food brands love to exploit you—here's how they get away with it

You may have noticed while grocery shopping that protein is the hottest thing on the market. 42 grams of protein in a 12 oz shake. 20 in granola. 12 in a piece of bread. I personally find it odd to turn a literal molecule made up of amino acids turned into a cultural trend—but that’s only the tip of the iceberg in how CPG brands take the latest health hype and sprint with it straight onto the shelves. Consumers get exploited daily, and honestly, it’s almost comical how completely they’ve lost agency over their own bodies.

Most people just follow the masses without ever pausing to think for themselves. If TikTok is raving about protein, brands will listen and respond with protein everything. If fiber becomes the nutrient of the month, suddenly even yogurt brands will find a way to squeeze fiber into the SKU’s. The scariest part of this groupthink is that many never question whether they actually need more fiber or protein or antioxidants or Omega-3’s. Reels told them it was important, and the creator looked confident—so why not believe them?

The umbrella trend behind all this is “health and wellness,” which is a productive cultural shift. People do value nutrition and self-care more now. But the issue isn’t denial—it’s false confidence. People assume they know enough, and that anything that seems healthy must be healthy. “Made with only natural ingredients” looks like a green flag. Sugar free must be a better alternative right? Wrong. And food brands are taking advantage of this blind spot in full force.

Suddenly, shelves are filled with “nutrient-packed” products that no one in particular asked for. Most people were never taught how to read a nutrition label, and brands count on that. It lets them innovate all-in-one solutions, because what could be more convenient and nourishing than that?

Here’s the reality: many brands don’t actually care how your food is processed, as long as the packaging hits those buzzwords we all know and love. Convenience is prioritized over quality. This isn’t inherently evil because not every brand needs to be organic and “clean.” Every market needs variety. A lot of consumers just want comfort, and hey, if their treat of choice claims to also be a “good source of calcium,” that’s sufficient.

Here’s the thing though—that calcium-boosted ice cream is probably jam-packed with ingredients you can’t pronounce. That double-fiber bread might be produced with synthetic preservatives and dough conditioners. And products that brag about being “free” of something else—lactose free, gluten free, sugar free—usually achieve that by replacing the missing component with something engineered. Free doesn’t mean better, it means substituted.

Now, some may ask why processing even matters if they’re “just trying to build muscle.” The reason: highly processed foods tend to rely on added fat, sodium, sugar, stabilizers, and emulsifiers—all of which contribute to metabolic issues, inflammation, and a disrupted gut microbiome. A stressed microbiome compromises immunity, energy, digestion, and long-term disease risk. A simple rule of thumb: if you can’t tell whether an ingredient is food or chemistry, it might be worth putting back. I’m not saying this to shame, I’m saying this to wake you up.

Even those who know better still get trapped by brands using novelty to sway, and guilt-tripping to create insecurity. When a product claims to have all the vitamins, protein and fiber in one convenient serving and tastes just as good as the original, people lose their minds. It’s the same pattern we see with skincare and wellness. When enough nutritional buzzwords are thrown around, consumers reflect on where they may be lacking. If everyone is raving about protein and you realize you never consider your intake, you’ll probably overcompensate by grabbing anything labeled “high in protein.” CPG brands love to take full advantage of vulnerable humans.

Ingredient literacy is so low because people don’t know what they lack, and often don’t care enough to find out. They look for quick fixes, and products that appear slightly healthier do the job. And yes, it’s reasonable to think, “I would love to shop fully organic and whole-food, but I can’t afford it.” I believe health—especially around food choices—should be accessible as a basic human need. But I also believe that healthier choices don’t have to cost more. It’s about your mindset in the grocery store, knowing what to prep, and how to prep it. Ironically, chances are those who stick with processed foods end up consuming more calories than they need anyway.

If there’s one point to takeaway from this piece, it’s this: Reclaim agency over your body. Don’t let marketing theater and misleading food labels make decisions for you. And now you’re aware of how subtle the manipulation is, don’t shame yourself. Be thankful that you can now see right through it and think smarter not harder next time you grocery shop.