Are ultra - processed foods meant to be addictive ?

Shrewsbury, MA

How often do you grab a bag of chips thinking you will only have a few, only to realize, moments later, that the bag is almost empty? It is not hunger driving you, but rather how those chips make you feel.

Many scientists say that packaged foods like chips, cookies, sugary cereals and fast food are made to be appealing. Researchers at the University of Michigan explain that foods high in carbs and fats get into your bloodstream quickly which can make your brain feel happy. More specifically, certain foods make you feel good by releasing dopamine in your brain, which is the same feeling you get when you receive a treat or accomplish something, according to reports from Virginia Tech. 

Dopamine is released when you experience something like getting good news or achieving a goal. Some studies suggest that foods with a lot of sugar, salt, fat and additives can activate the part of the brain that makes you feel happy, which is the same part involved in addiction. 

However this does not mean that chips are the same as drugs. It means that they can affect your brain in a way that makes you want to eat more. Because of this, some researchers think that foods like chips and cookies have characteristics in common with tobacco. Scientists from the Center for Nutritional Psychology have discussed whether some foods should be reclassified as substances because of the existence of compulsive eating. The comparison to tobacco has even been discussed in terms of regulation, suggesting that some foods are made to be very appealing and profitable. 

However this idea is still being debated. Food is necessary for survival. Tobacco and drugs aren't. Some people argue that saying food is inherently addictive neglects personalized psychological factors like eating habits, environment, stress and personal choice. Not everyone who eats “addictive” foods develops an eating problem. Factors more specifically external from the food itself include how the food is marketed and how easy it is to get.

So what does this mean for us? It does not mean you should be scared every time you eat a snack. It means you should be more aware of what you're eating. Many foods are designed to make you want to eat more. To protect yourself you can start by reading the labels on food packages and noticing how much sugar and oil is in them and trying to balance those with foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and proteins. You can also try to avoid eating food from packages, which can make it hard to control how much you eat and be mindful of why you are eating. Are you hungry or just responding to the way the food makes you feel?

Changing your diet does not have to mean cutting out all the foods you like at once. Instead it can mean slowly shifting towards eating natural foods while still allowing yourself to have treats sometimes. The goal is not to be afraid, it is to be aware.

Next time you think you could eat something all day, consider that this thinking is  because your brain is responding to the food the way it was designed to. The real question is not whether we should be scared of food, but rather whether we are informed enough to make choices that protect our brains and our long-term health. The key is to understand how processed foods - designed to be appealing - can affect our brains and our bodies, so that we can make good personal choices.

Works Cited

Gearhardt, Ashley . “Recognizing and Addressing the Addictive Nature of Ultra-Processed Foods.” Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation, 2025, ihpi.umich.edu/news-events/news/recognizing-and-addressing-addictive-nature-ultra-processed-foods? Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.

“Highly Processed Foods Can Share the Addictive Qualities of Tobacco, Researchers Say.” Vt.edu, 2022, news.vt.edu/articles/2022/11/HPFsandtobacco_fralinbiomed_1109.html? Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.

https://www.facebook.com/foodandwine. “New Research Says Ultra-Processed Foods Are Engineered More like Cigarettes than Food.” Food & Wine, 2026, www.foodandwine.com/ultra-processed-foods-engineered-like-cigarettes-11910917? Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.

Lay, Kat. “Ultra-Processed Foods Should Be Treated More like Cigarettes than Food – Study.” The Guardian, The Guardian, 3 Feb. 2026, www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/feb/03/public-health-ultra-processed-foods-regulation-cigarettes-addiction-nutrition?

Maghraby, Karim. “Ultra-Processed Food Addiction: A Research Update.” The Center for Nutritional Psychology, 5 Mar. 2025, www.nutritional-psychology.org/research-summaries/ultra-processed-food-addiction-a-research-update/. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.

Mayer, Beth Ann. “Is Food Addiction Real? What the Experts Say.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 5 Jan. 2023, www.healthline.com/nutrition/are-processed-foods-addictive? Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.

“New Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Faculty Member Studies How Junk Food Induces Dopamine Release in the Brain.” Vt.edu, 2020, news.vt.edu/articles/2020/03/new-fralin-biomedical-research-institute-faculty-member-studies-.html? Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.

“Understanding Ultraprocessed Food Addiction | U-M LSA Department of Psychology.” Umich.edu, 2020, lsa.umich.edu/psych/news-events/all-news/faculty-news/understanding-ultraprocessed-food-addiction.html?

Zaraska, Marta. “Food Can Be Literally Addictive, New Evidence Suggests.” Scientific American, 11 Sept. 2023, www.scientificamerican.com/article/food-can-be-literally-addictive-new-evidence-suggests/? Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.