How Food Giants Profit From Junk Food and Diet Culture: The Cause and the Problem

Key Takeaways

• Only 14% of Conagra Brands’ brands are marketed as health or wellness.

• Up to 67% of Kellanova’s brands sell unhealthy and indulgent foods.

• 80% of the 61 Kraft Heinz brands analyzed are associated with highly processed and unhealthy food items.

• Only 36% of all Nestlé brands sell healthy products. 

• Unilever has the largest proportion of unhealthy products out of all the companies in this research, with 92% of its brands considered unhealthy. 

• Kraft Heinz produces and markets frozen-ready meals under the WeightWatchers brand, despite WeightWatchers having no control over the formulation or marketing of these meals.

• Health-related messages on food packaging, such as “low-fat” and “added vitamins,” create a “health halo” that makes the product seem healthier than it is.

• 1 in 8 U.S. adults has used a GLP-1 agonist medication like Ozempic, Wegovy, or Mounjaro at some point, and major food companies are trying to profit off of them. For example, Congara added an “On Track” label on its food items and Nestlé launched a new frozen meal brand specifically targeting GLP-1 agonist users.

• WHO data shows a clear link between childhood obesity and aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods.

Introduction

For decades, food giants have shaped our eating habits and perceptions of health, both through the products they sell and by manipulating the cultural conversation around diet and wellness. However, too few consumers realize that the companies behind their favorite snack foods are also behind the “healthier” options marketed for weight control, reinforcing the illusion of choice. 

Aiming to expose this “dual strategy” of Big Food, we at Delivery Rank investigated how corporations like Kraft Heinz, Nestlé, and Unilever profit from both ends of the nutrition spectrum — flooding shelves with addictive junk foods while reinforcing diet culture with seemingly “healthy” products. You can see our findings below.

Breaking Down the Brand Portfolios

For the purpose of this research, we studied five major food companies: Conagra Brands, Kellanova, Kraft Heinz, Nestlé, and Unilever. We found that each of these companies owns weight loss/wellness brands, such as Atkins and Slim Fast, while at the same time selling junk food brands, like KitKat, Pringles, and Ben & Jerry’s. 

For each company, we collected a list of their consumer-facing brands. This gave us an insight into how major food corporations profit from both creating and solving dietary health problems.

Conagra Brands 

Conagra Brands is a leading American food company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Our research showed that 86% of Conagra Brands products are indulgent, ultra-processed foods that are considered unhealthy, while the remaining 14% are wellness brands like Gardein and Earth Balance. This suggests that the company profits from both sides of the health equation. 

Below, you can see a list of all brands owned by Conagra Brands (pulled from information available on its official website). 

The majority of Conagra's brands sell products traditionally viewed as less healthy, such as frozen meals, canned foods, desserts, and snacks. For instance, the company owns 17 brands that sell frozen meals, 14 of which can be described as junk food. A good example of this is Hungry Man, a frozen meal brand notorious for its huge, unhealthy portions.

At the other end of the spectrum, Conagra has strategically developed and acquired brands in healthier and wellness-focused categories. For example, 3 of its frozen meal brands are marketed as offering “healthier” options, including Blake’s, EVOL, and Healthy Choice. 

This strategy is evident in other categories as well, such as snacks and spreads, where the company offers both traditional and healthier options, including plant-based products.

Kellanova

Kellanova, formerly known as the Kellogg Company, is an American multinational food manufacturing company that specializes in breakfast cereals and snacks. Kellanova owns 36 brands, up to 67% of which sell unhealthy and indulgent foods. The remaining 33% are marketed as wellness brands.

Kellanova has 15 cereal brands, with 5 categorized as healthy and 10 as unhealthy. While its cereals are typically sugary and indulgent, the company is clearly making efforts to also cater to health-conscious consumers with options like Nutri-Grain and Special K. 

The snack category is also dominant, with 15 brands, but only 3 are classified as healthy compared to 12 unhealthy options, including iconic brands like Pringles and Cheez-It. 

The company currently owns three plant-based brands, including MorningStar Farms, Incogmeato, and Gardenburger. This is another indicator of Kellanova’s effort to benefit from the growing demand for plant-based diets, despite being widely recognized for its highly processed and indulgent foods.

Kraft Heinz

Kraft Heinz is an American multinational food and beverage company formed by the 2015 merger of Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz Company, making it the fifth-largest food company globally. We found that 80% of the 61 Kraft Heinz brands analyzed are associated with highly processed and unhealthy food items, with only a few (20%) marketed as healthy or for weight loss. 

The majority of Kraft Heinz’s brands fall into categories typically viewed as less healthy, such as condiments, with 17 brands, 15 of which can be described as unhealthy. Its dairy products, snacks, and frozen meals fall predominantly in the unhealthy category. 

These categories include processed and convenience foods such as Heinz Ketchup, Kraft Singles, and Oscar Mayer meats, which have historically driven significant revenue and market share for the company.

While significantly smaller, Kraft Heinz also maintains a presence in health-focused products. They include its one baby food brand, Plasmon, as well as plant-based products, such as Boca and NotCo. 

Kraft Heinz’ beverages category is the most versatile, including products marketed as healthy and those considered junk food or highly processed. For instance, the company sells Original Juice Co., a health-focused brand marketed with "all-natural" claims, while at the same time capitalizing on products like Kool-Aid, which are high in sugar and offer little nutritional value. 

Nestlé

Headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé is the biggest food company in the world, operating in 189 countries worldwide. Out of the 50 Nestlé brands we analyzed, 64% sell highly-processed, indulgent products, while 36% sell products that are marketed as healthy. 

Nestlé’s confectionery products lineup is fully composed of unhealthy brands, many of which are household names globally, including KitKat, After Eight, Smarties, and Nesquik. 

Out of Nestlé’s ten breakfast cereals, only three — Cheerios, Clusters, and Fitness — are generally considered “healthier” options, as they emphasize whole grains, higher fiber, and lower sugar content compared to the rest of the products.

Despite primarily selling classic processed foods, sweets, and convenience products, Nestlé has a whole range of products aimed at health-conscious consumers, including Boost, Nutren, Peptamen, Resource, and Supligen. 

Ironically, Nestlé even offers its own weight management program called Optifest, designed to help individuals combat obesity and metabolic diseases caused by poor diets, likely in part caused by foods sold by Nestlé itself. This duality allows Nestlé to profit from both the causes and solutions to diet-related health crises.

Unilever

Unilever is a British multinational consumer goods company and one of the world's largest producers of packaged foods. Headquartered in London, it operates in over 190 countries and owns iconic brands like Knorr, Hellmann’s, Ben & Jerry’s, and Magnum. Out of 88 Unilever brands, 92% can be described as unhealthy and indulgent, while only 8% are marketed as healthy. 

This means Unilever has the largest proportion of unhealthy products out of all the companies in this research, and also had the highest number of brands analyzed.

The majority of Unilever’s brands fall in the frozen desserts category, which includes popular household names like Magnum, Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers, and Wall’s. 

Of the twelve brands of spreads in Unilever’s portfolio, only three — Becel, Blue Band, and Flora — are positioned and marketed as healthy options. All three are plant-based spreads that have lower saturated fat content compared to traditional butter. 

The beverages category is also dominated by unhealthy products, with Lipton and Pukka Herbs being the only two products advertised as natural and low-sugar — Lipton through antioxidant-rich teas and Pukka via organic herbal blends.

Unilever’s simultaneous promotion of a small number of health-marketed products and a much larger portfolio of unhealthy foods exemplifies corporate hypocrisy. The company profits from both sides of the health crisis — selling products that contribute to poor health outcomes while also capitalizing on consumer demand for healthier or weight-loss-oriented options.

The Licensing Loophole and Health Halos

One of the most subtle yet powerful tools in the food industry is the use of licensing agreements to blur the lines between “junk food” and diet culture. For example, Kraft Heinz has long produced and marketed frozen-ready meals under the WeightWatchers brand — a partnership that has created a major presence in the U.K.’s diet food market through the WeightWatchers Balance range. 

Yet, WeightWatchers (now rebranded as WW) does not own these products, and has no contro over their formulation or marketing. This licensing loophole enables food giants to profit from both sides of the supermarket aisle.

What makes the confusion worse are the so-called “health halos” created by front-of-pack claims like “low-fat,” “added vitamins,” or “SmartPoints.” These labels often put an emphasis on certain nutrients or the number of calories, which can distract from high levels of salt, sugar, or ultra-processing and make the products seem healthier than they are. 

A 2023 study published in the International Journal of Food Science & Technology found that health-related messages on packaging — such as “zero sugar,” “0% fat,” or “five-a-day” — can cause consumers to underestimate the calorie content of foods, especially when healthy and unhealthy items are combined in a meal.

This “calorie illusion” leads people to believe that the presence of a healthy ingredient makes the entire product or meal healthier, even when it contains high levels of sugar or fat.

Feeding the Ozempic Generation

The advent of Ozempic and other GLP-1 agonists have caused massive shifts in diet culture, offering a seemingly easy solution to the obesity epidemic. These drugs work by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) to lower blood sugar and suppress appetite. While they were originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, their use for weight loss — particularly among young adults — has grown rapidly in recent years.

A May 2024 KFF Health Tracking Poll found that 1 in 8 U.S. adults (12.5%) have used a GLP-1 agonist like Ozempic, Wegovy, or Mounjaro at some point. Around four in ten (38%) adults take these drugs solely for weight loss purposes. 

With WeightWatchers filing for bankruptcy in May 2025 after struggling to keep up with the rising popularity of GLP-1 agonist weight-loss drugs, it’s clear that these drugs have already had a massive impact on the weight loss industry. 

But are other major food companies being affected by the increasing use of this class of medications? The short answer is yes; data from several major food retailers indicates that GLP-1 agonists have had a negative effect on food sales.

A study from Walmart, released in October 2023, found that customers using Ozempic and similar GLP-1 agonists were purchasing fewer food items overall, particularly sweets, snacks, and high-calorie foods. 2024 research published by Cornell University found that households with GLP-1 agonist users spent 5.5% less on groceries within six months of starting treatment, with sharper declines (8.6%) in high-income households.

However, as data comes in on how GLP-1 agonists are affecting consumer behavior, major food companies are finding ways to profit from them. For example, 26 items of Congara’s Healthy Choice line now feature an “On Track” label, indicating that the products are high-protein, low-calorie, and rich in fiber, or in other words, GLP-1 agonist friendly. 

Interestingly, the company made no changes to the meals themselves; the label simply highlights that already existing meals are GLP-1 agonist friendly. However, ​​all labelled products underwent USDA review to ensure claims meet nutritional guidelines.

Similarly, Vital Pursuit is Nestlé’s first frozen meal brand specifically designed for GLP-1 agonist users in the U.S. The line features portion-controlled meals, each providing at least 20 grams of protein and essential nutrients. 

The French food giant Danone is also making efforts to capitalize on the GLP-1 agonist hype by strategically repositioning its portfolio around high-protein and gut-health products, such as its Oikos and Light & Fit yogurt lines. 

The company’s marketing efforts have been particularly visible during high-profile events like the Super Bowl. According to Circana data, Danone's Oikos yogurt line experienced a 40% surge in U.S. retail sales during 2024, driven by increased demand from GLP-1 agonist users.

Aside from marketing new product lines aimed specifically for GLP-1 agonist users, Big Food is also actively looking for new formulations to make foods that are addictive even through the GLP-agonist. Using artificial intelligence and behavioral science, major food companies are working to create foods that bypass natural hunger cues and trigger repeat consumption. 

Experts warn that these innovations could undermine the drugs’ effectiveness. Nicole Avena, a neuroscientist specializing in food addiction, notes that the industry’s vast library of reward-triggering compounds — from optimized fats to flavor enhancers — might inadvertently rewire cravings. “They [Big Food companies] could create foods that bypass the GLP-1 pathway entirely,” she says.

Some products are even marketed as being able to combat some of the negative side-effects of GLP-1 agonist drugs. For instance, Biocare is a nutritional beverage designed specifically to alleviate side effects, like nausea, of taking semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy. 

This could be a legitimate effort to meet a consumer need. However, given Big Food’s history of formulating foods that sacrificed consumer health for corporate profit, viewing the motives of Big Food with skepticism seems reasonable. 

This blurring of health and indulgence raises ethical concerns, as food giants may be prioritizing profits over genuine well-being by engineering products that could undermine the intended benefits of GLP-1 medications. 

Public Health and Consumer Trust

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) has revealed critical insights into childhood obesity trends through its sixth round of data collection. The study, which took place from 2022 to 2024 and included 470,000 children from 37 countries, found that approximately 25% of children aged 7–9 years are overweight, including 11% who are affected by obesity. 

Boys are disproportionately impacted compared to girls, with 27% of boys categorized as overweight and 13% as obese, while 23% of girls are overweight and 9% obese. 

The WHO's global figures paint an even more alarming picture, classifying over 390 million children and adolescents aged 5–19 as overweight in 2022, including 160 million living with obesity.

WHO data also shows a clear link between childhood obesity and aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods. ​The impact is particularly pronounced in low- and middle-income countries, where regulatory frameworks are often weaker. 

For example, Malaysia — facing the highest childhood obesity rate in ASEAN — reports that 30% of children aged 5–17 are overweight or obese, with aggressive marketing of unhealthy products exacerbating the crisis. 

Campaigners and public health experts argue that food industry self-regulation has consistently failed to restrict the marketing of unhealthy products to children. For instance, the EU Pledge, a voluntary initiative by leading food companies, restricts food advertising only in media where at least 35% of the audience consists of children aged up to 12 years. 

However, this threshold excludes a vast amount of digital content where children may not be the majority, but still make up a substantial portion of the audience. This loophole allows companies to continue marketing unhealthy products during popular programs that attract large numbers of children.

Conclusion 

This research shows that food giants have built their business on a dual strategy: promoting ultra-processed, indulgent foods while also selling diet and “health” products, often under the same corporate umbrella. This begs the questions, “Should regulations prevent companies from owning both indulgent and health-targeted brands?”

Breaking this cycle may require structural reforms that separate conflicting interests, ensuring corporations cannot profit from both harm and health. Without such measures, the food industry’s dual strategy will likely continue to prioritize profit over public well-being.