Learn from tobacco harm campaign for ultra-processed foods

Public health experts suggest that the harmful effects of ultra-processed foods – many of which form ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook meals – be communicated in a public health campaign and branding exercise similar to that for tobacco harm. — Reuters filepic

Tobacco-style public health campaigns are needed to spell out the full extent of the harms of ultra-processed foods, argue public health experts in the open access journal BMJ Global Health.

Despite strong evidence linking these products to serious health consequences, the public are in the dark about the real dangers of these “foods” and have likely been bamboozled by clever industry marketing tactics, say the authors.