Consumption of ultra-processed foods – including soft drinks, snacks and ready meals – is growing worldwide, despite evidence they are unhealthy.

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) make up about 70% of packaged food products on supermarket shelves, and even more in convenience stores.

In our new research, we explore how companies that produce these foods play on human nature to make such products seem the easiest, most rewarding and compelling option.

We show that UPFs are designed to make us crave them and eat more. They are marketed to all groups, particularly children, in a way that makes them seem the most delicious and convenient option, giving the best value-for-money, despite many health harms.

Our attraction to UPFs is no coincidence. UPF companies combine a range of tactics to drive up consumption. Many of these tactics exploit the ways we think, feel and behave.

Why we keep eating UPFs

UPFs are the most processed foods on the market. According to medical journal The Lancet, they are commercial formulations made from cheap ingredients extracted or derived from whole foods, combined with additives, but mostly containing little to no whole food in the end product.

UPFs are heavily branded and marketed, and most are produced by large international corporations.

But diets high in UPFs carry a risk of developing a wide range of serious health conditions,........

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