Salt Sugar Fat

How the Food Giants Hooked Us

By: Michael Moss

Narrated by: Scott Brick

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
The Atlantic • The Huffington Post • Men’s Journal • MSN (U.K.) • Kirkus Reviews • Publishers Weekly

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION AWARD FOR WRITING AND LITERATURE

From a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter at The New York Times comes the explosive story of the rise of the processed food industry and its link to the emerging obesity epidemic. Michael Moss reveals how companies use salt, sugar, and fat to addict us and, more important, how we can fight back.

In the spring of 1999 the heads of the world’s largest processed food companies—from Coca-Cola to Nabisco—gathered at Pillsbury headquarters in Minneapolis for a secret meeting. On the agenda: the emerging epidemic of obesity, and what to do about it.

Increasingly, the salt-, sugar-, and fat-laden foods these companies produced were being linked to obesity, and a concerned Kraft executive took the stage to issue a warning: There would be a day of reckoning unless changes were made. This executive then launched into a damning PowerPoint presentation, making the case that processed food companies could not afford to sit by, idle, as children grew sick and class-action lawyers lurked. To deny the problem, he said, is to court disaster. When he was done, the most powerful person in the room—the CEO of General Mills—stood up to speak, clearly annoyed. And by the time he sat down, the meeting was over.

Since that day, the situation has only grown more dire. Every year, the average American eats thirty-three pounds of cheese (triple what we ate in 1970) and seventy pounds of sugar (about twenty-two teaspoons a day). We ingest 8,500 milligrams of salt a day, double the recommended amount, and almost none of that comes from the shakers on our table. It comes from processed food. It’s no wonder, then, that one in three adults, and one in five kids, is clinically obese. It’s no wonder that twenty-six million Americans have diabetes, the processed food industry in the U.S. accounts for $1 trillion a year in sales, and the total economic cost of this health crisis is approaching $300 billion a year.

In Salt Sugar Fat, Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter Michael Moss shows how we got here. Featuring examples from some of the most recognizable (and profitable) companies and brands of the last half century—including Kraft, Coca-Cola, Lunchables, Kellogg, Nestlé, Oreos, Cargill, Capri Sun, and many more—Moss’s explosive, empowering narrative is grounded in meticulous, often eye-opening research.

Moss takes us inside the labs where food scientists use cutting-edge technology to calculate the “bliss point” of sugary beverages or enhance the “mouthfeel” of fat by manipulating its chemical structure. He unearths marketing campaigns designed—in a technique adapted from tobacco companies—to redirect concerns about the health risks of their products: Dial back on one ingredient, pump up the other two, and tout the new line as “fat-free” or “low-salt.” He talks to concerned executives who confess that they could never produce truly healthy alternatives to their products even if serious regulation became a reality. Simply put: The industry itself would cease to exist without salt, sugar, and fat. Just as millions of “heavy users”—as the companies refer to their most ardent customers—are addicted to this seductive trio, so too are the companies that peddle them. You will never look at a nutrition label the same way again.

Includes a bonus PDF with endnotes from the book

Interesting book!

I liked this book a lot. I really enjoyed the information about the history of processed foods. Although I'm normally a Scott Brick fan, I have to agree with the other reviewer about his narration of this particular book.It didn't ruin the book for me, but I found it distracting.

Education is key

Anybody reading this book would be encouraged to cut process foods from the diet. It outlines many examples of how salty, sugary, and fatty foods are often addictive and people are generally oblivious to their adverse health affects. The scariest part was the countless examples of foods the claim to be low fat or low salt, giving the impression that they are healthy, when in reality they are not.

Besides the relationship between our health and the food that we eat, the author also outlines marketing practices from the food industry. The bottom line is that the food industry is motivated by making money and will sell/market whatever the general population desires and will buy. In the end, the author pointed to education and individual choices as the key to driving change in an era of overeating and obesity.

This book is a great start to educating yourself on why you should avoid processed foods but it doesn't offer much in the way of what types of food should be consumed and the appropriate portion sizes. Nevertheless, it is insightful (although maybe a little bit repetitive) and was an enjoyable listen!

4.5 stars: Recommended reading to raise awareness

I'm tempted to give 5 stars because I can't find any faults with the book. But I reserve that rating for a book I really loved (for entertainment or educational value) and/or would reference again. I doubt I'll get much from re-reading this one later. That said, I recommend you read it to increase your awareness of what the food manufactures do (I'd say because they have to to make money by giving the consumer what they want - although I'm sure others believe they do it because they're all evil and greedy).

I liked that the author didn't bash the industry or preach not to eat this or that. He just laid out the information (presumably facts) and lets the reader decide what to do about it. I am now more aware and will likely make healthier choices as a result, but I'm not swearing off any foods or ingredients.

The author covers, obviously, Salt, Sugar, & Fat, but also goes into things like how the industry optimizes products based on consumers' tastes as well as cost considerations. He covers products like Dr. Pepper, Kool Aid, and Lunchables. He explains the government's role in the over production of milk and cheese (which then leads to the industry trying to find ways to get us to eat more of the fat... for example 33-35 lbs / yr of cheese for the average American. Mmmm Pizza!

The book seems well researched and covers a breadth of relevant topics, but it's not boring. There are some cool things I learned, like the "bliss point" which is the term where a manufacturer optimizes the sweetness range for consumers to make the product taste the best to most people while not over-spending on sugar.

Oh, one thing the author failed to convince me of is his occasional attempt to create an analogy between salt, sugar, and fat with drug addiction. I'm not saying a person can;t be addicted to food; I'm just saying the author's analogies and points did not provide evidence enough to me to support the claim that sugar is like cocaine and fat is like opium (or whatever it is he said exactly).

I do read food labels and I'm aware of how different foods impact hunger and satiety. I lost a bunch of weight by counting calories and became educated by doing so. I mainly look at fat, carbs (and sugar especially), and protein when I am watching what I eat, but I also have noticed how much salt is in food. It's shocking, given I don't feel like I'm a person who likes salty food. I NEVER add salt to anything, just because I never really liked it or felt anything needed it. BUT I also don't usually think a can of soup or whatever is over salty until I look at the label. It's sneaky and I think often goes under the radar since it has no calories. I also have good blood pressure, so I don't necessarily have a reason to look for it. That said, I know inherently that too much is bad and so I do look to limit my intake when possible. The thing is; it's VERY hard when eating any fast food or packaged/processed food.

And THAT IS THE BIG TAKE-AWAY from this book. Fast Food / Processed Food utilizes these ingredients in a strategic way to sell more and improve the food's shelf-life. So if you want to limit your salt/sugar/fat, then YOU MUST LIMIT YOUR INTAKE of Fast Food / Processed Food.

To close, I recommend the book. I also think that the food industry is where it is because they give the consumer what they are willing to pay for; taste, convenience, low-price. AND because most consumers aren't aware of the health implications. They don't even bother reading the nutrition labels and ingredients most of the time. I support consumer education and then eventually more consumers will "boycott" the "bad" foods and create a demand for "healthful" foods. Then the industry will put their R&D and marketing power behind better solutions. Manufacturers compete based on what's important to consumers.

A call to action.

Would you listen to Salt Sugar Fat again? Why?

Yes. I would listen again much for the same reason one would listen to anything again - go absorb more the second time. The text was so laden with facts and events that it would be worth a second listen.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Salt Sugar Fat?

I think that the looks into executive meetings between multiple food companies were most enticing and informative.

Which character – as performed by Scott Brick – was your favorite?

This is a nonfiction text.

If you could give Salt Sugar Fat a new subtitle, what would it be?

The Illusion of Choice.

I started to eat differently the day I read this.

What did you love best about Salt Sugar Fat?

This is an overall great book. It is a first person review of the history and science behind what the food industry knows about your impulsive tastes and how they use Salt, Sugar and Fat to control an addictive like desire.Once You educate yourself, you can choose whats best for you.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The narration was good enough to make me want to remember the words and how it made me feel when I first heard them.

Which scene was your favorite?

The interviews with industry insiders.

Any additional comments?

Listen to this book if your interested in knowing more about how the choices about what you eat are really being made by food industry professionals, especially if you think your the one choosing. You will be surprised.