WASHINGTON, D.C. — A special issue of the American Journal of Public Health was published featuring 17 articles by leading ultra-processed food researchers calling for government policy action rather than relying on personal responsibility. The researchers unanimously agreed that public education alone is insufficient to reduce ultra-processed food consumption and associated chronic diseases.

A national survey of 2,000 U.S. adults included in the special issue found that majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents agreed that ultra-processed foods are addictive and a major cause of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The same survey found majority support across all major U.S. political parties for government interventions including pre-market safety testing of food additives, banning artificial dyes, requiring warning labels, and mandating reductions in sugar and salt in processed foods.

Marion Nestle, a food politics scholar, stated during a press call: “Do policy!” She added: “These are among the most profitable products in the supermarket; the system is rigged. If you go into a supermarket wanting to eat healthfully, you’re fighting the entire system on your own.” Nestle also said: “There have been advocates trying to get those things out of the food supply for decades. I just wish the government would act on it.”

Lindsey Smith Taillie, a nutrition epidemiologist at UNC Gillings School of Public Health, said: “In this polarized era where Americans disagree on so much, this is actually something where we’re seeing a lot of agreement and public support, which should be a catalyst for policymakers.” She warned that if the FDA’s definition of ultra-processed foods is too narrow, it will “only capture a small fraction of the ultra-processed foods on the food supply, which will also have minimal health impact.”

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to release a formal definition of ultra-processed foods. The researchers expressed support for the Nova classification system as a framework for defining ultra-processed foods. Kelly Brownell, an obesity expert at Duke University, said: “One of the greatest threats to making progress in this area will be attempts by the food industry to do pre-emption laws, where the federal government pre-empts state or local governments from doing their own things.”

The food industry has protested against patchwork state-level regulations as states pass bills targeting ultra-processed foods. One article in the special issue details how Philip Morris Companies, while owning Kraft General Foods in the 1980s and 1990s, applied cigarette flavor-enhancing technologies to develop Lunchables and create more palatable fat-free cheeses and processed meats.