Tobacco and food companies might seem like they have nothing in common but they actually share quite a bit. Back in the late 20th century tobacco companies started buying up big food brands to find new ways to make money. For example, Philip Morris, one of the biggest tobacco companies, bought General Foods (1985), Kraft (1988) and Nabisco (2000)*.
With smoking facing tougher regulations and falling sales in the UK, these companies shifted their focus to food, using their skills in creating addictive products to sell processed foods instead. They applied the same tactics they’d used with cigarettes. They designed foods that were "hyper-palatable" (extremely tasty and hard to resist) with just the right balance of sugar, fat and salt to keep people hooked. While this boosted profits for tobacco-controlled food brands, it also played a huge role in the rise of serious health problems like obesity and type 2 diabetes. Here’s how the two industries are similar:
Making Products People Can’t Stop Using
Tobacco: Cigarettes were designed to be highly addictive by altering chemicals, such as adding ammonia to increase nicotine absorption, making it harder for smokers to quit.
Food: Ultra-processed food was designed to be "hyper-palatable," with just the right balance of sugar, fat and salt to make it irresistible. This keeps people eating more than they need, even when it harms their health.
Advertising to Kids and Teens
Tobacco: In the UK, tobacco companies used clever marketing campaigns aimed at young people. For instance, they promoted cigarette brands as "cool" or "rebellious" to appeal to teenagers.
Food: Food companies use colourful packaging, child-friendly mascots, and TV ads to attract kids to sugary snacks and ultra-processed foods. For example, characters like Tony the Tiger and the Milkybar Kid became iconic in marketing unhealthy foods to children.
Hiding the Health Risks
Tobacco: Tobacco companies denied or downplayed the dangers of smoking for years. They even funded misleading research to confuse the public about the link between smoking and diseases like lung cancer.
Food: Food companies do something similar by sponsoring studies to shift blame for health problems like obesity away from their products, blaming a lack of exercise or personal responsibility instead.
Fighting Against Rules
Tobacco: Tobacco companies fought against UK regulations, such as the smoking ban in public places (introduced in 2007) and plain packaging laws. They lobbied to protect their profits even as evidence of the harms of smoking mounted.
Food: Similarly, food companies resist government efforts to reduce sugar and fat in foods. They’ve also opposed measures like the UK’s sugar tax on soft drinks (introduced in 2018) and clearer nutrition labels on processed foods.
Making Money by Getting People Hooked
Tobacco: Tobacco companies thrived on selling a product that people became addicted to and struggled to quit, even when they knew it was harmful.
Food: Food companies use the "bliss point" (the perfect mix of sugar, fat, and salt) to make their products irresistible. This encourages overconsumption and repeat purchases, despite the health consequences.
Twisting Science to Avoid Blame
Tobacco: Tobacco companies funded fake or biased studies to confuse the public and delay regulation by casting doubt on the link between smoking and health issues.
Food: Similarly, food companies fund studies that minimise the role of ultra-processed foods in obesity or argue that exercise alone can fix health problems, ignoring the impact of poor diets.
Both the tobacco and food industries have put their profits before people’s health, using the same tactics to make their products addictive, mislead the public and block any meaningful regulations.
In the UK, tobacco companies moving into the food market has led to an explosion of ultra-processed, highly addictive foods that are contributing to the rise in obesity and other diet-related illnesses. It’s infuriating to see these companies make money off the damage they’re causing to our health. It makes me angry and it should make you angry too!
*Known as the Kraft Heinz Company today, it's net worth is approximately £36.35 billion with an annual net income of £2.14 billion (2023)
Sources
Companies Market Cap, 2024. Kraft Heinz net assets. Available at: https://companiesmarketcap.com/kraft-heinz/net-assets/
KU News, 2022. Tobacco companies used the same strategies in food as they did in cigarettes. Available at: https://news.ku.edu/2022/06/15/tobacco-companies-used-same-strategies-food-they-did-cigarettes
PMC, 2020. The link between tobacco and hyper-palatable foods: The health impact of processed food strategies. PubMed Central. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7311257/
PBS Terra, 2022. U.S. Tobacco Companies Flooded the U.S. Food Supply with Hyper-Palatable Foods. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vVrVdH98yE