Salt Sugar Fat

by Michael Moss

  204 “staggering” “A World of Growth in Store,” Philip Morris, 1995 annual report.

  205 “Yes, you could” Paul Halladay to author.

  206 Eighteen days later Kraft news release, January 26, 2007, and company officials to author.

  207 sent consumption soaring In its submission to the Effie Awards, Kraft said, “Capri Sun’s profit increased well beyond the 17.6% consumption increase, thanks to the double whammy of penetration and buy rate increases during a price hike.” Kraft won an Effie Award for this campaign.

  208 Only two of the thirty-five Stuart, Kraft General Foods.

  209 had some strategies of its own “Marketing Synergy,” 1989, in LT.

  210 Bible told Kraft managers Philip Morris Product Development Symposium, December 5, 1990, in LT.

  211 they were back in front Kraft Beverage Division presentation to Corporate Products Committee, June 24, 1996, in LT.

  212 “The Beverage division” “Minutes, Corporate Products Committee Meeting, June 24, 1996,” in LT.

  213 “received extremely high scores” Kraft Beverage Division presentation to Corporate Products Committee, June 24, 1996, in LT.

  214 “revealed that African Americans” Ibid.

  215 “Consumers in these stores” Ibid.

  216 “Diabetics already represent” Ibid.

  217 Kraft went after a younger set In response to my questions about this presentation, the company said, “Kraft is constantly evaluating the taste preferences of our consumers in order to deliver products that meet their varying preferences. As for advertising to tweens, we agree that food and beverage companies should voluntarily limit what they advertise to kids. That’s why, in 2005, we were the first company to change what we advertised to children under the age of 12. We stopped advertising to kids many of the foods and drinks they love, including Tang. And we were thrilled that many others in the industry followed our lead. Today, we advertise very few brands to children.” See chapter 11 for more on Kraft’s efforts on nutrition.

  218 “For Tang” “Minutes, Corporate Products Committee Meeting, June 24, 1996,” in LT.

  219 “an all-day affair” Memos and agenda records, in LT.

  Chapter 7: “That Gooey, Sticky Mouthfeel”

  220 The entry rules for this group Richard Mattes, “Is There a Fatty Acid Taste?” Annual Review of Nutrition 29 (2009): 305–327; Jean-Pierre Montmayeur and Johannes Le Coutre, Fat Detection: Taste, Texture, and Post-Ingestive Effects (Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2010).

  221 results from an experiment Ivan Araujo and Edmund Rolls, “Representation in the Human Brain of Food Texture and Oral Fat,” Journal of Neuroscience 24 (2004): 3086–3093.

  222 Brookhaven National Laboratory Gene-Jack Wang et al., “Enhanced Resting Activity of the Oral Somatosensory Cortex in Obese Subjects,” NeuroReport 13, no. 9 (2002); Gene-Jack Wang et al., “Exposure to Appetitive Food Stimuli Markedly Activates the Human Brain,” Neuro-Image 21 (2004): 1790–1797; Gene-Jack Wang et al., “Imaging of Brain Dopamine Pathways: Implications for Understanding Obesity,” Journal of Addiction Medicine 3, no. 1 (2009): 8–18; Gene-Jack Wang et al., “Brain Dopamine and Obesity,” The Lancet 357 (2001): 354–357.

  223 He recruited a dozen Araujo and Rolls, “Representation in the Human Brain.”

  224 “Fat and sugar both produce” Edmund Rolls correspondence with author.

  225 described its operations Francis McGlone to author.

  226 “I went there to build” Ibid.

  227 role that odor plays Dana Small et al. “Separable Substrates for Anticipatory and Consummatory Chemosensation,” Neuron 57, no. 5 (2008): 786–797.

  228 the power of hearing Massimiliano Zampini and Charles Spence, “The Role of Auditory Cues in Modulating the Perceived Crispiness and Staleness of Potato Chips,” Journal of Sensory Studies 19, no. 5 (2004): 347–363.

  229 McGlone had a conversation Francis McGlone to author.

  230 too many variables McGlone posted a description of the experiment on his website, NeuroSci, entitled “Ice Cream Makes You Happy.”

  231 “Just one spoonful” “Ice Cream Makes You Happy, Say Unilever Scientists,” FoodNavigator, May 4, 2005.

  232 Cargill is one of the world’s largest “An Unmatched Breadth of Ingredients for Creating Superior Products: Ingredient Portfolio,” Cargill, 2007.

  233 Consumer groups who urge See especially the Center for Science in the Public Interest, “Promoting Consumption of Low-Fat Milk: The 1% or Less Social Marketing Campaign,” Center for Health Improvement.

  234 describe the textures Alina Szczesniak et al., “Consumer Texture Profile Technique,” Journal of Food Science 40 (1970): 1253–1256.

  235 long list of terms Ibid.

  236 “We were always trying” Steve Witherly to author.

  237 showed them pictures Montmayeur and Le Coutre, Fat Detection.

  238 “Why is fat so tasty?” Ibid.

  239 “I want to know” Adam Drewnowski to author.

  240 devised an experiment Adam Drewnowski and M. R. C. Greenwood, “Cream and Sugar: Human Preferences for High-Fat Foods,” Physiology and Behavior 30 (1983): 629–633.

  241 published his study A. Drewnowski and M. Schwartz, “Invisible Fats: Sensory Assessment of Sugar/Fat Mixtures,” Appetite 14 (1990): 203–217.

  242 “A dish or a drink” Adam Drewnowski to author.

  Chapter 8: “Liquid Gold”

  243 “We used it on toast” Dean Southworth to author.

  244 something of a horror The online guide to nutrition in grocery products, Calorie Count, a division of The New York Times, awards nutrition grades to products on a scale of A to F. The “original” version of Cheez Whiz was graded a D; other versions ranged between C and F, with one version, a “light” version, scoring a B.

  245 “Cheese treats QUICK” Bucher and Villines, Greatest Thing Since Sliced Cheese.

  246 “We made adjustments” Kraft correspondence with author.

  247 “I imagine it’s a marketing” Dean Southworth to author.

  248 Day in and day out Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, 2010.

  249 found his calling Bucher and Villines, Greatest Thing Since Sliced Cheese. See also James Kraft’s patent, no. 1,186,524.

  250 “Made up loss-and-gain account” Ibid.

  251 caustic descriptors Curt Wohleber, “From Cheese to Cheese Food: Kraft Persuaded Americans to Accept Cheese by Divorcing It from Its Microbe-laden Origins,” Invention and Technology 17, no. 1 (2001).

  252 replaced by sodium phosphate In 2009, Kraft said the emulsifying salts sodium phosphate and sodium citrate were added “to create texture of melt properties of process cheese” and represented 40% to 45% of the sodium in processed cheese. Todd Abraham, “Sodium Reduction: Opportunities and Challenges,” Kraft Foods, March 30, 2009.

  253 “Forget about the way” Bucher and Villines, Greatest Thing Since Sliced Cheese.

  254 “Milk in, cheese out” Ibid.

  255 In the old days Don Blayney, “The Changing Landscape of U.S. Milk Production,” Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2002; Carl Coppock, “Selected Features of the U.S. Dairy Industry from 1900 to 2000,” Coppock Nutritional Services, San Antonio, Texas; Carl Coppock to author; Comptroller General, “Effects and Administration of the 1984 Milk Diversion Program,” U.S. General Accounting Office, Washington, D.C., 1985; Alden Manchester and Don Blayney, “Milk Pricing in the United States,” Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2001; Charles Nicholson and Mark Stephenson, “Analysis of Proposed Programs to Mitigate Price Volatility in the U.S. Dairy Industry,” Unpublished report to a consortium of dairy industry organizations, with author affiliation with California Polytechnic State University and the University of Wisconsin, 2010; “Overview of the United States Dairy Industry,” National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA, S
eptember 22, 2010; John Brouillette et al., “Cow Comfort and the Effects on Productivity and Profitability,” Hudson Valley Agricultural Newsletter.

  256 “Deep beneath the ground” Ward Sinclair, “Under Missouri: A Monument to the Output of the American Cow,” The Washington Post, December 21, 1981.

  257 discovered the cheese vaults John Block to author.

  258 “Some of us were aggravated” Sinclair, “Under Missouri.”

  259 to make less milk Comptroller General, “Effects and Administration.”

  260 “They made everything cheaper” Ulfert Broockmann to author.

  261 made three hundred thousand pounds Kraft presentation on Philadelphia Cream Cheese to the Philip Morris Corporate Products Committee, June 1989, in LT.

  262 “The introduction of new forms” Ibid.

  263 “Now, I don’t mean to pick” Philip Morris Product Development Symposium, December 5, 1990, in LT.

  264 “Media selection will be skewed” Kraft presentation on Crockery Spreadable Cheese Snack to the Philip Morris Corporate Products Committee, June 1989, in LT.

  265 “There exists an opportunity” “Natural and Specialty Cheeses: The U.S. Market and a Global Perspective,” Packaged Facts, 2010.

  266 “Competition is intensifying” “Kraft USA 1993 Strategic Plan,” in LT. At the same time, Kraft recognized the nutritional and other concerns about cheese, and in its public statements the company emphasized that it was laboring hard to produce numerous low-fat varieties. In an internal report entitled “Contents for Briefing Book Annual Meeting 1992,” Kraft anticipated a number of questions about cheese from stockholders: “Is Kraft worried about cholesterol in its cheese products? While dairy products contain both fat and cholesterol, eating them as part of a balanced diet remains a good practice for the vast majority of consumers. Do artificial foods like Velveeta hurt the sales of our other products? The texture and flavor of these products meet unique consumer needs and have generated sizable businesses for Kraft.”

  267 kept a close watch on cheese See consumption data, Economic Research Service, USDA.

  268 “We couldn’t win” Kraft submission to the Effie Awards.

  269 “was happy to be” Ibid.

  270 Every week for four months Ibid.

  271 Sales of Philadelphia Cream Cheese surged Ibid.

  272 “We don’t have to eliminate” Walter Willett to author. In response to my questions about its efforts to increase the consumption of cheese, the company said, “Kraft believes that eating the foods you love and living a healthier lifestyle can, and should, co-exist. Cheese eaten in moderation can be part of a healthy lifestyle. We provide clear, consistent information so consumers can make informed choices as part of a balanced lifestyle. Kraft is proud to market many of which are lower in fat. We also offer Light, Reduced Fat, and Fat Free varieties of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Kraft Singles and many of the other brands in our portfolio.”

  273 Dutch researchers conducted Mirre Viskaale-van Dongen, “Hidden Fat Facilitates Passive Overconsumption,” Journal of Nutrition 139 (2009): 394–399.

  274 “The products we used” Mirre Viskaal-van Dongen to author.

  Chapter 9: “Lunchtime Is All Yours”

  275 where 1,800 workers Joe Jerzewski, president and business manager of United Food and Commerce Local 536 to author.

  276 Behind the workers Photographs of assembly line taken on or near the first day’s run.

  277 dubbed the “Food Playground” Stephen Quickert and Donna Rentschler, “Developing and Optimizing the Lunchables Concept,” Philip Morris Product Development Symposium, December 5, 1990, in LT.

  278 In the great churn Estimates from various grocery retailing experts.

  279 hitting $217 million Bob Drane to author.

  280 A net loss of $20 million Ibid.

  281 walked Maxwell through With Bob Drane at this meeting was Jim McVey, CEO of the Oscar Mayer unit, who shared his recollections with me. “The nice thing about working with Philip Morris is, if you had something that had real potential, they were glad to take funds from their other products and put it behind the product that was moving,” McVey told me.

  282 Maxwell turned to Drane Jim McVey and Bob Drane to author.

  283 The founders were two Bavarian “Oscar Mayer Foods Co.,” International Directory of Company Histories, vol. 12, St. James Press, 1996; Bucher and Villines, Greatest Thing Since Sliced Cheese.

  284 horrors that were later exposed Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (New York: Doubleday, 1906).

  285 has 3.5 grams of saturated fat Data from Calorie Count.

  286 red meat consumption fell Oscar Mayer to Philip Morris, 1991, in LT.

  287 “From 1986 to 1988” Philip Morris Product Development Symposium, December 5, 1990, in LT.

  288 On a scale of 1 to 10 Bob Eckert, president of the Oscar Mayer unit, to Philip Morris Corporate Products Committee, October 20, 1995, in LT.

  289 “Talent Search” Ibid.

  290 “We completed over” Ibid.

  291 To keep their discussions lively Bob Drane, “Developing and Optimizing the Lunchables Concept,” project presentation, Oscar Mayer.

  292 puns and catchwords Ibid.

  293 Philip Morris had all but cornered Richard Kluger, Ashes to Ashes: America’s Hundred-Year Cigarette War, the Public Health, and the Unabashed Triumph of Philip Morris (New York: Knopf, 1996).

  294 “a lovely business” Ibid.

  295 One Kraft executive John Ruff to author.

  296 But it had paid dearly Stuart, Kraft General Foods.

  297 “Hamish Maxwell was a brilliant” Geoffrey Bible to author.

  298 “I never really worried” Ibid.

  299 Philip Morris didn’t accomplish this John Tindall to Philip Morris Product Development Symposium, December 5, 1990, in LT.

  300 “Suddenly, because of the smoking” Ibid.

  301 “Obviously, there was concern” Ibid.

  302 “which I fought like crazy” Bob Drane to author.

  303 “Lunchables with Dessert” Clark Murray, senior product manager, to Philip Morris Corporate Products Committee, January 24, 1991, in LT.

  304 “Our processed meat categories” Bob Eckert to Philip Morris Corporate Products Committee, October 20, 1995, in LT.

  305 “You bet” Geoffrey Bible to author.

  306 “People could point to these things” Ibid.

  307 “Bob was very keen” Ibid.

  308 experimented with fresh carrots Bob Drane to author.

  309 “This is not some big” Los Angeles Times, February 8, 1994.

  310 “We went through” Bob Drane to author.

  311 “The box was there” Ibid.

  312 “Lunchables aren’t about lunch” Transcript of Bob Eckert, CEO of Kraft, to Business Week, in LT.

  313 “Kids like to build things” Bob Drane to author.

  314 The group, called the Cancer Project, that examined “The Five Worst Packaged Lunchbox Meals,” the Cancer Project, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Spring 2009.

  315 Under pressure from attacks “Oscar Mayer Lunchables Lunch Combinations Expand Wholesome Product Line,” Kraft, August 16, 2010.

  316 “All things started to become clear” Bob Drane to author.

  317 “People who work” Ibid.

  318 Drane has also prepared Bob Drane, “What Role Can the Food Industry Play in Addressing Obesity?” unpublished manuscript.

  319 “Plenty of guilt” Ibid.

  Chapter 10: “The Message the Government Conveys”

  320 President Abraham Lincoln created Wayne D. Rasmussen, “Lincoln’s Agricultural Legacy,” Agricultural History Branch, USDA.

  321 two buildings that form National Registry of Historic Places.

  322 $90 billion trade in snack foods In keeping with the theme of this chapter, a good place to learn more about the snack trade is a white paper prepared by Dairy Management, an entity overseen by the Secretary of Agriculture whose goal is to i
ncrease consumption of cheese and other dairy products. “Snacking: Identifying a World of Opportunity for Diary,” Dairy Management Inc., April 2010.

  323 center’s annual budget Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion correspondence with author.

  324 policies on nutrition “Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, USDA. Oversight of the panel of experts chosen to develop the guidelines every five years alternates between the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services.

  325 kids between one to three years Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, 2010), D2–12.

  326 Topping the list Ibid, pages D3–13.

  327 blunt in urging people Walter Willett to author. The Harvard School of Medicine has developed its own versions of the food pyramid and My Plate graphics that differ in significant ways. The protein portion of Harvard’s ideal meal, for instance, advises, “Choose fish, poultry, beans and nuts; limit red meat; avoid bacon, cold cuts and other processed meats.” And instead of encouraging people to drink milk, the Harvard nutrition scientists emphasize water, with limited milk and juice: “Avoid sugary drinks.”

  328 buried the information The USDA released an abridged version of the expert panel’s report, which put the sources of saturated fat on page 25 of this 59-page summary.

  329 “If you really want people” The Diane Rehm Show, February 1, 2011.

  330 “The idea isn’t to eliminate” Ibid.

  331 finding it in the grocery store R. Post et al., “A Guide to Federal Food Labeling Requirements for Meat and Poultry Products,” Labeling and Consumer Protection Staff, USDA, August 2007.

  332 USDA required this information “Nutrition Labeling of Single Ingredient Products and Ground or Chopped Meat and Poultry Products,” Food and Safety Inspection Service, USDA.

  333 “to include expertise” Craig Henry, Grocery Manufacturers Association, letter to Carole Davis, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, USDA, May 23, 2008.