Hyperpalatable foods (HPFs) refer to foods that are engineered to be extremely tasty, appealing, and have been considered “addictive.” 

HPFs contain combinations of fat, sugar, salt, and other flavors that stimulate the reward centers in the brain. The flavors are often amplified compared to foods found in nature. Think of something like a fast food milkshake, salty potato chips, a gooey chocolate chip cookie, or rich and creamy ice cream.

Often, the term “Hyper-palatable food” has been used interchangeably with “junk food” without any standard definition, but in 2019, a Kansas University research team conducted a study to determine a quantitative definition of a “Hyper-Palatable Food.” HPFs can now be defined by the presence of three characteristics: 

One – They contain a specific combination of nutrients. This can be a combination of fat and sodium or the combination of fat and simple sugars found in most sweets.

Two – They create an artificially enhanced eating experience. This means the specific combination of ingredients work together to create a higher desirability than when considering the same ingredients alone because these combinations are not found in naturally occurring foods. HPFs are artificially constructed and therefore create artificially enhanced rewards (dopamine responses) in the brain when consumed

Three – They slow one’s satiety mechanisms, leaving you to not feel full after consuming substantial calories. 

These factors lead to a high degree of palatability, and the optimal combination of sensory factors like smell, taste, and texture that make us want to keep eating them far past the point of satiety. The goal of creating hyperpalatable foods is to create maximum appetite appeal and cravings to get people to eat more of a product. But consuming too many hyper-rewarding foods may undermine our normal satiety signals, and that’s part of the goal.

It is essential for us to note that HPFs are not “bad.” They have no moral weight. They are created to make us want them crave more by design. We are not broken; we are reacting just as these foods are intended to make us react. There is power in understanding why we respond in different ways to different foods. Becoming more knowledgeable as consumers can give food less power and leave us more in tune with our eating habits and relationship with food.

CAN I BE ADDICTED TO FOOD?

There's growing research investigating the idea that certain foods may trigger addiction-like responses in the brain, though food addiction is not formally recognized as a clinical diagnosis. 

What we do know is that brain imaging studies show that high-calorie, hyperpalatable foods stimulate reward and pleasure centers in the brain similar to drugs of abuse. This suggests an addictive-like neurobiological response and these addictive behaviors have been seen repeatedly in animal studies. 

In 2017, a research team conducted a meta-analysis of more than 100 studies on food addiction but were unable to conclusively identify a singular, specific food or ingredient capable of triggering an additive-like response in humans with statistical significance. We need more research and more dietary assessment tools in this area. 

While food addiction isn’t a diagnosable condition, it is fascinating to see how our brain responds to consuming a HPF:

First, foods layered with fat, carbs, and flavor overstimulate the innate reward centers in the brain that respond to natural, unprocessed foods needed for survival. This releases more dopamine and reinforces overeating. This creates a conditioned response as cues like ads or the sight of HPFs trigger conditioned dopamine responses, and drive food-seeking behavior.

HPFs also create a disruption of hunger/satiety signals. When our natural hunger and fullness cues get overridden, it is easier to overconsume calories

SO, WHAT DO WE DO WITH THIS INFORMATION?

Research found that a food was more than 4 times more likely to be an HPF in 2018 than in 1988. Over the same time period, grams of fiber per serving decreased with statistical significance across the tested food categories. This suggests that food manufacturers have been reformulating foods over the years to be more hyper-palatable.

We live in a food environment in which a majority of foods are designed to take advantage of our psychology and neurobiology.

We can tackle this complicated topic in several ways:

We can work to reinforce the idea that there are no “bad” foods, but focus on eating more minimally processed, healthful foods full of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).

We can understand that building knowledge and awareness around our food choices and eating patterns can help us better honor our hunger and fullness cues and feel permission to enjoy foods we love while also knowing which foods can keep us fueled in the best way possible.

We can prioritize approaching our nutrition with an “add more” approach rather than trying to restrict ourselves of certain foods. When you want to enjoy a HPF, do so! What can you add alongside this food to make it a more balanced meal or snack? If having candy, a baked good, or salty potato chips, can you add a side of a fruit or veggie to add in some micronutrients? Can you have a protein source present as well to help keep you full and sated?

We are not broken. We are not addicted. We are not a lost cause when it comes to our eating behaviors and our relationship with food. Sometimes learning more about why food feels like it has so much power over us can help food itself become less powerful.

There is so much more to talk about when it comes to this topic and you can dive deeper in our HTF podcast episode below!

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE

RESOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE

Hyper-Palatable Foods: Development of a Quantitative Definition and Application to the US Food System Database. November 5, 2019. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/oby.22639

Change in hyper-palatable food availability in the US food system over 30 years: 1988–2018. May 18, 2022. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9672140/

Schulte, E., Smeal, J., & Gearhardt, A. (2017). Foods are differentially associated with subjective effect report questions of abuse liability. 2017 PLoS ONE, 12. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0184220. 

Research Shows Effects of ‘Hyper-palatable’ foods across four diets. January 30, 2023 https://today.ku.edu/2023/01/30/research-shows-impact-hyper-palatable-foods-across-four-diets#:~:text=First%20described%20by%20KU%20scientist,and%20harder%20to%20stop%20consuming.

Ultra-processed products are becoming dominant in the global food system. November 14, 2013. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24102801/

Food Politics by Marion Nestle. July 18, 2023. https://www.foodpolitics.com/

50 Years Ago, Sugar Industry Quietly Paid Scientists To Point Blame At Fat. September 13, 2016. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/09/13/493739074/50-years-ago-sugar-industry-quietly-paid-scientists-to-point-blame-at-fat#:~:text=In%20the%201960s%2C%20the%20sugar,article%20in%20JAMA%20Internal%20Medicine.

Healthy and Hyperpalatable Food Image Paradigms https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Ft77755-000

The Prevalence of Hyperpalatable Baby Foods and Exposure During Infancy: A Preliminary Investigation https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33927666/

A new paradigm for investigating the etiology of obesity in early childhood: Exposure to added sugars and hyper‐palatable foods in infancy and dysregulation of food reinforcement processes https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36358033/

Hyperpalatable Foods Consumption in a Representative Sample of the General Population in Brazil: Differences of Binge and Non-Binge Eating Meals https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/13/2/149

Image Memory for Hyperpalatable Foods in University Aged Females https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=brescia_psych_uht

Back by Popular Demand: A Narrative Review on the History of Food Addiction Research https://zenodo.org/record/48115

Evolutionary and neuropsychological perspectives on addictive behaviors and addictive substances: relevance to the "food addiction" construct https://doi.org/10.2147/SAR.S56835

The Assessment of Food Addiction and the Yale Food Addiction Scale in Bariatric Surgery Populations https://doi.org/10.1017/bec.2021.21

Prevalence of Food Addiction Among Low-Income Reproductive-Aged Women. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2014.5182

Ultra-processed foods in human health: a critical appraisal. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916522026235?via%3Dihub

Multisectoral Strategies Needed to Establish Healthy Portion Size Norms That Disincentivize Hyperpalatable, Energy-Dense Foods and Sugary Beverages in Food Environments Linked to Obesity and Diet-Related Chronic Diseases in the United States https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37180081/

Pavlovian-instrumental transfer effects in individuals with binge eating https://jeatdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40337-023-00824-w

Relationship between Emotional Eating, Consumption of Hyperpalatable Energy-Dense Foods, and Indicators of Nutritional Status: A Systematic Review https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jobe/2022/4243868/

Dame Sally Davies: ‘Make the healthy choice the easy choice’ https://www.mckinsey.com/mhi/our-insights/dame-sally-davies-make-the-healthy-choice-the-easy-choice

The Changing Face of Grocery Demand https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/the-changing-face-of-grocery-demand

The rise of the chief medical officer in consumer-facing companies https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/the-rise-of-the-chief-medical-officer-in-consumer-facing-companies

Sustainability and health are top of mind for today’s grocery retailers: An interview with Frans Muller https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/sustainability-and-health-are-top-of-mind-for-todays-grocery-retailers-an-interview-with-frans-muller

The State of Grocery in North America https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/the-state-of-grocery-in-north-america-2022

A $300 billion opportunity: Serving the emerging Black American consumer https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/a-300-billion-dollar-opportunity-serving-the-emerging-black-american-consumer

Building Distinctive European Powerhouse Brands https://mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/building-distinctive-european-powerhouse-brands

Prioritizing health: A prescription for Prosperity https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/prioritizing-health-a-prescription-for-prosperity

How prioritizing health could help rebuild economies https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/how-prioritizing-health-could-help-rebuild-economies 

Forward Thinking on the Bio Revolution with Jason Kelly and Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/life-sciences/our-insights/forward-thinking-on-the-bio-revolution-with-jason-kelly-and-dr-michelle-mcmurry-heath

‘Either play or shut up’: An interview with FrieslandCampina’s CEO https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/either-play-or-shut-up-an-interview-with-frieslandcampinas-ceo