Food Addiction is Real 1/2

The growing epidemic

Almost nothing is as profitable as selling an addictive product. In the 1800’s, the British East India Company grew opium in India and smuggled it into China to incite addiction, eventually leading to the Opium Wars. That’s the kind of ruthlessness that wins you a global empire. Today, the bank accounts of drug lords worldwide rely heavily on selling illicit, addictive drugs like cocaine and heroin.

It’s even more profitable when the addictive product is legal. Alcohol companies generate enormous profits while alcoholism extends enormous social harms. Tobacco costs the average user $88,235 — $194,899 in direct costs per year in 2021. Smoking and drinking might seem cool, but it’s actually the addictive nature of nicotine and alcohol that keeps users coming back.

How Ultra-Processed Foods Make you Fat 2/2

Addiction is also the key ingredient to big profits in technology. A shocking 43% of Americans consider themselves addicted to their cell phone, checking it an average of 205 times per day. But another addictive product may rule them all. The Ultra-Processed Foods brought to you from Big…