The Food Industry’s Effect on Health: Essay Sample on Junk Food
Michael Moss, a New York Times investigative reporter, argues that large companies such as Pillsbury, General Mills, and Frito-Lays, are the reasons American’s are addicted to junk food in his article, “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food.” Moss argues that people’s addiction to junk food is caused by the large food production companies and proves this in his investigative report with many quotes from an array of people, a surplus of context, and plenty of explanations to the reader. Moss’s writing shows the deep truth he dug out in his interviews behind large companies that mass-produce millions of dollars worth of junk food. He targets an audience of professional people within a serious business realm by explaining the math and profitability behind these businesses.
Moss organized his article around quotes from many of the CEOs and leaders of many large-scale junk food companies. Moss was able to get opinions from people who want to help with America’s health problems as well as people who wish to only make a profit because he began this investigation four years prior to the publication of the article. He begins his article by telling the reader about a meeting, hosted by James Behnke, the CEO of Pillsbury. Moss explains how Behnke, and his associates, wanted to get the other leaders from the industry together and discuss the effects their products had on “America’s growing weight problem,” (Moss 472).
Once the meeting begins Moss shows the reader the two opposing sides of the argument. He starts by quoting Michael Mudd, the Vice President of Kraft, who believes that they should “pull back on their use of salt, sugar, and fat” (Moss 474) by implementing “industry wide limits,” (Moss 474). Then he quotes Stephen Sanger, the head of General Mills, who says, “Don’t talk to me about nutrition. Talk to me about taste, and if this stuff tastes better, don’t run around trying to sell me what doesn’t taste good.” (qtd. in Moss 476). Moss uses these quotes to make the structure of his article flow, but the quotes also improve his level of credibility. While he does believe the food industry is the cause of America’s health and weight problems, he allows room for people with contrasting ideas.
Moss writes to an audience of people with a professional, business background. He does this by using numbers and data to prove the food industry’s negative effect on people’s health. After he quotes Sanger, he explains the immense profitability gain General Mills receives from their brand, Yoplait. Yoplait’s yogurt may seem like a healthy and delicious snack, but it actually contains twice as much sugar as the cereal, Lucky Charms (Moss 475). Moss says Yoplait will receive an “annual revenue topping $500 million,” (Moss 476) and with their other product, Go-Gurt, would “hit $100 million in sales,” (Moss 476) during the year of 2013.
Later, he explains how Jack Kilduff, the President of Dr. Pepper, implemented the help of Howard Moskowitz, an experimental psychologist who has helped other brands such as Campbell Soup, General Mills, and Kraft optimize their products. Moskowitz helped Dr. Pepper regain their popularity after their line of failed products by researching “variables with the sole intent of finding the most perfect version (or versions) of a product (Moss 479). Moss explains how the different syrups and colors affected the consumers by their age, sex, and race. He tells us that Moskowitz helped the Dr. Pepper brand optimize not only their Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper but also Snapple and 7-Up. He explains, “The Dr. Pepper Snapple Group has since been valued in excess of $11 billion.” (Moss 482). An individual with a business and financial background would appreciate the numbers and data because it is not only informative but also can teach them something of value.
Although Moss’s ideal audience would probably understand the terminology and financial aspect of his article better, does not mean that someone from outside his audience would not be able to appreciate his article. The informative, analytical tone Moss uses may turn away the average reader due to the lack of interest, but Moss does go out of his way to explain some of the terminology people from outside the food industry would not typically understand. He goes out of his way to explain terms such as, “stomach share” (471), “bliss point” (478), “sensory-specific satiety” (480), and “mouth feel” (481) and reaches a broader audience.
Moss concludes his article by concluding what he found during his investigation. He noticed that many of the leaders of the junk food industry did not care about people’s health as much as they cared about their ultimate profit. He makes that clear by simply saying, “The investors were thinking only about sales.” (Moss 494). Throughout the interviews, he points out the interviewees’ motivations and then states the general motivations of the majority.
Moss argues that people’s addiction to junk food is caused by large food production companies. He uses quotes, context, and explanations throughout his investigative report to show readers that what he found is accurate and all of the evidence points back to his beliefs. We know that some food companies such as General Mills, Kraft, and Dr. Pepper are extremely good at marketing their brands to people and by doing this gain a profit from people who are not making the healthiest choices. If we desire to choose food options that contain less salt, sugar, and fats then we need to take the initiative to be more responsible for our food choices.
Works Cited
Moss, Michael. “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food.” "They Say / I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, with Readings, by Gerald Graff et al., 3rd Ed., W.W. Norton & Company, 2015, pp. 471–494.
