Policies to Reduce Ultra-processed Foods: Lessons From Around the Globe
Lindsey Smith Taillie, Ph.D., MPH
Associate Professor of Nutrition
Associate Chair of Nutrition
Gillings School of Global Public Health
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar
Policies to Reduce Ultra-processed Foods: Lessons From Around the Globe
Date: Jan. 30, 2026
Time: 11 a.m. to noon
In-person: Room G101 A/B, 4 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, Virginia
Virtual: Watch via Zoom
About this Seminar
Diets are a leading cause of chronic diseases in the United States and globally; poor dietary patterns also contribute to environmental harms. Increasingly, policymakers are implementing policies to reduce consumption of ultra-processed foods, promote consumption of healthy, fresh foods, and mitigate both environmental and health harms. In this talk, Dr. Taillie will review case studies from across the globe on what has worked to promote healthier, more sustainable diets, including taxes on sugary drinks and ultra-processed foods, front-of-package warning labels, healthy food incentive programs, school meals programs, restrictions on junk food marketing to kids, and more. Dr. Taillie will also discuss current implications for U.S. food policy, a rapidly changing landscape.
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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