Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us

Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us
By Michael Moss
Random House, 2013. 446 pgs.  Nonfiction

Using examples from well-known companies like Kraft, Coca-Cola, Lunchables, Kellogg, etc, Moss shows how food scientists use technology to calculate the "bliss point" of foods to make them irresistible to consumers.  They can enhance the "mouthfeel" of foods by manipulating their salt, sugar, and fat content, and these companies then use clever marketing campaigns to manipulate consumers into buying more and thinking that it might even be healthy for them. 

This book is highly praised and has important information for consumers today. But I was a bit disappointed that major points and even stories were repeated frequently and I came to loathe hearing the words "salt, sugar, and fat" together. I also felt that the author would sometimes over-dramatize the insidiousness of food companies. I essentially agree with his points, but companies trying to further their profits at whatever cost to the consumer does not surprise me at all.  The lessons of the book can be summed up on the dust cover, but he does cite some interesting studies and evidence, and this can be a helpful book if you need motivation trying to put off a processed food habit.

BHG