Airdate: Irresistible: Why We Can’t Stop Eating

Why are ultra-processed foods so irresistible and how have they come to dominate our food culture?

Documentary Irresistible: Why We Can’t Stop Eating by medical doctor and academic Dr Chris van Tulleken features interviews with former food industry insiders who talk openly about the way in which popular foods have been designed to be irresistible.

Food companies go to extraordinary lengths to ensure their products connect with consumers – using brain scans to assess the deliciousness of ice-cream to carefully engineering the sound of a crunch. Ultra-processed foods are hyper-delicious and super-convenient, have long shelf lives and can be inexpensive. But a growing body of evidence is linking these products to our declining health.

Is it really our fault if we can’t stop eating these foods? And can we change our food environment for the better?

8:35pm Tuesday, 4 February on SBS.