Michael Moss, author of Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us, and winner of a Pulitzer Prize, was one of the experts interviewed in the CBC news report, Simply Irresistible, by Kelly Crowe. He studied the science behind processed food for four years, being able to get in behind the scenes and talk to various experts, as well as see various documents for his book.
He speaks about “food engineering,” where the food industry finds the perfect amount of salt, sugar and fat to “hook” us. There is a “bliss point” for sugar, a “mouthfeel” for fat, and a “flavor burst” for salt. According to Michael Moss, when the food companies find the perfect balance of sugar, fat, and salt they “know their foods will be simply irresistible.”
He goes on to say that much money is spent to create a taste and smell that feels real but in reality is completely artificial. Flavor enhancers are used to trick the brain to taste something that is not actually there.
He did an experiment with a food manufacturer where they took all the flavor enhancements out of the product Cheez-Its, which he normally loves. He said his experience was that without flavor enhancement, no one would eat it—people would spit it out.
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