Ultra-processed foods should be treated more like cigarettes than food – study
20 hours ago
- #food industry
- #public health
- #addiction
- Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) share similarities with cigarettes in terms of being engineered to encourage addiction and consumption.
- UPFs are industrially manufactured food products, often containing emulsifiers, artificial coloring, and flavors, such as soft drinks and packaged snacks.
- Researchers from Harvard, the University of Michigan, and Duke University highlight parallels in health harms and addictive properties between UPFs and cigarettes.
- Marketing claims like 'low fat' or 'sugar free' on UPFs are likened to 'health washing,' similar to deceptive cigarette advertising in the past.
- UPFs meet benchmarks for addictive substances, with design features that can drive compulsive use, though their harms are clear regardless of addiction.
- Lessons from tobacco regulation, including litigation and marketing restrictions, could guide efforts to regulate UPFs and shift accountability to the food industry.
- Critics caution against overreach in comparing UPFs to tobacco, questioning whether UPFs are pharmacologically addictive or exploit learned preferences and convenience.
- The adverse health effects of UPFs may stem from their contents or from displacing whole foods rich in nutrients, influencing regulatory approaches.
- In Africa, weak government regulation and changing consumption patterns are exacerbating health system pressures from non-communicable diseases linked to UPFs.