Summary Of The Extraordinary Science Of Junk Food By Michael Moss

Michael Moss is an award-winning reporter. He and his team were awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting in 2010 when he and his team presented the very real and atrocious facts about contaminated hamburger meat. Michael Moss has also written various other books and articles pertaining to the issue of corruption in the food industry. He received excellent reviews regarding his most famous book, Sugar Fat and Salt: How the Food Giants Hooked Us. Michael Moss makes his viewpoint on junk food very clear. In particular, Moss’s article, “The Extraordinary Science of Junk Food” Michael describes how the major food industries are aware that they are making conscious efforts to distribute unhealthy food to the public and reap the rewards

of America’s need for junk food. The article goes on to detail the extensive unhealthy habits of Americans due to the deception and lies the food industries feed us. Throughout this paper Michael Moss hammers down the idea that all American consumers are “…extremely vulnerable” to the food giants (262).
In the article, “The Extraordinary Science of Junk Food” Moss details how major food companies have been deceiving the American public for decades. A quote that suggests the companies are actively trying to deceive the American public is, “What I found, over four years of research and reporting, was a conscious effort—taking place in labs and marketing meetings and grocery-store aisles—to get people hooked on foods that are convenient and inexpensive” (262). This quote essentially says that companies are attempting to make inexpensive, good tasting snacks. He also points out the cooperation between the larger companies and their major buyers like grocery stores. What Moss described was a very efficient business model. The four years of research he conducted proved a point that should be common sense. Companies are going to try to be as successful as they can, that is the point of business, so they are going to try to create the most cost-effective product they can. This should not be a surprise to the American consumer and it falls on to the individual person to decide whether or not to purchase that product. A quote that Moss believes consumers are being bullied by food giants is, “…sheds light on how the foods are created and sold to people who, while not powerless, are extremely vulnerable to the intensity of these companies’ industrial formulations and selling campaigns” (262). Moss does concede and say that we are not totally powerless, but he affirms that we are ultimately defenseless to the onslaught of systematic advertising. But this is the purpose of food industries; to create the most effective industrial formula accompanied by the most creative marketing scheme to make money. Michael Moss goes on the put the blame onto the companies and not the consumer.
The power is in the consumer.

When a marketing team is put onto a job it is their duty to use every tool they have to market the product as effectively as they can. When they succeed it is a job well done, they do not speculate if they deceived the buyer. Today we have regulations and laws that require advertising to be truthful and information on the product readily available. This way the consumer has all the information they need to make an educated purchase. Michael Moss’s argument suggests that the average consumer isn’t aware about the effects of heavy junk food consumption. For example, in the article it says, “…he was engaged in conversation with a group of food-science experts who were painting an increasingly grim picture of the public’s ability to cope with the industry’s formulations—form the body’s fragile controls on overeating to the hidden power of some processed foods to make people hungrier still” (260). This quote generalizes the public and suggests that everyone has fallen under the spell of the food companies. This quote is trying to paint a picture of all Americans sharing the same pains about overeating junk food. To say that “… an increasingly grim picture of the public’s ability to cope with the industry’s speculation” is a little farfetched to say the least. Junk food is only a problem when it is overeaten and that requires multiple purchases. That means that there has to be multiple instances of consumer negligence for a problem to begin. Then it

needs to be sustained for years with the absence of exercise and a poor diet. Only then eating junk food is a problem. Michael Moss also attempts to tie companies creative marketing strategies to evil corrupt intentions.
The companies are aware that their products are unhealthy.

They are the ones mixing the syrups together and creating the perfect formula of Coke. These companies are purely just trying to make as much money as they can. They aren’t actively trying to hurt the people but instead make the most profits. By scientifically studying 3,904 different tasting Dr. Pepper batches they were able to create the best tasting soda thus, creating the most profitable soda as well. By barely changing the number of milliliters in a soda can result in the savings of millions of dollars. For instance, “…they could use 1.69 milliliters and achieve the same effect. The potential savings is merely a few percentage points, and it won’t mean much to individual consumers who are counting calories or grams of sugar. But for Dr. Pepper, it adds up to colossal savings….a lot of money. Millions” (265). This quote shows that companies aren’t thinking about how they are going to hook the buyer to their product but rather how can they keep the customer happy and be the most cost effective. Another example of this is with line extensions. After Lunchables notices the potential that arose by offering multiple different versions their sales soared. “Annual sales kept climbing, past $500 million, past $800 million; at last count, including sales in Britain, they were approaching the $1 billion mark” (268). Food giants were putting money into new ideas and new ways to make money and it was paying off. In no way

were they trying to tie in the consumer with unhealthy food. People knew it was unhealthy and they were flying off the shelves because it was good tasting and easily available. There is no problem in this, no ethical problems at all, the motivation is money.
Michael Moss has made his name known for advocating the need for American consumers to take a closer look at what they buy. Throughout the article the evidence was clear the food giant’s intentions were to increase sales and decrease costs. His opening paragraphs detailed how Americans were falling for the tricks of the food industries. Instead it was clever science, marketing, and prices that led to the rise of junk food. Moss even said that consumers were not powerless in the decision-making process to buy junk food. He argued that we are heavily influenced but it ultimately rests on our individual shoulders. Only we can make the choice of what to eat so make it a good one.