Addiction to ultraprocessed foods is a Macroeconomic good news/ bad news story.
Good news for investors. Bad news for the population.
Betcha can’t eat just one: Addiction to ultraprocessed foods is real and increasing
By Sandee LaMotte](https://www.cnn.com/profiles/sandee-lamotte), CNN,
Jun 17, 2026
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In order to be “clinically” addicted, one must meet Yale Food Addiction Scale criteria, as stringent as those for tobacco, drug or alcohol use disorder…
By manipulating levels of added sugars, refined carbs, salt, fats, flavorings and texturizers, food manufacturers can create the perfect “intense, hedonic, addictive punch” that makes millions of people reach for more, said Gearhardt, who developed the addiction scale.
“Ultraprocessed products have a nutritional signature — based on the neuroscience of food reward — that Mother Nature never delivers to you in a single food,” she said…
Some 14% of older adults in the United States — and 21% of women ages 50 to 64 — are now clinically addicted to ultraprocessed foods, according to the Yale Food Addiction Scale. Those numbers are growing.
Globally, 12% of children are addicted to ultraprocessed foods…
More than 90% of products in the highest tier of perceived addictiveness were ultraprocessed foods that deliver high levels of refined carbs and fats.
Not surprisingly, some of the most addictive foods named in the study were grocery store junk foods — ultraprocessed cookies, cakes, doughnuts, muffins, pies, pizza, chips, candy and other snack foods. Fast-food chicken tenders, breakfast sandwiches, hash browns, chicken wings, garlic bread, store-bought mac and cheese and lasagna with meat sauce were also top contenders.
Those high-fat, high-carb combos also had to be delivered in an energy-dense form to be described as hard to resist…agels, croissants, Belgian waffles or French toast with syrup, grilled cheese sandwiches, mashed potatoes with store-bought gravy, roasted potatoes with butter, and homemade bread were considered highly habit-forming. …
Two gold-standard clinical trials sequestered dozens of volunteers in a hospital for a month and monitored every bite they ate — as well as their exercise, stool samples and health vitals. The results showed people on an ultraprocessed diet ate an additional 500 to 1,000 calories each day compared with eating home-cooked whole foods… [end quote]
Here’s a list of the largest ultraprocessed food companies. I can’t eat any of their products – not even bottled water since I carry my own water bottle to reduce plastic waste – because I quickly get addicted and I’m already overweight.
The companies are threatened by GLP-1 drugs that reduce appetites but I think it will be a long time before they will be seriously impacted. The growing youth market in Africa is their biggest opportunity.
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Nestlé: The world’s largest food company by revenue. Its UPF portfolio spans frozen meals (Stouffer’s, Hot Pockets), confectionery (KitKat, Toll House), instant noodles (Maggi), and powdered beverages (Nesquik).
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PepsiCo: Controls a massive portion of the global snack and beverage market, primarily through its Frito-Lay division (Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos) and its primary beverage lines (Pepsi, Mountain Dew).
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Mondelez International: Spun off from Kraft, this conglomerate focuses almost exclusively on highly processed snacks and biscuits, holding major global brands like Oreo, Ritz, Chips Ahoy!, and Cadbury.
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The Coca-Cola Company: A dominant force in liquid UPFs, manufacturing mass-market sugar-sweetened beverages, sodas, and processed fruit juices (Coca-Cola, Sprite, Minute Maid).
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Unilever: A major global player in ice creams and packaged convenience foods, operating brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Magnum, Wall’s, and Knorr.
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Kraft Heinz: Known heavily for shelf-stable convenience items, boxed meals, and condiments, including Kraft Mac & Cheese, Oscar Mayer hot dogs, and Heinz Ketchup.
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General Mills: Dominates the breakfast and convenience space with processed cereals (Cheerios, Lucky Charms), baking mixes (Betty Crocker), and frozen snacks (Totino’s Pizza Rolls).
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Mars, Incorporated: One of the largest privately held food giants, controlling a vast share of the global confectionery market with brands like M&M’s, Snickers, Twix, and Skittles.
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Kellanova & WK Kellogg Co: Following their corporate split, these entities control major processed grain and snack assets like Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, Pop-Tarts, and Pringles.
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Conagra Brands: Specializes in shelf-stable and frozen commercial foods, manufacturing brands like Slim Jim, Chef Boyardee, and Banquet frozen meals.
My personal addiction is the 2 tablespoons of Ghirardelli 60% dark chocolate chips I eat every day.
Wendy
