Beware, Study Reveals Ultraprocessed Foods Similar to Cigarettes

JAKARTA - Ultraprocessed foods are now a serious threat to public health. A recent study even said that ultraprocessed foods have similarities with cigarettes because they are designed to make people continue to consume them.

Quoted from The Guardian, on Saturday, February 7, 2026, ultraprocessed foods (UPF) are food products that are made through complex industrial or processing processes.

This type of food generally contains additives, such as artificial coloring, flavors, to artificial sweeteners. For example, packaged snacks, biscuits, chips, fast food, to soft drinks.

In the study, published in the Milbank Quarterly health journal, researchers assessed ultraprocessed foods designed to encourage excessive consumption.

There is a similarity between ultraprocessed foods and cigarettes, especially in the way they affect the reward system in the brain.

Researchers say manufacturers regulate the dose of taste, texture, and certain content so that the product quickly gives a pleasant sensation, thus encouraging the desire to continue consuming it.

"Many ultraprocessed foods have characteristics that are more similar to cigarettes than fresh fruits or vegetables," the researchers wrote.

One of the study's authors, Professor Ashley Gearhardt, said the findings were in line with the experiences of patients he interviewed.

He said his patients often felt the urge to consume ultra-processed foods that were difficult to control.

"They say they feel addicted. Some say they were addicted to cigarettes, now that habit has moved to soda and donuts," said Gearhardt.

However, cigarettes are still easy to avoid, but food is a basic need so that people find it difficult to completely get rid of ultraprocessed foods.

Therefore, researchers encourage changes not only from individuals, but also in the food industry. Suggested steps include advertising restrictions, marketing regulations, to more stringent structural policies.

"This product is growing amid weak regulations and changes in consumption patterns," said Amref Health Africa Executive Director, Dr. Githinji Gitahi.

This must be done because ultraprocessed foods can put pressure on the health system, especially in developing countries. Excessive consumption can cause a surge in non-communicable diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and liver disease.