Summary of Salt Sugar Fat: by Michael Moss | Includes Analysis

By Instaread Summaries

Summary of Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss | Includes Analysis

 

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Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss is a compelling nonfiction investigation into how corporate food manufacturers have come to rely on salt, sugar, and fat as the mainstays of processed and prepackag

• Language: English
• Publisher: Instaread, Inc
• Release date: Feb 23, 2019
• ISBN: 9781683784708

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Overview

Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss is a compelling nonfiction investigation into how corporate food manufacturers have come to rely on salt, sugar, and fat as the mainstays of processed and prepackaged food.

The food industry in the United States has become intensely dependent on these three potentially harmful ingredients to achieve its massive profits. This reliance has contributed to myriad public health problems, such as rising incidence of diabetes and obesity. Food executives have sought to manipulate consumption and drive up revenue at the expense of their consumers’ health.

The market for processed foods is an extremely competitive one; the average grocery store carries tens of thousands of products, of which only a small percentage will remain on the shelf and produce modest sales by industry standards. To maintain an advantage against rival companies, food manufacturers must continually churn out products that consumers crave.

If industry giants are locked in a battle over profit, their main weapons in this fight for profits are salt, sugar, and fat. Food companies pour millions of dollars into research and development to find the perfect recipes that consumers will most enjoy. These three ingredients interact with taste receptors and the rewards center of the brain, which makes them addictive. Accordingly, when food companies create food formulas, their main criterion is taste, to keep consumers craving more. As a result,