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In Person Seminar: U.S. Tobacco Companies Flooded the U.S. Food Supply with Hyper-palatable Foods: Implications for Our Food Environment and Public Health

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Tera Fazzino, Ph.D.

Tera Fazzino, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Psychology
Associate Director
Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment
The University of Kansas
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Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar: U.S. Tobacco Companies Flooded the U.S. Food Supply with Hyper-palatable Foods: Implications for Our Food Environment and Public Health

Date: Feb. 16, 2024

Time: 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

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About this Seminar

Between the 1980’s and early 2000’s, U.S. tobacco companies owned and developed leading U.S. food companies. Dr. Fazzino will present scientific evidence indicating that U.S. tobacco companies Phillip Morris and RJ Reynolds may have preferentially disseminated hyper-palatable foods into the U.S. food system. The U.S. food environment is saturated with hyper-palatable foods, and findings indicate that tobacco company involvement in the food system may have had substantial consequences for our current food environment. Policy regulation should be considered to address hyper-palatable food availability and protect public health. 

Additional Details

This is a free event hosted by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and co-sponsored by the institute's Center for Health Behaviors Research and the Addiction Recovery Research Center. The Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar Series, which runs annually from September to May, has featured leading biomedical researchers from throughout the country since the program began in 2012. The lectures are also open to all members of the Virginia Tech community including graduate students, undergraduates, faculty, and staff, as well as the public.

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