In 1963, R. J. Reynolds acquired Hawaiian Punch, marking the tobacco industry's entry into the food sector.

Following this, R. J. Reynolds and Philip Morris aggressively acquired major food brands including Del Monte, Nabisco, General Foods, Kraft, and 7UP.

These companies produced hyperpalatable, chemically-engineered foods now known as ultra-processed foods (UPFs). As Laura Schmidt, a professor of health policy at UCSF, explains in a Berkeley Talks episode, these products were marketed especially to children and vulnerable groups. About 60% of calories in the American diet come from ultra-processed foods.

Schmidt notes that in the mid-1980s, as these foods scaled up in the food supply, obesity rates dramatically rose. This talk, co-sponsored by the Berkeley Food Institute and Berkeley Public Health, highlights the direct legacy of the tobacco industry in today's chronic disease epidemic. The discussion was moderated by Isabel Madzorera.