Ultra-processed foods are becoming more and more prevalent, in our grocery stores and around the world – and as we learn more about their long-term health effects, experts are growing increasingly concerned. (What are “ultra-processed foods”? In a nutshell: anything that contains an ingredient you’re not going to find at any grocery store.) The medical journal The Lancet recently published a series of three papers about the health impacts of ultra-processed foods – and what ought to be done about it from a policy angle.

Click here to read summaries of all three papers.

One of those papers was authored by Barry Popkin, a professor of nutrition at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Popkin joined Aaron in 97.9 The Hill studios to discuss ultra-processed foods and their health implications – and what policymakers should be doing about it, on the national and local levels.

97.9 The Hill WCHL and Chapelboro.com are your headquarters for local news and local voices in Chapel Hill-Carrboro. Every weekday morning, 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck chats with government officials, UNC scholars, business and nonprofit leaders, area musicians, and others in our community as they share their thoughts, their experience, and their expertise on the central issues of today. Click here to listen back to all of Aaron’s conversations – and tune in to “This Morning with Aaron Keck” at 7:30 a.m. on 97.9 The Hill to hear those conversations live.

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On Air Today: The Danger of Ultra-Processed Foods - and How to Combat It
UNC's Barry Popkin joins Aaron to discuss the health impacts of "ultra-processed foods" and what policymakers should be doing about it.
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