Study suggests food industry messaging should take cues from anti-tobacco success

By spotlighting the aggressive tactics of food companies, advocates aim to reduce young adults’ consumption of these addictive products.

The new study unveiled that young adults, aged 18 to 25, develop significantly negative attitudes toward the food industry when exposed to messages that highlight its engineering and aggressive marketing of addictive, ultraprocessed foods. This approach takes inspiration from the acclaimed anti-tobacco “truth” campaigns, which have effectively held cigarette manufacturers accountable without blaming consumers.

“We found that by focusing on industry tactics rather than individual choices, we could change public perceptions without exacerbating weight stigma,” said University of Michigan psychologist Ashley Gearhardt, Ph.D., a contributing author of the study.

Conducted in collaboration with Kathleen Good of Brown University, Lindsey Parnarouskis of Drexel University and Jenna Cummings of the University of Liverpool, the study involved an inventive experimental design.

Participants were exposed to different presentations, each underscoring varying aspects of food consumption and industry practices. The results revealed that even a brief, one-minute presentation could significantly shift perceptions.

Significantly, the study indicates that emphasizing the addictive nature of products and the food industry’s manipulative strategies can potentially transform young adults’ attitudes without stigmatizing individual weight issues. The researchers said this framing approach may cultivate greater accountability for public health harms wrought by corporate practices.

“The implications of this study are vast,” Gearhardt said. “It opens the door to high-impact, expertly crafted public health campaigns aimed at the food industry, similar to those we’ve seen with tobacco.”

Published in the journal Obesity, the research holds promise for meaningful change and underscores the need for further investigation into message framing that could bolster support for impactful obesity-related policies, Gearhardt says.

Study: Adapting anti-tobacco messages to ultraprocessed foods: Message framing’s impact on attitudes toward the food industry (DOI: 10.1002/oby.24272)