Good deeds and cheap marketing—The food industry in the times of COVID‐19

White, Mariel; Nieto, Claudia; Barquera, Simon

The consumption of ultra‐processed foods is one of the main drivers of the global obesity and non‐communicable disease (NCDs) epidemic(1). It is well known that obesity is associated with a low intensity chronic inflammatory state that creates a suboptimal immune response,(2) which negatively affects the prognosis of COVID‐19(3). The epidemic of obesity and COVID‐19 can be viewed as a syndemic as they negatively interact with one another to exacerbate the course of disease, leading to greater complications and severe illness. Together, they create a simultaneous and significant burden on the health system(4). Thus, an in‐depth analysis on the food industry’s role in this pandemic and in our society is necessary.