In this episode of Ways & Means: How yesterday’s war on tobacco is shaping today’s war on sugar.

Public health advocates are waging battle against added sugar in our foods. And they’re taking pointers from another public health battle: the campaign against tobacco.

New evidence suggests sugar, like tobacco, is addictive and harmful to long-term health. Kelly Brownell, the dean of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke, says the two fights have a lot in common.

Other guests include tobacco policy expert Ken Warner, professor of public health at the University of Michigan, and advertising executive Sajiv Panditha. His company Saatchi & Saatchi ran a campaign aimed at reducing diabetes in sugar-loving Sri Lanka.

• Look at the study The Perils of Ignoring History: Big Tobacco Played Dirty and Millions Died. How Similar is Big Food?
• Read the episode transcript
• Look at the look at the “sugarette” advertisement discussed in the episode.
• Music by David Schulman and Sound of Picture.