2025 Nominees

Irresistible: Why We Can't Stop Eating

Lion Television, Yap Films, BBC

UK

- Science & Technology

The programme delves deep into the seductive world of ultra-processed foods, revealing how they’re engineered to be impossible to resist and why they dominate our diets. Food industry insiders expose the cutting-edge science that makes these products so addictive. We meet the neuroscientist who uses brain scanning to perfect the dopamine rush when we indulge in ice cream, and food engineers who design the perfect crunch of a crisp and the shape of packaging to trigger desire. Thanks to their work, we’re surrounded by an endless array of ultra-processed foods — but new research is linking them to an alarming rise in serious health problems. This eye-opening exploration doesn’t just highlight the dangers lurking in our food — it asks the crucial question: Can we change our food environment for the better? Based on the best-selling book Ultra-Processed People by Dr. Chris van Tulleken, this film is an urgent call to rethink the way we eat, and the powerful forces shaping our cravings.