Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us

Let us begin our journey into the heart of what we eat—not just what sits on our plates, but the powerful, unseen forces that shape our cravings, our habits, and even our health. Imagine a stormy evening in Minneapolis, where, high above the city, a group of the most powerful food executives in America gathered in secret. The wind howled outside, but inside, the air was thick with anticipation. These men, who controlled hundreds of thousands of employees and billions in sales, had come together not to celebrate, but to confront a growing crisis: the epidemic of obesity sweeping the country.

There were no reporters, no recordings, just a carefully scripted agenda. Their host, a senior executive known for his technical prowess, worried that the very people in this room—his peers—might not be ready to hear the truth: that their own companies, in their quest for ever-greater profits, had played a central role in creating a health crisis. This was not just about profit, but about responsibility—a reckoning with the consequences of their own success.

As the evening unfolded, the executives heard a stark message: more than half of American adults were now overweight, and rates of childhood obesity had doubled in two decades. The numbers were staggering—millions of lives, billions in health costs, and a generation of children facing diseases once reserved for adults. Yet, as the evidence mounted, so did the resistance. One CEO, head of a company whose sugary cereals filled breakfast tables across America, stood and spoke with conviction: 'Don't talk to me about nutrition. Talk to me about taste.' The room fell silent, and with that, the chance for collective action slipped away.

What drove these companies was something called 'stomach share'—a relentless competition to claim as much of your daily intake as possible. Product launches, flavor innovations, and strategic marketing campaigns were all weapons in this battle. One company, for example, transformed traditional yogurt into a dessert-like snack, doubling its sugar content to outshine even the sweetest cereals. The result? Soaring sales and a new generation of consumers hooked on sweetness, all under the guise of health.

This opening chapter sets the stage for our exploration—a world where convenience, taste, and profit often outweigh health and well-being. The choices made in boardrooms ripple through grocery aisles, school cafeterias, and family kitchens, shaping not just what we eat, but who we become.

As we move forward, we'll uncover how our most basic cravings—our love for sweet, salty, and rich foods—are not accidents, but carefully engineered responses. Let us step into the science behind our appetites and the invisible hand that guides them.