Call ’em crimes against the food pyramid.
The Snack Gods have blessed us with some out-of-this-world fusions lately, dropping mashups like crème brûlée grilled cheese, barbecue-flavored Cheetos and cheeseburger spring rolls.
Researchers are now warning that these types of craving crossovers — while oh-so-tantalizing — hook us by blending novelty with comforting nostalgia, a captivating combination that fuels overconsumption.
“Brand mash-ups like Coca-Cola-flavored Oreos or Oreo-flavored Coca-Cola stimulate human curiosity for new products all while leveraging the familiarity of popular brands,” scientists wrote this month in Milbank Quarterly, a population health and health policy journal.
“Thus, modern [ultra-processed foods] hijack evolutionary drives for novelty and familiarity to encourage further intake of their products.”
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are designed to be highly addictive and palatable, triggering intense brain reward signals and the release of the “feel-good” hormone dopamine.
UPFs alarmingly constitute over half of the American diet, despite being terrible for the body because they are rife with salt, sugar, fat and calories and low in fiber and essential nutrients.
They are known to disrupt the delicate balance of bacteria in the gut, promote inflammation and lead to overeating. That’s why UPFs have been linked to a higher risk of obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, certain cancers and even premature death.
In their Milbank Quarterly study, the researchers noted that UPFs and cigarettes are more alike than you might think.
“Tobacco cigarettes and UPFs share many key features: both are industrially engineered substances that deliver powerful sensory experiences and have been, in some cases, produced or owned by the same corporations,” the researchers wrote, pointing out that tobacco giants Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds acquired major food companies, including Kraft, General Foods and Nabisco, in the 1980s.
The study authors drew other comparisons between tobacco and UPFs:
- They speedily deliver a “just right” dose of their active compounds — nicotine in cigarettes and refined carbohydrates and fats in UPFs — to maximize the odds you’ll come back for more.
- They use sensory triggers like taste and smell to spark an uncontrollable urge to consume.
- The highs are intense but brief, so you’ll constantly seek them out.
- They are very convenient staples in daily routines.
- They deliver a predictable experience, but there’s certainly room for innovation.
The researchers reported that UPF manufacturers produce “endless variations on the same base product.”
“Minor tweaks to flavoring agents, aroma compounds or texture modifiers yield a wide range of seemingly new products — such as sour cream and onion chips, barbecue chips or hot honey chips — that share nearly identical macronutrient profiles,” they wrote.
As for Coca-Cola-flavored Oreos and Oreo-flavored Coca-Cola, this limited-time mashup was introduced in 2024.
The Post reached out to reps for Coca-Cola and Oreo manufacturer Mondelez International for comment.
Meanwhile, the researchers are calling for UPFs and tobacco to be regulated in similar ways — legal action for misleading health claims, restrictions on advertising, extra taxation, limited exposure in schools and hospitals and better labeling.
“Policies that confront UPFs with the same seriousness that once applied to tobacco, while actively promoting real food, offer the most promising path out of the current crisis,” the researchers wrote.
