In today’s fast-paced and demanding world, food habits have undergone a dramatic transformation. Long work hours and intense productivity pressures have made convenience a priority. Quick-delivery apps, ready-to-eat meals and packaged snacks now dominate daily consumption patterns, especially in urban areas. These ultra-processed foods (UPFs), designed for taste, convenience and long shelf life, are increasingly replacing traditional home-cooked meals. Their accessibility, aggressive marketing and instant gratification appeal strongly to modern lifestyles.
But beyond convenience and taste, researchers are now warning that these foods may be engineered to keep people coming back for more.
In a new study published in The Milbank Quarterly (2026), researchers argue that ultra-processed foods have more in common with cigarettes than with natural foods like fruits or vegetables.
The study suggests that UPFs should be viewed not merely as unhealthy dietary choices but as highly engineered products designed to promote addictive patterns of consumption. The findings highlight similarities in how the food and tobacco industries have historically designed, marketed and defended products that pose major public health risks.
How ultra-processed foods can be as addictive as cigarettes
The study draws on evidence from addiction science, nutrition research and public health history to examine how both cigarettes and ultra-processed foods are engineered to maximise consumption. Rather than being natural food products, researchers found that UPFs function as industrial delivery systems specifically designed to trigger repeated use.
As the study explains, “Cigarettes and UPFs are not simply natural products but highly engineered delivery systems designed specifically to maximise biological and psychological reinforcement and habitual overuse.”
One of the key similarities lies in dose optimisation and delivery speed. Cigarettes are engineered to deliver nicotine rapidly to the brain, producing an immediate reward sensation. Similarly, ultra-processed foods are formulated with precise combinations of sugar, salt, refined carbohydrates and fats that are quickly absorbed by the body. This rapid absorption produces fast spikes in blood sugar and activates dopamine pathways in the brain, reinforcing the desire to consume more.
Researchers note that this rapid reward delivery bypasses the body’s natural satiety mechanisms. Normally, whole foods such as fruits, vegetables or grains digest more slowly, allowing the brain to register fullness. Ultra-processed foods, however, are designed to weaken these signals, making it easier to overconsume.
Another critical factor is hedonic engineering, or designing products to maximise pleasure. The study highlights how manufacturers use advanced sensory science to fine-tune flavour, texture and mouthfeel. Additives enhance sweetness, crunchiness or creaminess in ways that stimulate pleasure centres in the brain more intensely than natural foods.
According to the study, both industries have relied on “adding sensory additives, accelerating reward delivery, expanding contextual access, and deploying health-washing claims” to increase product appeal and consumption.
This sensory engineering ensures that ultra-processed foods are not just palatable but highly rewarding, encouraging repeated intake even in the absence of hunger.
The study also identifies environmental ubiquity as a major factor. Cigarettes became widely used in part because they were easily available, heavily marketed and socially normalised. Ultra-processed foods follow a similar pattern today. They are sold everywhere, from supermarkets and school canteens to offices, transport hubs and digital delivery platforms. This constant exposure increases consumption opportunities and reduces barriers to access, reinforcing habitual use.
Another striking similarity lies in deceptive reformulation and marketing strategies. The study notes that companies often introduce minor product changes, such as reducing one ingredient while increasing another, to present foods as healthier without significantly improving their nutritional quality. The researchers observed that these strategies closely resemble tactics used by tobacco companies to maintain consumption while deflecting public health criticism.
Importantly, the study argues that these design features collectively “hijack human biology, undermine individual agency, and contribute heavily to disease and health care costs.”
Rather than placing responsibility solely on individuals, the study suggests that product design itself plays a central role in shaping consumption behaviour.
“UPFs should be evaluated not only through a nutritional lens but also as addictive, industrially engineered substances,” it concludes.
It further adds that lessons from tobacco control, including marketing restrictions, litigation and regulatory interventions, could offer an effective roadmap to reduce harm associated with ultra-processed foods.
Why it matters
The findings carry significant implications, particularly for countries like India, where ultra-processed food consumption has surged dramatically in recent years.
According to the Economic Survey 2025–26, released ahead of the Union Budget by Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageshwaran, India has emerged as one of the fastest-growing markets for ultra-processed foods globally.
The Survey notes that ultra-processed food consumption in India “grew by more than 150 per cent from 2009 to 2023.” Retail sales rose sharply from USD 0.9 billion in 2006 to nearly USD 38 billion in 2019, representing a nearly 40-fold increase.
The Survey links this trend directly to worsening public health outcomes. It observes that “it is during the same period that obesity has nearly doubled in both men and women. This mirrors the global rise of obesity, parallel to dietary shifts.”
It also added that marketing strategies for ultra-processed foods (UPFs) often actively encourage overconsumption. Products use tactics such as emotional appeals, “buy one get one free” offers, and celebrity endorsements, sometimes even projecting the food as healthy. Such strategies displace whole foods and degrade overall diet quality.
Adolescents exposed to these advertisements show a strong desire and intention to consume the promoted foods. “A study from Punjab found that parents are concerned about food advertisements, especially during children's TV viewing time, and celebrity endorsements, which they believe may increase the frequency of children eating out,” the survey added.
This story is done in collaboration with First Check, which is the health journalism vertical of DataLEADS.