Trapped by Design

Built to Binge

Companies exploit human instincts

• Food companies exploited basic human instincts to peddle ultra processed products to hijack the brain's reward system, fuelling a new addiction epidemic, with rising rates of obesity and chronic diseases.

Reference to Cigarettes

• Cigarettes hijack the brain, leading to nicotine dependence.

• Replace the cigarette with a packet of chips or cookies.

• Foods can also drive cravings, loss of control and continued use.

The craving is rarely driven by hunger. Research suggests that the brain demands more ultra processed foods (UPFs) in the way it may crave for nicotine.

Studies

• 300 studies across 36 countries, show that processed junk foods cause patterns of intake typical of drug addiction.

• Meta analysis from 2022, estimates that global prevalence of addiction to UPFs at 14% - 20% – equivalent to that of alcohol use disorders.

• November 2023, factsheet by Global Food Research Program, University of North Carolina, US – "High consumption of UPFs results in obesity and diabetes, also with cardio vascular disease, dementia, depression, cancer and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in US, UK, Europe. "

• Research also shows adults may also be afflicted by UPF addiction.

Not formally recognised

• Addiction to foods is not formally recognised by the medical classification system, including the internationally accepted Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Packaged snacks and ready meals

• Packaged snacks and ready meals are typically high in sugar, salt, refined carbohydrates, saturated fats.

• Undergo a complex industrial processing to extend shelf life and enhance the taste, but low in nutrients and high in artificial additives.

• UPFs are cheap and ubiquitous, infiltrated from tea stalls to super market, school canteen.

• UPFs are formulated to make loss of control predictable.

Issues

• Warning labels are rare.

Its all about the bliss point

Samosas when made at a local shop is considered processed or altered from its natural state

Same samosas when mass produced with preservatives, flavour enhancers, stabilisers, and anti caking agent, and placed on super market shelves for weeks or months, it comes under the category of UPFs.

Definition by NOVA Food classification system, Brazil

This distinction given by NOVA food classification system, by University of Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2009. The team led by epidemiologist, and nutritional scientist Carlos Augusto Monteiro, who also coined the term UPFs.

They grouped food into 4 categories based on the nature, extent and purpose of processing.

4 groups of foods

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation has an 11 paragraph definition of UPFs

Highlights that food substances of no or rare culinary use are employed in UPF manufacturing, including varieties of sugar (fructose, high fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrates, maltodextrin, dextrose, lactose, soluble or insoluble fibre), modified oil (hydrogenated or interesterified oils), hydrolysed proteins, gluten and whey protein and mechanically separated meat.

Types of Sugar

Designed for Addiction

UPFs foods are engineered to hit the brain's pleasure centre with precision, especially if packed with refined carbohydrates and fats.

They are soft with small particles, allowing people to chew less and eat faster.

"This fast delivery triggers dopamine release in brain regions like the nucleus accumbens - the same reward circuitry activated by addictive drugs"

The brain's oral and cephalic satiety that react when people are full stomach, are weak with UPFs because they break down quickly and cause a rapid spike in Blood sugar.

Over time, rewiring the brain to be more sensitive to cues for UPFs and less to natural foods, or even non food triggers.

Person walking past their favourite doughnut shop, even if not hungry, brain reacts to the sugary smell, anticipates the reward of the doughnut. This augments cravings. Reach a point, where the person refuses other foods or feels angry and sad if denied a doughnut.

UPFs hit both the fat and carbohydrate sensing triggers, same time, while most natural foods activate only one at a time.

If you have a 100 calories - 50 from fat and 50 from carbohydrates, you will get a greater dopamine response than if 100 of them from either one.

Dopamine release happens twice:

1. When tasting the food
2. When the body detects the energy

2023 study with participants exposed to either High fat or High sugar (HF/HS) yogurt or Low fat or Low sugar (LF/LS) yogurt twice a day for eight weeks.

1. People on HF/HS snack saw a decreasing liking for and reduced consumption of low fat food over time
2. This was not seen otherwise in another group

The way UPFs activate the unconscious subliminal circuits promotes habit learning. The INSULA, region in the cerebral cortex that maps and integrates taste, fullness and emotional sensations, showed more activity during consumption of UPFs.

Weighty Concern

UPFs may taste sweet but contain no sugar, feel rich and fatty but only have artificial additives, confusing the body about the nutrients it receives. This can hamper ability to absorb and process nutrients, leading to stress, hindered insulin response, impaired fat metabolism and increased vulnerability to overeating and weight gain.

2022 study links greater UPF intake with increased risks of abdominal obesity or waist circumference.

Global Prevalence

Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) by Ashley Gearhardt, psychologist, University of Michigan, US, in 2009, specifically assess the addictive like eating behavior.

Updated in 2016, has 35 criteria, capturing 11 symptoms, based on which a person can get a food addiction diagnosis.

1. Consumption of more than planned
2. Unable to cut down or stop eating
3. Much time spent
4. Important activities given up
5. Use despite physical or emotional consequences
6. Tolerance
7. Withdrawal
8. Craving
9. Failure in role obligation
10. use despite interpersonal consequences
11. Use in physically hazardous situations

"If a person endorses 2 or more of these symptoms, they cause distress or impairment in social and occupational or other areas of functioning."

Meta analysis in 2022 uses YFAS 2.0, finds prevalence of food addiction in 14% to 20% in adults and 12% - 15% in children and adolescents.

Prevalence of tobacco use in the global population is 19.2% and that of alcohol is 18.2%, as per WHO.

From Big Tobacco to Big Junk

The UPF market is expected to grow to US $856.6 billion between 2024 and 2029, according to Tech Navio's report in January 2025, a UK headquartered market research firm. 45% driven by Europe, where convenience and affordability are key factors in food consumption The report analysed the markets in US, UK, Germany, Canada, China, France, Spain, Italy, Japan and The Netherlands.

Another January 2025 study, touts

1. US as a top UPF market, with 57.5% contribution,
2. UK 56.8%
3. Canada 46.8%
4. Australia 42%

Reports also indicate a similar growth trends in India and other developing countries.

November 2023 factsheet by Global Food Research Program, University of North Carolina, US, highlights that growth of UPFs driven by factors like

• persuasive marketing
• pervasive marketing
• hyper palatability (high combination of sugar, salt, fat and carbohydrates)

Hyper Palatability also linked to tobacco industry, according to University of Michigan, Ashely Gerhardt.

No one consumes pure tobacco leaf, but when you process it, cure it, dry it, roll it up and smoke it, it rapidly delivery nicotine to the brain and people will become addicted to that. Cigarettes are not just about nicotine, it has 4000 chemicals and majority of them are additives like cocoa, sugar and menthol.

In 1960s, RJ Reynolds, and Philip Morris, the 2 largest US based tobacco giants of the time, started acquiring soft drink brands and developed children's like Hawaiin Punch, Kool Aid and Tang. Following decades, conglomerates expanded and acquired brands Del Monte, General Foods, Kraft, 7UP, becoming largest producers of UPFs.

ITC Limited in India is a similar example, as it a major producer of both tobacco products and UPFs.

Companies hired food engineers to crack the code of craving by creating and fine tuning the bliss points to keep people returning.

The term "Bliss Point" first used in 1990s, defined as "that sensory profile where you like food the most"

Iconic food items in the US, like Dr. Pepper soda, Prego spaghetti sauce, are now popular in other countries including India.

Moskowitz says manufacturers learned how to tap into the sweetness bliss point by subjecting people to taste tests.

Imagine eight sugar solutions in different concentrations, give 2 numbers - how much I senses the sweet and how much I liked it.

Plot the data and see a curve. As you increase the amount of sugar, liking goes up, peaks till the bliss point, then goes down.

People did not have a single bliss point, but various groups which allowed him to create different versions of his products to attract more customers.

For some people, it is sugar, for others it is salt, fried element, cheapness, colour, smell, or other ingredients.

Flavour laboratories mimic the taste of real food, a common way to create hyperpalatable food.

Lunchables, a pre packaged meal tray, originally meant for children, manufactured by US based Kraft Heinz and marketed under brand called Oscar Mayer.

2013 Book, Salt Sugar Fat: Pulitzer prize winning journalist and author, Michael Moss describes how in the 1980s Oscar Mayer, a processed meat company, facing a decline in sales of traditional processed meats like bologna (type of sausage), as concerns about fat and cholesterol rose. To turn things around, company targeted working mothers with hectic mornings, who may want an easy lunch solution for their children.

Creation of Lunchables, which combines processed meats with crackers and cheese.

The company later introduced "Lunchables with Dessert" - New version included treats like Snickers, M&Ms and sugary drinks, securing product's place in kids' lunch boxes. Later invented pizza Lunchables.

UPFS are worse than tobacco or even alcohol, because they are everywhere as food options.

Similar shift in India, with rise of cereals like Kellogg's cornflakes, a quick breakfast. Often marketed as healthy and time saving, targeted at mothers and children.

2023 analysis, by WHO and Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) on growth of UPFS in India - Country's market for breakfast cereals is much smaller compared to developed nations, with high growth rate of 15.8% in retail sales volume in 2011-21. UPFS sector grow at a compound annual growth rate of 13.37% in retail sales value between 2011-21. Chocolate and Sugar confectionary - maximum market share in terms of retail sales value Ready made and convenience food, salty snacks, beverages, and breakfast cereals followed in order

Analysis of Sub category Sweet biscuits - 43% in retail sales value within chocolate and sugar confectionary in 2021

India's growing tastes

Rise of UPFS - Available on super market shelves kirana stores 10 minutes delivery application cheap prices captured both rural and urban markets.

Economic Survey 2024-25 Hyper palatability of food items, Misleading advertisements Celebrity endorsements Targets consumer behaviour

ES report states that, consumption of junk foods is one of the major contributors to rise in obesity.

Consumption of UPFS surged from $900 million in 2006 to $37.9 billion in 2019, growing at over 33% annually.

Most sold and consumed UPFS are chocolates, ready made foods, salty snacks, beverages.

Household Consumption Expenditure Survey, 2022-23 9.6% of the food budget in rural areas 10.64% in urban areas are spent on beverages, refreshments, and processed foods.

Rise in UPFS coincided with rise in obesity The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) - Between 2005-06 and 2019-20 Prevalence of overweight and obesity grew by more than 10% and reached
men 29.8% urban , 19.3% rural women 33.2% urban , 19.7% rural children 19.3%

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