[figassis]

Maybe they should, but idk if junk food is more addictive than just food in general, ie sugars, etc. only problem I see if that just food is cheaper and more available than natural or healthier food. Solution here would be to produce healthier food more efficiently no?

[BadHumans]

Junk food is very similar to social media in that they are made specifically to be addictive. Sugar, fat, and salt are not bad things but junk food is formulated to hit all of those notes just right and be highly palatable. They are also usually high calorie which is something we crave from times when food was scarce. This doesn't even scratch all of the psychology that goes into making snack foods.

[bruce511]

Obviously there are gains that can be made, but unfortunately the very act of making food more "efficient", inherently makes it less healthy.

Pretty much everything that makes food healthy, also makes it more expensive, more inconvenient, or both. Shelf life, processing, mass production - all make it cheaper, but less nutritious.