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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Politics
Hannah Harris Green

Big tobacco uses cigarette playbook to help sell ultra-processed foods, journal reveals

Close up of a woman's hands picking up cigarette from a box of cigarettes
The parallels between ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and cigarettes include how UPF products were formulated and marketed to drive excess consumption. Photograph: Irina Marwan/Getty Images

The new issue of the American Journal of Public Health focuses on ultra-processed foods, and reveals that big tobacco companies used strategies that helped them sell cigarettes to sell ultra-processed food products, including Lunchables, geared toward children.

The parallels between ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and cigarettes include not only how UPF products were formulated and marketed to drive excess consumption, but also the growing body of evidence linking UPFs to a variety of health risks. For UPFs, these include cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers and cognitive health decline.

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