed.
  3. Confounding by overall diet quality and socioeconomic factors is considered in the analysis.
  4. Findings have broad clinical or public health relevance, consistent with BMC Medicine’s remit.
  5. The work is complete, approved by all co-authors and ready to submit before the stated deadline.

Why This Call Is a Priority Now

Ultra-processed foods form a large part of diets in many countries, and their association with health outcomes has become a prominent question for clinicians and policymakers. Debate continues about causality, the mechanisms involved and how classification systems capture processing. A themed collection that spans epidemiology, mechanistic research and policy evaluation helps readers weigh different kinds of evidence together, and gives authors an audience in clinical medicine and public health interested in diet and prevention.

Who Should Submit

Academic backgrounds

  • Nutritional epidemiology
  • Public health nutrition
  • Food science and technology
  • Health policy and economics
  • Metabolic and gut microbiome research

Institutions and sectors

  • Universities and schools of public health
  • Government public health and food standards agencies
  • Non-governmental organisations working on diet and health
  • Clinical research centres

Article types commonly published in BMC Medicine

  • Clinical trials and other interventional studies
  • Observational studies
  • Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
  • Translational and mechanistic research

What the Editors Typically Value

  1. Studies that strengthen causal inference about ultra-processed food intake and health outcomes.
  2. Mechanistic research distinguishing effects of processing from nutrient composition.
  3. Methodological work improving the classification or measurement of ultra-processed food intake.
  4. Evaluations of policies or interventions that report effects on diet or health outcomes.

Paper Ideas You Could Develop

Processing versus nutrient profileA cohort analysis examining whether associations between ultra-processed food intake and disease persist after accounting for nutrient composition and diet quality.
Classification reliabilityA methodological study assessing agreement between coders and dietary instruments when applying a food processing classification.
Policy impact evaluationA natural experiment study evaluating changes in purchasing following front-of-pack labelling or marketing restrictions.

Your Plan to the Deadline

A suggested schedule working back from 11 January 2027. Adjust it to the stage your work has reached.

  1. By 27 Nov 2026

    Open the official collection page and the BMC Medicine submission guidelines; confirm the scope, article types and guest editors.

  2. By 11 Dec 2026

    Write a one-paragraph statement of your research question, design and the contribution your paper makes to the collection.

  3. By 21 Dec 2026

    Complete the analysis and agree the key findings, figures and tables with your co-authors.

  4. By 1 Jan 2027

    Draft the full manuscript to the BMC Medicine article type and the relevant reporting guideline.

  5. By 6 Jan 2027

    Circulate the draft to co-authors and an independent reader; revise for clarity, accuracy and completeness.

  6. By 9 Jan 2027

    Complete final checks: formatting, references, declarations, data availability statement and cover letter.

  7. By 11 Jan 2027

    Submit through the journal’s online system, selecting the collection, after re-checking the official call page.

What you gain from publishing here

  • Publication in BMC Medicine, reaching readers working on this topic.
  • A themed collection that groups your paper with related work.
  • Editorial and peer feedback that can strengthen the work, whatever the decision.
  • A peer-reviewed output for your CV, thesis or grant reporting.

What happens after you submit

  1. Submission: upload through the BMC Medicine online system and select the collection.
  2. Editorial screening: the editors check fit with the collection; papers outside its scope may be returned without review.
  3. Peer review: suitable papers are sent to reviewers under the journal’s review model.
  4. Revision and decision: respond to each reviewer comment and keep a record of the changes.
  5. Production: accepted papers move to proofs and open access publication, with the article processing charge set out by the publisher.

What the Collection Is Looking For

The collection is looking for research on the health implications of ultra-processed foods, the mechanisms that may explain them and the policy response. Consistent with BMC Medicine’s remit, suitable work may include observational studies, trials and other interventional studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and translational or mechanistic research. Authors should confirm accepted article types and any guest editor priorities on the official call page.

Read the call itselfThis guide summarises the call. Open the official collection page before you plan a submission, and record the date you checked it and the guest editors listed.Open the official call

Expert help

How Pubrica Can Help With This Submission

Pubrica’s subject specialists can review, write, edit, format and prepare your manuscript for this call, planned back from the deadline. You remain the author of your work.

Original research article writingManuscript writing from your data, structured to the journal’s article type and reporting guideline. Biostatistics and statistical programmingStatistical analysis plans, analysis, simulation code and statistical review of results. Systematic reviewProtocol, screening, data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment for review articles. Journal formattingFormatting of the manuscript, references, figures and tables to the journal’s guidelines. Cover letterA cover letter that explains how the manuscript fits the collection and the journal’s scope. Journal submissionPreparation of submission files and completion of the journal’s online submission system.
Go to the official call

FAQs

Questions Authors Ask

The published deadline is 11 January 2027. Collections can close early or be extended, so confirm the date on the official call page before you plan your submission.

The guest editors are listed on the official collection page. Check their research interests, as they help to judge whether your manuscript fits the collection.

A policy evaluation may fit if it addresses the response to ultra-processed foods and has clear public health relevance, for example through effects on purchasing or intake. Linking findings to health implications is likely to strengthen the submission. Authors should confirm the scope on the official call page.

BMC journals publish articles open access, and an article processing charge normally applies on acceptance. Check the journal’s fees and funding page, and whether your institution has an agreement that covers the charge, before you submit.

Sources

  1. BMC Medicine. (2026). Ultra-processed food and health: evidence, mechanisms, and policy implications [Collection call for papers]. BMC, part of Springer Nature. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://link.springer.com/collections/cgdfhihafg

How to cite this page

Pubrica Insights. (2026). Call for Papers: Ultra-processed food and health: evidence, mechanisms, and policy implications (BMC Medicine). Pubrica. https://pubrica.com/insights/calls-and-conferences/ultra-processed-food-and-health-evidence-mechanisms-and-policy-implica/

  • Ultra-processed food
  • Nutrition
  • Public health
  • Food policy
  • Chronic disease

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Ultra-processed food and health: evidence, mechanisms, and policy implications (BMC Medicine)Deadline 11 January 2027

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