Summary Of The Extraordinary Science Of Addictive Junk Food

546 Words3 Pages

Michael Moss makes himself very clear in “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food.” In the beginning, he grabs the reader’s attention by listing a few food brand companies that had C.E.O.’s in attendance for a meeting in 1999. The meeting was to discuss the oncoming obesity epidemic and ways to handle it. He then talks about how it was troubling to people to see obese children that are suffering from diabetes. After reading the background knowledge, it became apparent that this selection is all about the increasing numbers of obesity seen in adults and children across the United States. The companies that were listed are a few to ‘blame’ for this. Instead of trying to make something healthy, they continue to make snacks that are full of salt, or sugar, or fat. They are also trying to make the snacks cheap and convenient, making it almost irresistible for consumers, regardless of the possible detrimental effects. …show more content…

While reading, some things really seemed to come as a surprise to me, although I am not sure why. I have always known that some of the things I am eating aren’t the healthiest for me, but many times, I am not aware of how bad they really are. It is almost as if companies have some consumers brainwashed, as they are not even taking the time to look at what they are eating. Stephen Sanger, C.E.O. of General Mills, had overtaken many parts of the grocery store, and not only the cereal aisle. “The company’s Yoplait brand had transformed traditional unsweetened breakfast yogurt into a veritable dessert” (475). After reading this example given from Moss, I was shocked! The Oreo flavored yogurt contained more sugar than some of the General Mills cereals. Despite this information, people still deemed the yogurt as healthy because traditional Yoplait is supposed to be a healthy and wholesome