Here’s a list of articles and research studies that support the claim that “Junk Food is the new Tobacco”

• US tobacco companies selectively disseminated hyper-palatable foods into the US food system: Empirical evidence and current implications
  • Findings: Tobacco-owned foods were 29% more likely to be classified as fat and sodium HPF and 80% more likely to be classified as carbohydrate and sodium HPF than foods that were not tobacco-owned between 1988 and 2001 (P-values = 0.005–0.009). The availability of fat and sodium HPF (> 57%) and carbohydrate and sodium HPF (> 17%) was high in 2018 regardless of prior tobacco-ownership status, suggesting widespread saturation into the food system.
• Did Tobacco Companies Also Get Us Hooked On Junk Food? New Research Says Yes
  • The research found and analyzed 373 tobacco-owned brands and the products they produced compared to food items not owned by tobacco brands in the same time period. Foods were identified as hyper-palatable if they included specific ingredients at specific thresholds that make foods addictive enough to be the targets of binge-eating episodes and food addiction. Ultimately, the study found that the foods produced by tobacco companies were “designed to maximize public consumption at great risk to public health.”
• ‘Junk food is the new tobacco’: experts call for restrictions to tackle obesity