A new analysis published in The Milbank Quarterly argues that ultra-processed foods (UPFs) — long-shelf-life, highly palatable, ready-to-eat products — have been, in some ways, developed and marketed by the food industry similarly to cigarettes.
Their value as foods is determined less by nutrition and more by their ability to stimulate appetite, create habitual consumption, and be eaten in large quantities regularly.
Essentially, UPFs are engineered using several key strategies reminiscent of the tobacco industry: optimizing the “dose” of flavor for maximum pleasure, delivering rapid sensory stimuli to the brain by removing the food matrix and adding flavor enhancers, widespread availability in consumers’ environments, and marketing tactics that convince people the products are harmless or even beneficial.
Researchers note that this design targets the brain’s reward system, primarily through dopamine signaling — similar to nicotine in smoking. Some highly concentrated sugars and carbohydrates in UPFs can trigger rapid dopamine spikes comparable to nicotine, reinforcing repeated consumption.
Ultra-processed foods are more than just fast food. They often contain a wide range of industrial, frequently synthetic ingredients and additives designed to maximize appeal while being nutritionally poor and potentially harmful to health. This manipulation of flavor and consumer behavior is linked to increased risks of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic conditions.
The authors suggest that UPFs should be viewed not only through a nutritional lens but also as industrially designed products with public health risks, requiring regulation akin to tobacco control measures: marketing restrictions, clear warning labels, and taxation of the most harmful products.
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