Groundbreaking research has revealed that ultra-processed foods share more characteristics with cigarettes than with natural food sources like vegetables, prompting urgent calls for stricter regulatory measures. A comprehensive study from three prominent American universities has drawn direct parallels between the two industries, highlighting how both have been deliberately engineered to foster consumption and dependency.
Alarming Parallels Between Food and Tobacco Industries
The investigation, published in the respected healthcare journal The Milbank Quarterly, analysed extensive data from nutrition science, addiction research, and public health history. Scientists from Harvard University, Duke University, and the University of Michigan discovered that manufacturers of ultra-processed foods have employed remarkably similar strategies to those once used by the tobacco industry to evade regulation and enhance product appeal.
Researchers concluded that these tactics "collectively hijack human biology", creating products designed to deliver what they term a "just right" dose of reinforcing substances. For cigarettes, this substance is nicotine, while for ultra-processed foods, it's a combination of refined carbohydrates and fats engineered to maximise consumption.
Health Washing and Deceptive Marketing Tactics
The study identified concerning marketing practices that mirror historical tobacco industry strategies. Many ultra-processed food products feature claims such as "low fat" or "sugar free" on packaging, particularly on items consumers might mistakenly consider healthy, including packaged granola bars, sports drinks, and fruit-filled yoghurts.
Scientists describe this practice as "health washing" – a direct parallel to the tobacco industry's promotion of cigarette filters in the 1950s as supposedly safer alternatives. These marketing approaches create misleading perceptions about product healthfulness while obscuring their addictive properties and negative health impacts.
Mounting Evidence of Health Consequences
Evidence gathered from fifty countries now consistently links high consumption of ultra-processed foods to numerous serious health conditions. The research identifies clear connections to rising rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and various mental health issues.
Furthermore, the study reveals associations with neurological changes and metabolic dysfunction, including increased risks for conditions like Parkinson's disease. Recent estimates present a stark reality: one American dies every four minutes from preventable diseases directly associated with these heavily processed products.
From Individual Responsibility to Industry Accountability
The research team argues that public health approaches must fundamentally shift perspective. Professor Ashley Gearhardt from the University of Michigan, a clinical psychologist specialising in addiction and co-author of the study, reports that her patients frequently draw the same comparisons between their food and tobacco experiences.
"They would say, 'I feel addicted to this stuff, I crave it – I used to smoke cigarettes [and] now I have the same habit but it's with soda and doughnuts. I know it's killing me; I want to quit, but I can't,'" Gearhardt explained.
She added: "We just blame it on the individual for a while and say, 'Oh, you know, just smoke in moderation, drink in moderation' – and eventually we get to a point where we understand the levers that the industry can pull to create products that can really hook people."
A Regulatory Roadmap from Tobacco Control
The study presents a compelling case for evaluating ultra-processed foods not merely through a nutritional lens but as addictive, industrially engineered substances requiring comprehensive regulation. Researchers point to successful tobacco control measures as providing a clear roadmap for addressing the public health crisis posed by ultra-processed foods.
Recommended policy interventions include:
- Restrictions on child-targeted marketing of ultra-processed products
- Limited availability of these foods in school environments
- Structural interventions similar to those applied to tobacco products
- Potential litigation against manufacturers following the tobacco precedent
While reducing smoking rates stands as one of the most significant public health achievements of the twentieth century, ultra-processed foods continue to dominate global food markets virtually unchecked. The study concludes that applying lessons from tobacco regulation offers the most promising approach to reducing the substantial harm caused by these engineered food products.
Ultra-processed foods encompass not only obvious items like potato chips, candy, and frozen pizza, but also many products consumers mistakenly perceive as healthy alternatives. The research underscores the urgent need for regulatory frameworks that recognise these foods as potent drivers of preventable disease requiring systematic public health responses rather than individual behavioural change alone.
