Nutrition and public health experts from the University of California, San Francisco, and the University of Michigan joined YouTube chef Bobby Parrish and the nonprofit Environmental Working Group to discuss the dangers of ultra-processed foods and how people can identify them.

Michigan

Nutrition and public health experts from the University of California, San Francisco and the University of Michigan, alongside the Environmental Working Group, have warned about the dangers of ultra-processed foods. Research cited in the discussion shows that up to 67 percent of children's energy intake in the United States comes from these foods, which often contain industrial chemical additives. Experts explained that these additives can disrupt the body's natural signals for fullness, potentially making such foods addictive.

The panel also highlighted historical links between the food and tobacco industries, noting that marketing tactics targeting children have persisted. Celebrity chef Bobby Parrish advised consumers to avoid products with long ingredient lists or unfamiliar additives. The experts expressed cautious optimism, citing increased public awareness and recent legislative efforts in California to restrict certain additives in school meals as positive steps toward improving children's health.

Experts warn about dangers of ultra-processed foods

Nutrition and public health experts from UCSF and the University of Michigan joined the non-profit environmental working group to discuss the dangers of ultra-processed foods. A study by Tufts University and the American Medical Association found as much as 67 percent of kids' energy intake in the U.S. comes from these types of foods. KTVU's Ali Rasmus joins us live to explain what they are and the harm they can cause. Good afternoon to you, Ali. Good afternoon, Andre. Yeah, people have been eating processed foods for centuries, and nutritionists say simple processed foods like breads, cheeses, dairy products can be part of a normal healthy diet. The problem comes from ultra-processed foods, foods that use industrial chemical additives as some of their key ingredients. There's a growing body of research that shows those chemical additives in everything from frozen packaged meals to even so-called healthy foods like salad dressings and granola bars can interrupt the signals in our brains, signals that are supposed to tell us when we're full and when to stop eating, making those ultra-processed foods addictive. When you look at the brain, the craving for a hyper-palatable ultra-processed food and the craving for an addictive drug can look virtually identical. Laura Schmidt is a professor of health policy at UCSF and says that is not an accident. She outlined her research on the connection between the food manufacturing industry and another industry also known for making its products addictive. They've been putting added sugar in cigarettes for decades, and they still do, by the way. In the 1980s, tobacco companies bought up several food companies like Kraft and Nabisco. While they spun off those companies in the 2000s, their product development and marketing tactics, especially for kids, remained. Kool-Aid, Oreos, Jell-O, Lunchables, all owned by tobacco companies. Ultra-processed foods are something many Bay Area consumers say they are aware of and try their best to avoid. Certain cereals and stuff they don't eat anymore. We don't do any frozen foods anymore either. I think the biggest one for me is Red 99. You know, your like hot chips and like the really spicy stuff, they're all like red. Celebrity chef Bobby Parrish spoke at the forum and offered advice on how to spot ultra-processed foods. If the ingredient list is like the Bible, where it's like so, so long, that's usually a bad thing. In general, if there's ingredients in there that you can't pronounce or don't know what it is, that's usually a bad thing. Ingredients like soybean oils, soy lecithin, guar gum, xanthan gum, and maltodextrin are all signs a product is heavily processed. Breads made with enriched flour as the key ingredient are also processed. The experts who spoke today did have cautious optimism, though. They say there's now more awareness and more bipartisan support at the federal level to make changes. We know what to do. We know how to regulate addictive substances. We've been doing it with alcohol and tobacco forever. So let's just take that arsenal of tools to protect kids and apply it to this. And scientists on the panel commended California for recent state laws that restrict the use of some chemical and artificial dyes in school lunches, adding that with nearly six million public school students in our state, schools are effectively the largest restaurant chain in California. So cutting ultra-processed foods from school menus can have a big impact. Back to you. It's been long but an issue here, and now the calls are growing louder. Ali, thank you so much. We want to take a look back at today's question of the day. We asked, how often do you check food labels for additives or chemicals? And sometimes, 46%, 36% of you say always, and 18% of you say never. Scan the QR code, top right-hand corner of your screen, or go to ktv.com slash vote. Let us know what you think.

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