What has been the result of this movement? Q: You say that Americans are more cognizant of these processed foods, and that food giants like Nestle are producing “better” processed food.

The problem is the food companies have changed the nature of our food and have made overeating an everyday thing. The more calories the food has, the more excited the brain gets about eating it. Most importantly, here’s why, I wrote Hooked, realizing that more than just fat, what the food industry does, it’s tapping into our basic instincts. It has the fat, the sugar in the bun, the salt, the smell, the contrast it’s six differing things. Moss: Bacon cheeseburgers have terrific elements that get the brain excited. Q: Given the choice between a salad and a bacon cheeseburger, most consumers shun the salad. And then was the caloric solution, where they started telling people how many calories were in their food. And more recently the grocery industry has been doing a bunch of things to respond to the charge that they were causing addiction. Q: As a result of the case, what changes did fast-food eateries make on their menu? Within months, you had scientists who used to study drug addictions start studying food. On the popular front, you had Morgan Spurlock’s documentary Super Size Me, which was huge and that spoke to the power of these foods to make us unhealthy. Then the industry hit the panic button and tried to rally their defense and maneuver to avoid accusations that they were creating addictive products. Moss: It did set in place these big forces.

Q: Jaclyn Bradley lost her case against McDonald’s, but what was its effect? Moss: I think it makes a huge impact on our health. Most of these foods are called convenience foods. The hidden price includes obesity, which passed 42% even before the pandemic, and a surge in type 2 diabetes, which is related to our diet. But for many people, it creates this stressful situation of them no longer cooking and missing the ritual of family meals with home-cooked dinners. We’ve turned over our habits to the big companies. Q: You make the case that food giants are hooking Americans on salt, sugar and fat, leading to food addictions. In this question-and-answer, Moss explains why American food giants “hook” us into choosing processed food over healthier alternatives.

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