Tomer Hanuka This week in The New York Times Book Review, David Kamp reviews Michael Moss’s “Salt Sugar Fat,†an investigation of America’s relationship with processed foods. Mr. Kamp writes:
“Salt Sugar Fat†continues Moss’s hot streak of ace reportage, chronicling the insidious ways in which big food companies, over time, have sneaked more and more of the bad stuff into our diets, t the point where we now consume 22 teaspoons of sugar a day and three times as much cheese as our forebears did in 1970. Supersizing, the bête noire of Morgan Spurlock and Michael Bloomberg, is only part of it. Moss visits with neuroscientists whose M.R.I.’s of test subjects demonstrate how the brain’s so-called pleasure centers light up when the subjects are dosed with solutions of sugar or fat. He then describes how consultants and food scientists calibrate products â€" “optimize†them, in industry-speak â€" to maximize cravings.
On this week’s podcast, Mr. Moss talks about “Salt Sugar Fatâ€; Leslie Kaufman has notes from the field; Jennifer Szalai discusses the fiction of Renata Adler; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Sam Tanenhaus is the host.
