Study Says Ultra-Processed Foods Should Face Tobacco-Style Regulation

Researchers argue ultra-processed foods resemble cigarettes more than healthy food and need stricter regulation.
Scientists from Harvard University, University of Michigan and Duke University led the study.
They say UPFs are engineered to drive addiction and overconsumption.
The products exploit reward pathways, similar to how cigarettes deliver nicotine.
The findings appeared in the Milbank Quarterly on 3 February.
Researchers criticised marketing claims like “low fat” as misleading health washing.
They urged regulation to shift blame from individuals to the food industry.
Experts said lessons from tobacco control could reduce diet-related disease.