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.
You May Also Be Interested In...
-
Home ItemInheriting Chromatin Domains in Mammals and the Mechanisms Involved , home
Sept. 5, 2025, 11:00 a.m. | Thelma Escobar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Institute for Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and Cancer Research Center — D.C.
-
Home ItemFlow Induced Endothelial Planar Polarity for Signaling Regulation , home
Sept. 19, 2025, 11:00 a.m. | Julia Mack, Ph.D., Assistant Adjunct Professor, David Geffen School of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of California Los Angeles | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Vascular and Heart Research
-
Home ItemMaury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture , home
Sept. 18, 2025, 5:30 p.m. (Reception at 5 p.m.) | Robert Gourdie, Ph.D., FAHA, AIMBE, Heywood Fralin Professor and Director, Center for Vascular and Heart Research, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute; Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Tech College of Engineering; Elected Member, National Academy of Inventors | Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture
-
Home ItemThe Bitter Truth: Alcohol Use and Its Effects on Chemosensory Function , home
Oct. 3, 2025, 11:00 a.m. | Paule Valery Joseph, Ph.D., Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, NIH Distinguished Scholar; Acting Chief, Section of Sensory Science and Metabolism Unit, Co-Director of the National Smell and Taste Center, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Health Behaviors Research and Addiction Recovery Research Center
-
Home ItemOrganization and Control of Hippocampal Networks , home
Oct. 17, 2025, 11:00 a.m. | Ivan Soltesz, Ph.D., James R. Doty Professor of Neurosurgery and Neurosciences, Stanford University | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Neurobiology Research
-
Home ItemThinking the Right Thoughts , home
Oct. 31, 2025, 11 a.m. | Nathaniel Daw, Ph.D., Professor, Computational and Theoretical Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Princeton University | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Human Neuroscience Research