Evolution has selected animals that, when they have access to foods with high caloric density, will gorge on them. This has been advantageous to their survival, because the history of life has been characterized by famine feast cycles for most species. Now, what UPF foods are is foods that have had most of their non-caloric content removed or been processed to increase calorie content, triggering this gorging behaviour. This is probably 80% of the obesity epidemic today. The rest is probably additives that affect our hormones that control hunger/satiety signals in the body.
In my opinion, effective regulation would control the caloric density as food as well as ban any additives that can affect hormonal hunger/satiety.
>Now, what UPF foods are is foods that have had most of their non-caloric content removed or been processed to increase calorie content, triggering this gorging behaviour. This is probably 80% of the obesity epidemic today.
It's been possible to buy prepared pure sugar (even granulated) and pure oils and fats for centuries, and eat them straight out of the container if one wished. Yet the obesity epidemic is much newer than that, and hardly anyone gorges themselves in that particular manner even today. There is clearly far more to it than "had most of their non-caloric content removed".
Why the insistence that these foods are only unhealthy because of the calories?
Have you heard of poison? 0 calories. Can kill you in the right doses.
Food factories contain dozens of these toxins in the form of plastics, lubricants, agents, flavorings, colorings, etc.
Calories are important. But the insistence that it's simply calories feels almost conspiratorial to me.