Salt Sugar Fat

Salt Sugar Fat is a 2013 nonfiction book by Michael Moss. It describes the modern American food industry. The author visits the corporate headquarters, scientific research facilities, and marketing departments of major food manufacturers. He also talks with consumer advocates and other involved parties to understand the ongoing obesity epidemic.

Through industrial processes, food companies remove nutritious components and substitute cheaper, harmful ingredients. The key ingredients in most processed foods are salt, sugar, and fat. Manufacturers then advertise these products to consumers, including children, much like the advertising of tobacco. The food industry could face legal and political consequences comparable to those faced by tobacco companies.

Growing obesity rates over recent decades have resulted in shocking statistics, with millions of consumers looking to blame someone for their health outcomes. Obesity from overeating could explain the epidemic of major diseases, and their ensuing social and economic costs. Media reports blame the food companies. Government also faults the food industry.

In secret meetings, food industry executives discuss the problem of their reliance on salt, sugar, and fat contributing to obesity. The executives decide to continue selling these products to grow their businesses, regardless of health consequences.

In the first part of the book, Moss visits the research, production, and marketing divisions of sugary food producers.