"According to the study, which was published this week in the Milbank Quarterly healthcare journal, UPFs "share key engineering strategies adopted from the tobacco industry" which are designed to drive "compulsive consumption." The study found that common UPFs like soft drinks, crisps and biscuits are industrially produced in such a way as to optimize the "doses" of addictive ingredients and encourage overuse."
""UPFs are not just nutrients but [are] intentionally designed, highly engineered and manipulated, hedonically optimized products," it says. The researchers from Harvard, the University of Michigan and Duke University therefore recommend applying regulatory policies to UPFs similar to those which are now widely applied to tobacco. These could include clearer labeling, higher taxes, limits on availability in schools and hospitals, and restrictions on child-targeted marketing."
"The findings come two months after a UNICEF study published in The Lancet in December revealed the extent of UPF consumption among young children in 11 different countries. The study found that 10-35% of children aged five and under already regularly consumed sweet soft drinks, while 60% of teenagers admitted to having eaten at least one UPF product the day before."
Ultra-processed foods employ engineered, hedonically optimized formulations that encourage compulsive consumption by optimizing doses of addictive ingredients in products such as soft drinks, crisps and biscuits. Recommended regulatory measures include clearer labeling, higher taxes, limits on availability in schools and hospitals, and restrictions on child-targeted marketing. Food's essential nature and the difficulty of opting out of the modern food supply increase urgency for policy action. Global consumption levels are high: in developed countries over half of calories come from UPFs; 10–35% of children under five regularly consume sweet soft drinks, and 60% of teenagers reported eating at least one UPF the previous day.
Read at www.dw.com
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