BBC star Dr Chris warns over hidden tactics to make you buy ultra-processed food

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NHS doctor and health broadcaster Dr Chris van Tulleken has shed light on hidden tactics some food manufacturers employ to increase consumption of products high in fat, salt, and sugar but lacking essential nutrients. In an article for MailOnline, Dr Chris detailed the strategies used, including tactics known as sonic branding, snackification, and hyperpalatability.

He remarked: "These approaches are highly scientific, developed by the best minds, using MRI brain scanners and other techniques, in order to learn exactly how to hijack our unconscious desires. This knowledge then informs the new products developed by food scientists – moreish, packaged foods."

Sonic branding involves using sound such as jingles to attract people to a brand. Hyperpalatability is about making a food irresistibly tasty and addictive. And snackification is about turning larger meals into smaller snacks.

Dr Chris pointed out that ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are produced in factories with methods and ingredients not found in typical home kitchens. He warned: "These industrially made UPFs are driving a health catastrophe, with clear evidence from hundreds of studies showing they cause weight gain, obesity, some cancers, dementia, type 2 diabetes and (among other problems) early death from all causes."

He highlighted that UPFs now account for 60% of the calorie intake of UK adults. In a BBC Two documentary, Dr Chris delves into the issues surrounding UPFs.

He also explores the food industry's tactics amid growing evidence implicating UPFs in health issues, comparing it to the tobacco industry's historical strategy, reports Gloucestershire Live. Dr Chris stated: "The food industry is trying to fight back against the evidence mounting against UPFs by creating a 'parallel' world of studies, industry-funded research to create confusion and doubt in consumers' minds. It's a tactic right out of the playbook of the tobacco industry from the 1960s."

He argued that the issue could only be tackled through new legislation including removal of 'cartoon characters' from packaging and a ban on advertisements. He also wants to see the introduction of new taxes on ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and clear warning labels.

He stated: "We need changes because as individuals, how can we expect to resist products which have been engineered and marketed by some of the smartest people on Earth? " The programme explores several strategies employed by food manufacturers, such as creating a 'bliss point' that activates all of our pleasure receptors, and promoting 'snackification', which encourages us to eat more frequently than three times daily.

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