Ultra-processed foods account for more than 80% of food products for children on grocery shelves, according to findings by nutrition scientists at the University of Texas. The findings showed that half of these products exceed recommended levels of sugar, sodium, fat or calories.
The design of ultra-processed products and addictive behavior
The findings come amid research interest in whether some industrial products can cause addictive behavior, alongside the health risks associated with excessive consumption and intensive marketing to children. Ashley Gearhardt, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan, said these products were designed to affect the brain rapidly, intensely and repeatedly.
Gearhardt led a research review of 300 studies conducted in 36 countries, concluding that ultra-processed foods can be addictive. She said the issue is not linked to eating natural foods such as apples or brown rice, but to industrial products in which the proportions of sugars, salt, fats, flavors and texture enhancers are adjusted to increase their appeal.
Research published in 2023 showed that more than 70% of ultra-processed foods fall into the category known as “hyper-palatable foods,” which combine sugar, sodium and fat in formulations not found in the same form in nature.
The spread of addiction and its impact on school policies
Evan Forman, a professor of family and community medicine at Thomas Jefferson University, said food companies take advantage of deeply rooted human biological responses to these elements when developing their products. According to Gearhardt, 12% of children worldwide are addicted to ultra-processed foods, with the figure trending upward.
Her research helped shape a California law aimed at removing the most harmful of these products from billions of school meals by 2035. In another study by Gearhardt involving 1,600 American adults, ultra-processed foods high in sugar and fat accounted for more than 90% of the products most strongly associated with addiction.
The list included biscuits, cakes, doughnuts, candy, pizza and potato chips, as well as other snacks and ready-to-eat foods. Gearhardt attributed the products’ strong appeal to their high levels of fat, carbohydrates, starches and refined grains, giving them a high energy density.
Health risks and factors that increase susceptibility to addiction
They also pointed to links with an increased risk of cognitive decline, stroke and some upper gastrointestinal cancers. Gearhardt stressed that eating these foods does not automatically lead to addiction, as factors including genetics, stress, mental state, environment and exposure to advertising interact.
Warning signs include eating without hunger or after feeling full, hiding the food, and repeatedly failing to cut back despite effects such as lethargy, headaches, mood swings and weight gain. Gearhardt advised carefully reading nutrition labels, particularly when buying products containing refined carbohydrates and saturated fats, as these are among the elements associated with addictive eating behavior.
