The Killer Grand Prix: Big Tobacco vs Big Food
Headline: Ultra-processed food overtakes Tobacco
Welcome to race no one asked for, a public health failure, where two industry giants, Tobacco, and Big Food are neck-to-neck towards the title of World’s Leading Preventable Cause of Death.
We’ve seen this before, cigarettes, lung cancer, lobbying etc.! But just when Big Tobacco thought they had the monopoly of the market, Big Food revved up and used the same tactics as Tobacco to overtake!
Lap 1
The Tobacco industry rushed to sell coolness in a carton, they even had doctors on billboards saying “I smoke Camels”. They denied harm for DECADES They got away with it.... until they didn’t and the industry faces now restrictions, taxes and warning labels
Lap 2
While Tobacco industry has been slowed down by the ongoing restrictions, the Big Food hit the gas.
This shift led to the pandemic of obesity and other diet- related chronic diseases, such as diabetes,
These industrial creations are cheap, tasty, and additctive
Lap 3
At this point of the race, Big Food overtook Tobacco. And the exposure of ultra-processed food became associated with higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic and mortality outcomes
This shift led to the pandemic of obesity and other diet- related chronic diseases, such as diabetes,
Laps 4- 49
How were the Big Food able to overtake?
The ultra-processed food industry uses the same tactics as the Tobacco industry, but better. It deploys heavy political influence to fight health regulations. In the US, an analysis of 23 years of lobbying data found ultra- processed food manufacturers spent more on lobbying than any other “harmful” sector, about $1.15 billion in total.
Additionally: High-level advocacy: ultra-processed food industry meet with government leaders to argue against soda taxes and warning-label laws, characterizing them as “bad solutions Front groups and tactics: establish front groups, fund favorable research and seek allies to argue that obesity is about personal choice, not corporate responsibility.
Final Lap
Ultra-processed foods are now everywhere, in schools, hospitals, baby aisles, kids’ apps and more. This industry is overtaking Tobacco as the leading cause of premature death.
What can we do now?
“Ta ذغ iya” by Sarah Zahr
Can we regulate it? Of course
Will the industry resist? a 100%
But history shows, clear policies work.
Taxation has been shown to be the most effective method to limit ultra-processed food intake. But taxation without parallel subsidies for healthy foods for populations experiencing food insecurity (lack of available, affordable, healthier alternatives) will not benefit all.
Sources
- Ultra-Processed foods: yet another wake-up call. The Lancet, (2025) scientist#:~:text=%E2%80%9CUPFs%20are%20increasing%20their%20share,the%20conference%20in%20S%C3%A3o%2 0Paulo Lane MM, Gamage E, Du S, Ashtree DN, McGuinness AJ, Gauci S, Baker P, Lawrence M, Rebholz CM, Srour B, Touvier M, Jacka FN, O'Neil A, Segasby T, Marx W. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses. BMJ. 2024 Feb 28;384:e077310. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2023-077310. PMID: 38418082; PMCID: PMC10899807. Ultra processed foods need tobacco style warnings says The Guardian, 2024
