Capitol Hill Luncheon: Eating Ourselves Sick? Ultra-Processed Foods and U.S. Health Policy

Join the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University and Food Tank on Capitol Hill for a timely luncheon conversation about one of the biggest public health challenges of our time: ultra-processed foods.

Ultra-processed foods (UPF) now make up more than half of the calories consumed in the United States. Mounting evidence links UPF to rising rates of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even premature death. At the same time, these foods are deeply embedded in school meals, federal nutrition programs, and the daily diets of millions of Americans.

This bipartisan gathering explores what UPF really are, what the science tells us about their health impacts, and how state and federal policymakers are beginning to respond. Speakers include: Kyle Diamantas, Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods, FDA; Roger Marshall, U.S. Senator for Kansas; Dariush Mozaffarian, Director, Food is Medicine Institute; Radha Muthiah, President and CEO, Capital Area Food Bank; Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank; Robert Paarlberg, Adjunct Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and Emeritus Professor of Political Science at Wellesley College; Jennifer Pomeranz, Associate Professor of Public Health Policy and Management at New York University; Arvin Singh, Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Health, and more.