Haven't thought ODing is a big contributor to death in the US. I believe it's safe to assume that it has only increased during the lockdowns and would continue to rise with the current state of the economy. I suppose the years of bad nutrition is also catching up to Americans.
I think we've reached the point in society where the oversight of companies is so compromised that they're literally being allowed to sell us toxic poison under the guise of food. The problem with microplastics in our processed food has gotten so out of control that...
Exactly, a lot of nutrients supposed to obtained naturally are now manufactured and produced by mixture of chemicals. I don't know if to blame science or that these nutrients are now becoming more difficult and almost impossible to get. Packaged foods have also been praised as better food option to natural organic meals, we now have less vegetables and fruits in our diets.
Healthy food tend to be more expensive than the less healthy ones so it seem to me that vitamin/mineral supplements are pretty much necessary these days. Especially with the changes in agriculture, even fresh produce today seem to have less flavor and nutrients. Personally we only keep processed food for emergencies and still try to cook at home.