Ashley Gearhardt testified before the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means (Health Subcommittee) on September 18, 2024. Geahardt’s testimony covered the rising obesity epidemic and its roots in dietary changes that have resulted in dramatically higher consumption of ultraprocessed foods. Gearhardt explains that such foods have been engineered for hyper-palatability and are often calorically dense and high in saturated fats and simple sugars. Moreover, many such foods are convenient and affordable, and some categories of ultraprocessed foods are marketed directly to children–a demographic that has seen much higher rates of obesity and obesity-related disease over the past few decades.
