In a world where convenience rules what lands on our plates, this eye-opening investigation pulls back the curtain on the true cost of our modern food economy. What once promised abundance and innovation has morphed into a system where a few powerful corporations hold the reins, shaping government policy, squeezing farmers, and prioritizing profit over people. The result is a food supply that is astonishingly efficient yet painfully vulnerable — and deeply tied to a global health crisis fueled by ultra-processed products. With incisive reporting and compelling voices from leading food system critics, this urgent follow-up dives deeper into how profit-driven consolidation has rewired what we eat and how it’s made. Through revealing stories from workers, families, and the experts who dared to investigate, it challenges everything we think we know about food, health, and corporate control — and urges viewers to rethink the cost of what ends up on our tables.
Why are ultra-processed foods so irresistible, and how they have come to dominate food culture? Dr Chris van Tulleken features interviews with former food industry insiders who talk openly about the way in which popular foods have been designed to be irresistible. Food companies go to extraordinary lengths to ensure their products connect with consumers - from using brain scans to assess the deliciousness of ice cream to carefully engineering the sound of a crunch. Ultra-processed foods are hyper-delicious and super-convenient, have long shelf lives and are extremely cheap. But a growing body of evidence is linking these products to our declining health.
With incisive reporting and compelling voices from leading food system critics, this urgent follow-up dives deeper into how profit-driven consolidation has rewired what we eat and how it’s made. Through revealing stories from workers, families, and the experts who dared to investigate, it challenges everything we think we know about food, health, and corporate control — and urges viewers to rethink the cost of what ends up on our tables.