Is Ultra Processed Food Actually Designed to be Real Food?

Written by Jordan Kaplan

When you go into any convenient or grocery store, what do you see? Personally, I’m enticed to purchase as much as possible when I walk down the isles and see hundreds of products with bright colors. Millions of people buy these products for the purpose of consumption. However, are they really designed to be food humans can eat?

Many of the items on grocery store shelves are ultra processed. Ultra processed food is an artificial food creation from several different extractions and chemicals designed to emulate food with the ideal flavors and textures. Over the last 50 years, ultra processed foods have risen in popularity, bombarding shelves at supermarkets and being the dominant option for most consumers. They became popular in the 1980s and never looked back. Ultra processed food is engineered food that has industrial formulas to create them. They contain additives, enhanced flavors, and emulsifiers. They’re purposely engineered to have consumers love the taste and want more. These items have chemicals one can’t pronounce, and, more importantly, shouldn’t consume. Estimations show that currently ultra processed foods contribute around 60% of the daily calorie intake for adults, and more for children. 

I argue that these “foods” are designed to be addictive. The items are created to match the bliss point. The bliss point is the optimal level of salt, sugar, and fat. By perfecting this equation, consumers become obsessed. 

The big corporations that create these items are solely focused on their profits, instead of the consumers’ health. It’s just a business for them, not a dedication to feeding people authentically. They market the packaging with bright colors and images to have them pop out on the isles. The corporations simply want sales of their products, and they’re willing to make sacrifices to reach that goal. These items have longer shelf lives. One of the biggest issues is that they’re more affordable than organic, non-processed items. This is purposeful and because they cost way less to produce. It then makes it easier for people to buy these items instead. This all feeds into the loop of eating more of it. 

I believe a very significant piece of media discussing this issue was the Fed Up Documentary back in 2014. Over 10 years ago, people were making claims about the issues of ultra processed foods on young children. Yet, there’s been little regulation put in place, and the problem continues to grow. There has been some action like regulating school cafeteria food and banning food dyes in the upcoming years. But, there needs to be stronger action. 

Something I found very interesting in the last couple weeks was a recent interview from David Kessller. Kessler is a former FDA Commissioner who led the anti-tobacco movement decades ago. He actually made a stark comparison between ultra processed foods and tobacco, arguing that the ultra processed food issue is bigger because more people consume it than tobacco. He also argued that it’s addictive. Maybe his biggest statement was “biology was never intended to handle” (ultra processed foods). These are big claims coming from a credible individual. 

There needs to be more regulations and laws put in place to combat the issues of ultra processed foods. There are some regulations from the FDA like the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that serve to protect consumers. However they’re not strong enough against the big corporations. This means that corporations can include additives and preservatives on their own merit. It’s important we focus on the right next steps of implementing stricter regulations on what can be produced to move away from ultra processed foods, and move in the right direction of eating natural foods.