In a groundbreaking review published in The Milbank Quarterly, researchers from Harvard, the University of Michigan, and Duke University have drawn a startling parallel: ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are not just “unhealthy” snacks—they are industrially engineered substances designed to hijack the human brain in the same way as cigarettes.
The study argues that products like soda, sweetened cereals, and packaged snacks share more in common with tobacco than they do with whole foods like fruits or vegetables. By analyzing the engineering, marketing, and biological impact of these products, scientists are calling for a radical shift in how we regulate the modern food environment.
The Engineering of Addiction
According to lead author Ashley Gearhardt, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, the food industry has spent decades optimizing products for “cravings, rapid intake, and repeated use.” The research identifies five key strategies the food industry borrowed from “Big Tobacco” to drive overconsumption:
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Dose Optimization: Just as cigarettes are engineered to deliver a specific dose of nicotine, UPFs are designed with a “bliss point”—the perfect ratio of salt, sugar, and fat to maximize dopamine release without triggering the body’s natural “fullness” signals.
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Delivery Speed: Many UPFs are “predigested” by industrial processing. By stripping away fiber and protein, manufacturers ensure that sugars and fats are absorbed almost instantly into the bloodstream, creating a rapid “hit” to the brain’s reward centers.
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Addictive Additives: Beyond calories, the industry uses flavor enhancers and “mouthfeel” agents to make food hyper-palatable. Some research suggests these additives may have psychoactive effects similar to the chemical flavorings used to make cigarette smoke less harsh and more addictive.
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Environmental Ubiquity: Much like the historical availability of cigarettes, UPFs are now everywhere—from gas stations to checkout aisles—making them nearly impossible to avoid.
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Deceptive Marketing: The study highlights “health washing” tactics, where companies use labels like “low fat” or “high protein” to distract from the industrial nature of the product, mirroring the “light” or “filtered” cigarette marketing of the 1950s.
Why Willpower Isn’t Enough
The researchers emphasize that the rise in global obesity and metabolic disease is not a failure of individual willpower but a result of a food environment that “collectively hijacks human biology.” Current data suggests that roughly 14% of adults and 12% of children meet the clinical criteria for food addiction, a rate strikingly similar to addiction levels for alcohol and tobacco.
By reframing UPFs as addictive substances rather than just “bad choices,” the authors argue that the burden of health should shift from the consumer to the manufacturer. Potential solutions include stricter marketing regulations (especially toward children), warning labels, and subsidies for whole foods to make them as accessible as their processed counterparts.
Sources and Further Reading
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The Milbank Quarterly: From Tobacco to Ultra-processed Food: How Industry Engineering Fuels the Epidemic
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University of Michigan News: Ultra-processed foods have addictive qualities similar to tobacco
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The Guardian: Ultra-processed foods should be treated more like cigarettes than food
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National Geographic: Are ultra-processed foods as addictive as cigarettes?
