Gearhardt testifies before the U.S. House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Health

On Sept. 18, U-M professor of Psychology Ashley Gearhardt, Ph.D., testified before the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means Health Subcommittee in a hearing entitled “Investing in a Healthier America: Chronic Disease Prevention and Treatment.” 

Her testimony highlighted the addictive nature of highly processed foods, noting that food manufacturers have utilized the same tools as nicotine companies to increase addiction to their products. 

Several subcommittee members asked her to explain how her expertise and research can help Congress develop legislative solutions to reverse a dangerous trend of eating habits in this country because, as she noted in her testimony, diabetes rates have doubled and the prevalence of obesity has tripled since the 1980s.

The five witness panel agreed that more needs to be done to help Americans access healthy foods and avoid ultra-processed foods, and Gearhardt encouraged members to consider making healthy food more convenient and affordable and restricting misleading health claims, especially those targeting younger adults on social media. 

Watch the hearing, and read witness testimony, here.