It's Okay To Be Smart

The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food

The public and the food companies have known for decades now — or at the very least since this meeting — that sugary, salty, fatty foods are not good for us in the quantities that we consume them. So why are the diabetes and obesity and hypertension numbers still spiraling out of control? It’s not just a matter of poor willpower on the part of the consumer and a give-the-people-what-they-want attitude on the part of the food manufacturers. What I found, over four years of research and reporting, was a conscious effort — taking place in labs and marketing meetings and grocery-store aisles — to get people hooked on foods that are convenient and inexpensive. I talked to more than 300 people in or formerly employed by the processed-food industry, from scientists to marketers to C.E.O.’s. Some were willing whistle-blowers, while others spoke reluctantly when presented with some of the thousands of pages of secret memos that I obtained from inside the food industry’s operations. What follows is a series of small case studies of a handful of characters whose work then, and perspective now, sheds light on how the foods are created and sold to people who, while not powerless, are extremely vulnerable to the intensity of these companies’ industrial formulations and selling campaigns.

This is the most interesting thing I’ve read all week. Head over the the NY Times for the full story and educate yourself about the warfare between business and biology that has been taking place in America’s board rooms, grocery aisles and food labs. These companies are faced with having to formulate a product that you’ll want more of, and then trying to sleep at night knowing what it’s doing to the customers’ health. It doesn’t paint them as angels, certainly, but it’s a complicated situation.

Also I learned that Go-Gurt > Lucky Charms when it comes to added sugar, so just keep that in mind, parents.