Time and Attention

50: Hooked on Salt, Sugar, and Fat

Apr 27, 2021

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Moss explores how processed food companies manipulate flavor compounds to hook us on their products. He reveals the intricate world of synthetic flavors, the addictive nature of highly-processed foods, and the deceptive tactics used by the food industry to exploit consumer habits. Moss highlights the importance of awareness and education in making healthier food choices.

36:01

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Episode guests

Michael Moss

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Processed food companies use flavor manipulation to make products addictive, exploiting our instincts for taste.

The processed food industry capitalizes on our desire for calorie-dense products, driving overeating and impacting health.

Deep dives

The Addictive Nature of Processed Food

Processed food can be as addictive as drugs, tapping into our basic instincts to make us want more and exploit our lack of free will. The industry uses flavor houses to create artificial flavors mimicking natural ones, enhancing the appeal of products. Companies manipulate flavors and costs to make products irresistible, affecting our consumption and control over eating habits.

Introduction

2min

Exploring the Addictive Nature of Processed Foods

2min

Exploring the Intricate World of Flavor Houses and Synthetic Flavors

3min

Exploring the Intricacies of Flavor Manipulation and Evolutionary Smell

2min

Processed Food Industry Insights

4min

The Manipulative Tactics of Processed Food Companies

23min

Takeaway:The processed food industry has become incredibly sophisticated in the way it gets us to eat more of what it makes. Estimated Reading Time:1 minute, 37s.

For this week’s podcast episode I sat down with Michael Moss, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Salt Sugar Fat and now, Hooked: Food, Free Will, and How the Food Giants Exploit Our Addictions. Hooked is an incredible book: a deep dive into the processed food industry and a look at how highly-processed food can be even more addictive than hard drugs.

My main takeaway from the book is how we shouldn’t see processed food as food: it’s more of a Frankenstein-esque lab creation. Michael illustrates this with the example of pumpkin spice—one of the coziest-feeling flavors I can think of:

“In our kitchen cabinets, pumpkin spice is made of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and maybe ginger. Not so in processed food. Its pumpkin spice is simulated through the deployment of as many as eighty elements.”

Companies have learned to isolate flavor compounds and add them to our food—without our knowledge or permission—to make what we eat taste like something it’s not. Our latte may taste like pumpkin, but in reality, it’s a cocktail of other ingredients concocted in chemical laboratories.

Flavor is the main lever processed food companies use to hook us on their products. According to Michael, the others are:

Calories. We have a natural drive to maximize our calorie intake. If two foods taste identical, but one has more calories, that’s the one we’ll choose.
Cost. The cheaper something is, the more likely we are to buy it.
Variety. We crave variety—and the novelty that comes along with it. That’s why there are so many flavors of Oreos and sparkling water!
Convenience. We gravitate towards what saves us time—hence the appeal of ready-to-heat or ready-to-eat meals.

In our conversation, linked below, Michael and I dig deeper into the levers processed food companies use to get us to eat more of what they sell.

He’s a fascinating interview—and I highly recommend the book as well.

The post The 5 things that make processed food addictive appeared first on Chris Bailey.