SALT, SUGAR, FAT

One of the books I read when I was researching The Protein Crunch was entitled Let Them Eat Junk which was, like this book, and eye-opener on the agricultural and food industries. Michael Moss is a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist who spent years behind the scenes speaking to key figures, researching the history, development, research and marketing tactics employed in the US food industry. The industry is dominated by a few enormous corporations, for instance Cargill on the supply side and Kraft, which for a number of years was owned by the tobacco company Philip Morris. Competition is intense, with regular scrutiny from Wall Street analysts as they look for continuous increases 'stomach share' and therefore in quarterly profits. One Coca-Cola executive put it bluntly, saying that the main question is how they can drive more ounces into more bodies more often. The book also includes some fascinating background about the history of Kraft and Kellogg. The three parts correspond exactly to the title.

The book begins with a report on a secret conference held in 1999 by the chief executives of the top food companies. The topic was the emerging obesity epidemic and how to deal with it. Telling people to be more physically active and that they are entirely responsible for their choices is insufficient. Figures show that obesity has steadily developed since the early 1980s, and has now become one of the principal health concerns of governments in developed countries. It is clear to me and to many others that these food companies have played a central role in creating this crisis and that their continued profitability depends upon expanding sales that undermine the health of the population, especially young people. Jeffrey Dunn, former CEO of Coca-Cola, admitted as much by saying that the roots of the obesity trend are tied to the expansion of fast food, junk food and soft drink consumption. The main ingredients of their products are salt, sugar and fat in various proportions; their challenge is that reducing levels of these ingredients will also lead to a drop in sales and therefore share price: 'no sugar, no fat, no sales.' In this case as in many others, social costs in terms of health are externalised and even then were calculated at up to 100 billion dollars a year.

Moss shows how companies systematically study the effects of salt, sugar and fat so as to create the maximum allure by identifying the bliss point that will bring people back and keep heavy users addicted. 20% of heavy users account for 80% of sales, and these are the very people most at risk from their addiction. Company scientists carefully study the brain mechanisms underlying the desire for high-fat and high sugar foods, using focus groups to identify 'optimisation' to generate the biggest craving. Some sweetened drinks actually made rats more hungry and regular soda consumption has been identified as a key component of weight gain. The average American teenager drinks over 800 cans a year with up to 12 teaspoons of sugar in each can. The result of this research means that companies are able to 'manipulate and exploit the biology of the child' with a concomitant impact on child health. The key elements of their products are taste, aroma, appearance and texture, all backed by massive advertising campaigns.

Next comes fat, which gives smooth texture and mouth feel to many bestselling snacks. An interesting historical trend identified here is the transition from milk to cheese, partly driven by federal subsidies and a resulting overproduction of milk. Companies are dangerous commercial ground if they reduce by too much the proportions of the three principal ingredients, although there is clearly a market for healthier versions of their products; however, these never outsell the main item. And if health concerns are raised in one market, then you can move to another. An example here is the launch by Kraft in 2011 of the Oreo, with its Twist, Lick and Dunk ritual into India. This was done through Cadbury, which Kraft had recently acquired in a hostile takeover. Sales of Cadbury Dairy Milk were also up by 30% in India as a result of visi-coolers expanding into remote villages and able to keep the chocolate at the right temperature. It will not be long, however, before the health authorities of these new countries also begin to sound the alarm as their populations gain weight and the diseases of civilisation take hold.

Salt has a lot to do with the taste of processed foods and is present in a vast range of products. It also keeps people eating popcorn until the bag is empty. Moss reports on tasting familiar products without any salt, finding that they now tasted of very little. The epilogue laments the extent to which we are hooked on inexpensive food, and Moss does not think it possible for the companies to come up with a solution to the obesity crisis themselves, especially as they are all competing ferociously against each other and trying to keep their costs to a minimum. These companies are designed to make a profit for shareholders, so health concerns have to be secondary in the absence of a significant backlash. In the end, the former CEO of Philip Morris, Geoffrey Bible, felt that regulation may well be the best way forward, compelling companies to set maximum limits of salt, sugar and fat. These could be reduced by a small percentage annually so that consumers and companies would have time to adjust. However, given the current lobbying power of food giants, politicians will not be keen to pass this kind of legislation so it may come back to consumers making different choices. Although this book is written for US audience, most of it applies to the UK as well, and there is a special afterword for this edition. After reading this epic journey, readers will be in no doubt that these companies have successfully engineered cravings and will continue trying to expand their sales at the expense of the health of their customers.