Fat, Salt, Sugar, Artificial Flavor

I just finished reading Kessler's book, The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite.  It was eye-opening to say the least as the lengths that those in Fake Food Industry -- which I now include as fast, quick-casual, fast-casual & casual -- are going to create recipes that work on the psychology, biology, and sociology of consumers to get them hooked on their menus.  There are so-called "compass points" that Fake Food strives to hit so that people will think about their offerings and engage in behavior to satisfy cravings to the detriment of their health.  The compass points are fat, salt, sugar and artificial flavor and the goal is to combine them to make their food hyperpalatable so consumers cannot get enough of it without really knowing the reason.

The book includes plenty of research studies that have been conducted to determine how people react to food, which the Fake Food industry then uses to entice people to sample their wares and become hooked.  The tagline, "nobody can eat just one" actually has a biological truth to it when it comes to some foods.  The concept of "finger licking good" also has a multisensory underpinning that makes these foods highly palatable.

Here is an excerpt from the book that will clue you in to the information presented:

Just as a compulsive gambler can't place a single bet and feel satisfied, many people can't stop after a few bites of hyperplatable food.  We have become conditioned to seek more reward.  The barricades to repetive behavior have been toppled.  We keep looking for the next big wow.

That's what the industry has engineered, with food built layer upon layer to stimulate our senses.  Foods high in sugar, fat, and salt, and the cues that signal them, promote more of everything: more arousal... more thoughts of food... more urge to pursue consumption... more dopamine-stimulated approach to behavior... more consumption... more opioid-driven reward... more overeating to feel better... more delay in feeling full...more loss of control... more preoccupation with food... more habit-driven behavior...and ultimately more and more weight gain.

And let's be patently honest about the industry we know and love.  Those in Fake Food do NOT GIVE A DAMN if consumers get fatter and develop those illlnesses that are associated with being overweight as long as they can give shareholders a return on their investment. 

The book ends with tips on what consumers can do to eat properly in spite of the constant marketing of Fake Food.  I wish there had been more on the responsibility of Fake Food but he did a lot to expose the lengths chains will go to dupe consumers into being repeat customers.