Alice Callahan

Yeah, so here in the U.S., about 70% of our food supply would be classified as ultra-processed. 70%, 7-0. That's right, yeah.

Yeah, so here in the U.S., about 70% of our food supply would be classified as ultra-processed. 70%, 7-0. That's right, yeah.

So that's a great question. I think Part of the answer is a business story. There's also a science part of it as well. I think the reason why these foods have come to dominate the marketplace is that they're made to be really convenient. They're shelf stable. They're pretty inexpensive.

So that's a great question. I think Part of the answer is a business story. There's also a science part of it as well. I think the reason why these foods have come to dominate the marketplace is that they're made to be really convenient. They're shelf stable. They're pretty inexpensive.

We saw them starting to enter the scene early 1900s, really take off post-World War II.

We saw them starting to enter the scene early 1900s, really take off post-World War II.

A lot of them allow us to create meals in just a few minutes. And so they've been very useful for people, right? And by the late 1980s... Ego wobbles from Kellogg's. Ultra-processed foods were already about 60% of our food supply. Well, already by the 80s, they were 60%.

A lot of them allow us to create meals in just a few minutes. And so they've been very useful for people, right? And by the late 1980s... Ego wobbles from Kellogg's. Ultra-processed foods were already about 60% of our food supply. Well, already by the 80s, they were 60%.

A lot of us can look back and say like, yeah, these foods were around at that time.

A lot of us can look back and say like, yeah, these foods were around at that time.

But something about the foods also changed in the 1980s and 90s. And this is something that we're just starting to understand. What happened was that tobacco companies, R.J. Reynolds, Philip Morris, bought up a lot of food companies. And they maybe did that because regulators were cracking down on the tobacco industry and they were diversifying their holdings a little bit.

But something about the foods also changed in the 1980s and 90s. And this is something that we're just starting to understand. What happened was that tobacco companies, R.J. Reynolds, Philip Morris, bought up a lot of food companies. And they maybe did that because regulators were cracking down on the tobacco industry and they were diversifying their holdings a little bit.

But yeah, they started buying companies like Nabisco and Kraft. And scientists have found that when they look at the food brands that were owned by tobacco companies, the foods that were coming out of those companies looked really different from the other brands that were made by other companies. In what way?

But yeah, they started buying companies like Nabisco and Kraft. And scientists have found that when they look at the food brands that were owned by tobacco companies, the foods that were coming out of those companies looked really different from the other brands that were made by other companies. In what way?

So the tobacco-owned products were much more likely to be something that scientists call hyperpalatable products.

So the tobacco-owned products were much more likely to be something that scientists call hyperpalatable products.

So this is a term that was defined by addiction scientists to describe a food that has high levels of at least two nutrients. It's either high fat and high salt or high carbohydrate and high salt or high fat and high sugar. So these pairs of nutrients, you wouldn't normally find a food in nature or like an unprocessed food that is high in nutrients. two of those nutrients at the same time.

So this is a term that was defined by addiction scientists to describe a food that has high levels of at least two nutrients. It's either high fat and high salt or high carbohydrate and high salt or high fat and high sugar. So these pairs of nutrients, you wouldn't normally find a food in nature or like an unprocessed food that is high in nutrients. two of those nutrients at the same time.

And scientists think that when we eat a food that's hyperpalatable, it just makes it harder for us to stop eating it. We want it more and, you know, we reach back into the package of Oreos for another cookie. And not all ultra processed foods are hyper palatable. These are kind of like two different terms, but they overlap a lot.

And scientists think that when we eat a food that's hyperpalatable, it just makes it harder for us to stop eating it. We want it more and, you know, we reach back into the package of Oreos for another cookie. And not all ultra processed foods are hyper palatable. These are kind of like two different terms, but they overlap a lot.