Ultra-Processed People

Praise

#1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

“Unsettling and deeply important. . . . [Ultra-Processed People] integrate[s] concepts of detailed food science and global market forces, showing how these affect individual humans. Tulleken weaves these threads together in a way that is evidence-based, compelling and humane. . . . A tremendously important book that will help readers choose less processed, better food.”—Vincent Lam, Toronto Star

“A fearless investigation into how we have become hooked on ultra-processed food. . . . [van Tulleken’s] key message will have you scurrying to your cupboards. . . . And, if there is any justice, this gripping, well-evidenced exposé will shame policymakers and shake the food industry to its money-driven core. . . . [Ultra-Processed People] is more than just a great science book: it breaks down a complex issue of cultural, social, economic and political importance with clarity and sensitivity but without moralising; it competently evaluates the scientific literature; and it roams the globe in search of answers.” —Financial Times

“Deeply researched and persuasive.” —New Statesman (UK)

“Fascinating, but frankly horrifying. . . . An unsettling exanimation of the food we eat and the industrial system that makes it” —The Sunday Times

“Witty, pacy and approachable. . . . [van Tulleken] tells a damn good yarn, cutting through the complex terminology with consummate ease.” —The Grocer

“Engrossing. . . . [Ultra-processed food] makes most fictional villains look quaint. You’ve got a diabolical product that scientists and capitalists have literally got into our bodies (even mine?!) profoundly affecting our health and even our thoughts. Chris van Tulleken has written an astonishingly well-researched book on a plague that most of us aren’t even thinking about, but one whose architects are most certainly thinking about us, with ill intent. Read it and fight back!” —Rob Delaney, New York Times bestselling author of A Heart That Works

“Packed with ‘I never knew that’ moments, Ultra-Processed People is a wonderfully playful book that changed forever how I think about what I eat and why.” —Hannah Fry, author of Hello World: Being Human in the Age of Algorithms

“A wonderful and fascinating exposé. . . . [Chris van Tulleken] backs up his claims with a powerful self-experiment, along with lots of rigorous and often shocking research. Reading this book will make you question what you eat and how it was produced.” —Dr. Michael Mosley, bestselling author of The Clever Gut Diet

“A devastating, witty and scholarly destruction of the shit food we eat and why.” —Adam Rutherford, bestselling author of A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived

“If you only read one diet or nutrition book in your life, make it this one. . . . Without a hint of finger-wagging or body shaming . . . Chris van Tulleken lays out what ultra-processed food is and why it is the single greatest problem with modern diets.” —Bee Wilson, award-winning author of The Way We Eat Now and Consider the Fork

“Everyone needs to know this stuff.” —Tim Spector, bestselling author of Spoon-Fed: why Almost Everything We’ve Been Told about Food is Wrong

“The past ten years has seen an inflection point in human history, where more people in the world are now dying of eating too much, than of eating too little. This urgent and captivating read digs deep into one of the huge reasons, the rise and rise of ultra-processed food.” —Dr. Giles Yeo, author of Gene Eating: The Science of Obesity and the Truth about Diets

“This book is a diet grenade, the bold and brutal truth about how we are fed deadly delights by very greedy evil giants.” —Chris Packham

“Ultra-Processed People is a much-needed, eye-opening exposé. It’s full of detailed, fascinating science and gripping revelations about our processed diets and its impact on our health and wellbeing. Beautifully written, each page reveals hidden truths and asks you to re-think and re-connect to food in a way that has been lost for decades. Truly mind-blowing!” —Megan McCubbin, bestselling co-author of Back to Nature: How to Love Life—And Save It

“van Tulleken . . . reveals the distressing details behind many of the organic, ultra-processed foods . . . that tout their relative healthiness. . . . A painfully eye-opening study of food and health.” —Kirkus Reviews