All of a sudden—at least it seems that way to me—talk of UPF, ultraprocessed food, is everywhere. As the daughter of one of your favorite food writers, I’ve been hearing about UPF—junk, as Mark likes to call it— forever, but now, thanks to an uptick in studies and to scientists and academics who are dedicated to studying UPF specifically, it’s really in the spotlight.
It’s hard not to equate UPF with cigarettes and alcohol—because it’s another vice, but also because there’s been actual scientific evidence that UPF are actually addictive. This week, Mark and I talked to two people who know more about UPF and addiction than maybe anyone—and who know how to talk about it in an accessible way. We had University of Michigan professor Ashley Gearhardt on last year to talk about UPF, as you may remember, and now she’s the editor of Food & Addiction: A Comprehensive Handbook, along with Kelly Brownell, of Duke University, who also joins us today—and who’s known Mark forever. Totally warm and wonderful—and brilliant—people. I’m very glad they’re around to educate us.
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