Across the globe, the consumption of ultra-processed foods—such as soft drinks, snacks, and ready meals—is on the rise, even though there is substantial evidence pointing to their detrimental health effects.
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) comprise approximately 70% of packaged products available in supermarkets and an even higher percentage in convenience stores.
In our recent study, we delve into the strategies employed by companies that manufacture these foods, highlighting how they tap into human psychology to present their products as the most convenient and rewarding choices.
We demonstrate that UPFs are intentionally crafted to stimulate cravings and encourage overconsumption. They are marketed across all demographics, especially targeting children, presenting themselves as the most appealing and cost-effective options, despite their associated health risks.
Our attraction to UPFs is not merely coincidental. Manufacturers utilize a variety of techniques designed to enhance their consumption, often exploiting our cognitive, emotional, and behavioral tendencies.
Why Do We Continue Consuming UPFs?
UPFs represent the most heavily processed category of foods available today. According to the medical journal The Lancet, they are manufactured using inexpensive ingredients sourced from whole foods, mixed with additives, and ultimately contain little or no actual whole food.
These foods are heavily branded and promoted, with the majority produced by large, multinational corporations.
However, diets rich in UPFs are linked to a plethora of serious health issues, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer, chronic kidney disease, depression, and even premature death.
Our research sought to understand why we persist in consuming diets high in UPFs despite knowing their harmful effects. To uncover this, we analyzed the entire system involved in the development, production, and marketing of UPFs, focusing on the interplay with human behavior.
We reviewed a decade’s worth of research on food science and marketing concerning UPFs, collaborating with experts in these fields to create comprehensive system diagrams that illustrate their functions.
These visualizations, known as “causal loop diagrams,” highlight the positive feedback loops that drive this system towards its core objective: increasing UPF sales.
Our findings reveal a complex system composed of interconnected loops that incorporate aspects of human psychology and biology.
Products Engineered for Maximum Consumption
One significant feedback loop involves the use of addictive ingredient combinations, particularly refined carbohydrates and fats. These components activate distinct reward pathways between the gut and the brain. When consumed together, they create an addictive effect.
These ingredients can be mixed in various ratios to achieve optimal sensory “sweet spots,” maximizing pleasure and cravings while minimizing any negative responses.
Additional techniques include processing methods that suppress a natural sense of fullness or accelerate digestion, resulting in a transient sense of “reward” that makes us want more sooner.
Marketing Strategies for UPFs
Regarding marketing, UPFs are designed to be convenient in terms of storage and consumption, appealing to our perceptions of value.
A variety of promotional strategies aim to capture consumer attention, creating an illusion of healthfulness. Many strategies are specifically crafted to target children through associations with popular culture, emphasizing notions of fun and coolness.
Another feedback loop involves corporations collecting extensive data on consumer purchasing habits and online activities, facilitating targeted digital marketing on social media platforms. This approach effectively drives purchases, generating additional data that refines marketing strategies.
Overall, we identified 11 reinforcing feedback loops within our research, establishing this network as part of the UPF system that entraps consumers into purchasing and consuming more while sidelining healthier options.
This product-centric system also connects with feedback loops higher up the supply chain, influencing the economic and financial dimensions of global UPF production.
This understanding is crucial, as unhealthy diets and excess weight are responsible for 18% of preventable premature deaths and disabilities in New Zealand. Both risk factors can be traced back to excessive UPF consumption.
Regrettably, New Zealand has not conducted national nutrition surveys since the early 2000s, relying instead on data from similar nations like Australia to estimate that UPFs constitute about half of our energy intake.
Possible Solutions
The prevalence of diets high in UPFs is not solely a matter of personal choice or willpower; it results from a carefully designed system.
Our research highlights how this system particularly exploits children. International experts have recognized UPFs as a significant global health concern and advocate for robust government policies to regulate these products and mitigate these mechanisms.
Other regions, especially in Latin America, have already implemented such policy leadership. New Zealand could benefit from following the examples of countries that have introduced taxation on UPFs and sugary drinks, regulations restricting advertising to children, strong front-of-pack labeling, and policies promoting transparency, such as public disclosure of lobbying activities in government.
Complacency is no longer an option. The food system requires rebalancing to ensure it serves and nourishes current and future generations.
The authors acknowledge the research contribution by Dr. Joshua Clark.
