At the start
of the semester, I was actually intrigued by the idea of having to read Salt,
Sugar, Fat by Michael Moss—a book about the trickery that the food
industry has used to manipulate us into consuming their products. Not so much
because of the fact of it being a book about this topic, but because hardly
anyone has exposure to this kind of material and data. I, personally, found it difficult
to maintain a steady pace to keep up on the reading of this book. However, this
should not overshadow the fact that I was fascinated by the way Moss portrayed
his research. And what did stand out to me the most from Moss’ findings was the
idea of the bliss point and its role in the ways companies create and market
their products to an audience that is fooled by them and their scientists.
Moss provides a window into the world of sugar, salt, and fat and their role in
the manufactured and processed foods that are fed to us every day. We are given
the facts of what truly is in our foods and what drives companies to put these
things in them. It caught my attention though that Moss found that companies
not only strive to make their foods more likeable, but also a necessity in the
lives of their consumers. As in the study conducted by Howard Moskowitz, Moss
reveals that Moskowitz and Jacquelyn Beckley discovered that we are driven to
eat something based on emotional needs and the taste, aroma, appearance, and
texture. This study, and like many others in Salt, Sugar, Fats, almost
serves as a warning sign, pointing us to the true nature of companies and their
realization that we are easily played for their benefit in the competitions
they have with each other in order to their boost sales at the cost of our
health.
More often
than not, people would attempt to bring down the research that Moss provides in
his eye-opening book; however, it should come as a surprise to many that his
research is backed with extensive interviews and countless statistics on the
marketing, production, and consumption of processed foods. If someone is
looking for a way to learn about every aspect of what they are consuming, then
Michael Moss’ book is a great read for them as he even attacks the things that
we may not want to learn about what we as a society are accepting to put into
our bodies. Although I am far from being an expert on how someone should
provide healthful care for their body, I do feel as though I walked away from
this book with a little more knowledge on the strategy and science that goes
into food; however, being one has band most processed foods from his life, I don’t
expect this reading to leave me wondering if I am killing my body with exaggerated
amounts of sugar, salt, or fat. This well-written book is a great read though
for interested and curious readers.Unfortunately though, unlike many books, Salt,
Sugar, Fat educates you on the good, the bad, and the ugly side of
your food.
