Last week, in Issue No. 126, we explored America’s sedentary way of life and the crisis of inactivity.

The punchline? Physical activity, not exercise or fitness, should be a top priority.

But, moving more is only one piece of the puzzle. So today, we’ll look at Big Food’s role in the obesity epidemic — and what can be done about it.

Edible Foodlike Substances

Ultra-processed foods have come to define the US diet.

• Nearly 60% of the calories consumed by Americans come from ultra-processed foods like soft drinks, cereals, and packaged snacks.
• Among the top 25 food manufacturers in the US, 86% of products are classified as ultra-processed.

Researchers have defined ultra-processed foods this way:

“They are not “real food” but formulations of food substances often modified by chemical processes and then assembled into ready-to-consume hyper-palatable food (cosmetic food).”

As Michael Pollan, author of books like The Omnivore’s Dilemma put it: we’re not eating food, we’re consuming “edible foodlike substances.”

Cheap and easy to access, ultra-processed food is wreaking havoc on our well-being.

• Eating ultra-processed foods leads to excess calorie intake and weight gain.
• Consuming ultra-processed foods increases risk of chronic ailments like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

Speaking to the NYT, Harvard research scientist Zachary J. Ward said, unless the reliance on processed food is reversed…

“Obesity will be the new normal in this country. We’re living in an obesogenic environment.”

Hooked

As consumers, we choose what to buy. And we decide how much to eat. But eating well isn’t purely a matter of willpower.

According to The Lancet Commission on Obesity, Big Food is partly to blame.

In a 2019 report, the commission cited the industry’s influence and growth focus as contributing to the global obesity epidemic. The opposite of abundance, concerns related to malnutrition and access to healthful food were raised. More damning, the report characterized Big Food as the new Big Tobacco.

As William Dietz, a professor at George Washington University and an author of the report, said in a statement:

“Although food clearly differs from tobacco because it is a necessity to support human life, unhealthy food and beverages are not. The similarities with Big Tobacco lie in the damage they induce and the behaviors of the corporations that profit from them.”

While industry executives publicly dispute this portrayal, it has long been a topic of discussion behind closed doors.

In a NYT article entitled The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food, author and journalist Michael Moss details a 1999 gathering of food industry CEOs. At the meeting, the tobacco comparison was drawn by Kraft’s then-vice president Michael Mudd, who said:

“As a culture, we’ve become upset by the tobacco companies advertising to children, but we sit idly by while the food companies do the very same thing. And we could make a claim that the toll taken on the public health by a poor diet rivals that taken by tobacco.”

The message was not well received. According to Moss, the meeting ended when Stephen Sanger, former General Mills chief executive, said he would not alter his company’s recipes — taste would remain the priority.

In the years that followed, as Moss detailed, Big Food undertook a “conscious effort” to get consumers hooked on convenient and inexpensive options.

The New Consumer

Opting for healthier alternatives, younger generations have turned their back on Big Food.

• Private label CPG sales grew at twice the rate of name brands in 2019, totaling $146B.
• In 2020, smaller CPGs and private labels gained $12B in sales, marking the fifth consecutive year that large manufacturers have lost market share.

Acknowledging this fact, in 2015, then-Campbell Soup Company CEO Denise Morrison said:

“We are well aware of the mounting distrust of Big Food. We understand that increasing numbers of consumers are seeking authentic, genuine food experiences and we know that they are skeptical of the ability of large, long-established food companies to deliver them.”

Reluctant to change and slow to adapt, large food manufacturers failed to keep pace with shifting consumer preferences.

According to a Piper Sandler report, food is Gen Z’s top spending priority — with 54% of teens preferring healthy snacks. And, as we previously noted in Issue No. 25, Gen Z: The Ultimate Wellness Consumer, this generation wields $143B in spending power, signaling a sustained and lucrative shift to healthier options.

Playing catch-up, large food and beverage companies have begun to evolve.

Unilever is targeting $1.2B in alternative protein sales in the next five to seven years.

Nestlé expects sales of its health nutrition business to reach $4.4B by the end of 2021 as the company expands in personalized supplements and allergy treatments.

Mondelēz acquired healthier brands like Enjoy Life, Hu, and Perfect Snacks to advance its “Snacking Made Right” strategy.

PepsiCo has launched drinks like Bubly, Drift, and Frutly in hopes of appealing to younger consumers while also partnering with Beyond Meat for plant-based drinks and snacks.

Looking Ahead

From meatless meat, cow-free milk, and alcohol-free booze to the rise of better-for-you snacks, we’re in the early stages of a secular shift toward healthier food options.

But, much like last week’s issue on physical activity, the question remains: Are we solving the most pressing problems for the largest number of people?

If moving more is the answer to ending inactivity, then heeding advice as simple as Michael Pollan’s “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants” would go a long way for most people.

Of course, there’s not much money to be made from everyone walking more and eating less.