From Smoke to Sugar: The Processed Food Deception

The farm and food industries are the largest spenders in Washington, D.C., outpacing even the oil industry. This significant funding shapes political campaigns and influences legislation. Notably, large tobacco companies, facing declining profits due to health concerns around smoking in the late 1980s, strategically acquired food companies. By leveraging their financial power, they redirected their expertise in addiction and lobbying tactics from tobacco to food. This resulted in the proliferation of ultra-processed foods, designed to be addictive, and manipulated scientific narratives to downplay the health risks associated with sugar consumption, thereby establishing a misleading 'food pyramid' that favored their interests.