Time Magazine Changes Headline About Ultra-Processed Foods After Online Backlash

Time Magazine received criticism and backlash for publishing an article originally titled, “What if Ultra-Processed Foods Aren’t as Bad as You Think?” The outlet has since changed the title to “Why One Dietitian is Speaking Up for Ultra-Processed Foods.” This comes after a Tucker Carlson segment about health issues in the United States has gone viral. Carlson interviewed Dr. Casey Means and her brother Calley Means, a former consultant for processed food companies and big pharma, about the chronic health problem in the U.S.

During the interview, Calley Means revealed that the cigarette industry, specifically R.J. Reynolds and Phillip Morris, created the processed food industry. The industry lobbied the FDA and USDA to create the food pyramid. The food pyramid was an ultra-processed food marketing document,” Means said. “Today, a child’s diet is 70% ultra-processed foods. Those are literally foods invented by the cigarette industry to addict kids.”

The Time article provides a 2019 NIH study that shows ultra-processed foods are linked to obesity. The author also pointed to a 2024 study that says “people who eat processed foods can still be healthy.” The premise is that not all foods that are considered processed are as bad as the worst ultra-processed foods, such as chips, soda, and cereal.

Jessica Wilson, the dietitian interviewed for the article, is “acutely aware of how both the public health and medical framing of “healthy eating” and “obesity” has contributed to disordered eating and self-blame,” according to her website bio.

Calley Means shared a screenshot of the original Time article headline on X and said, “We are under attack.” He tagged Time Magazine CEO Marc Benioff and asked, “Are you proud of this journalism?” He included a video of his sister, Casey, explaining the adverse health effects of ultra-processed food on children.

While the Time Magazine article presented a nuanced position in the article, those who just read the headline may take away a different message. A 2016 study found that 59% of the articles shared on Twitter were not opened before sharing. Other estimates online without proper sourcing say 70-80% of people will only read the headline of an article. A Time Magazine article from January 2023 is titled, “Why Ultra-Processed Foods Are So Bad For You.”

Jamie Ducharme, the author of the article, also spoke at the 2023 Concordia Summit. On the about us page, it states, “Concordia is a global convener of heads of state, government officials, C-suite executives, and leaders of nonprofits, think tanks, and foundations to find cross-sector solutions that address the biggest challenges of our time.” Concordia also has sponsorships that include Coca Cola and McDonalds. 

Wilson, the dietitian from the article, states on her website that she is thankful for the “Health At Every Size (HAES)” movement for spreading an alternative narrative about health. She said, “[I] have not been able to reconcile my concerns that the model makes Health a goal, accomplished through principles.”

Meanwhile, Calley and Casey Means aim to spread the truth about the food industry lobbying practices that have caused the modern chronic disease epidemic. Calley Means went into more detail regarding the cigarette companies creating the ultra-processed food industry and the creation of the food pyramid.

“They used their cash piles to buy food companies,” Means said. “You had in the ’90s; these two cigarette companies very strategically do two things. They shifted their thousands of scientists who were experts at making cigarettes addictive to the food department. So we had the rise of ultra-processed food where our food now is a science experiment.”

“The second thing they did is, they shifted their lobbying,” Means continued. “The cigarette industry was, of course, the biggest lobbying spenders and had a very good playbook. They shifted their playbook on lobbying and rigging institutions of trust to food, so they created the food pyramid. So, the cigarette industry, through the food companies they bought, paid off the FDA, the USDA, Harvard to create a report saying sugar doesn’t cause obesity. And they lobbied for the food pyramid in the 1990s.”

Means explained further that the food pyramid puts carbs and sugar at the base of the pyramid. The pyramid technically had sugar at the very tip and was said to be used in moderation. However, Means points out that the carbohydrate food products on the market contain high amounts of sugar. The food pyramid also combined animal fats at the top to be “used sparingly.”

The HighWire has reported on the harms related to heavily processed foods, including an interview with Zen Honeycutt from Moms Across America. Honeycutt reported the findings from a study of 21 fast food chains, which found high levels of heavy metals and nutrient deficiencies.

“Fast food companies are supplying school lunches to our children,” Honeycutt said. “There are 30 million school meals that are served every day to our children. The majority of the ingredients are derived from genetically modified foods like soy and corn. And also, they are predominantly derived from crops that are sprayed with glyphosate as a drying agent, like wheat.”

Honeycutt presented the study’s results, which found that 95.3% of the fast food samples tested positive for glyphosate. She mentioned another study for comparison that found 60% of grocery store samples tested positive for glyphosate. “This is a known carcinogen, as you have reported,” Honeycutt said. “An endocrine disruptor. It causes liver disease at very low levels. A new study out shows that it contributes to leukemia in animal studies, especially in young rats. Over 50% that died were young rats, so we’re very concerned about leukemia and rising levels in children.”

Honeycutt appeared on The HighWire in July to discuss heavy metals in baby food formula with guest host Tracy Beanz. Coincidentally, Beanz has published an op-ed today about a new study showing that the Ketogenic Diet may shrink pancreatic tumors, along with her family’s journey to health by cutting out processed foods.