60 Minutes Report on the Flavorist Industry

A reader sent me a link to a recent CBS documentary titled "Tweaking Tastes and Creating Cravings", reported by Morley Safer.

Safer describes the "flavorist" industry, entirely dedicated to crafting irresistible odors for the purpose of selling processed and restaurant food. They focused on the company Givaudin. Dr. David Kessler, author of The End of Overeating, makes an appearance near the end.

Here are a few notable quotes:

Safer: You're trying to create an addictive taste.
Flavorist: That's a good word.

Safer: Strawberry and vanilla flavor can come from the gland in a beaver's backside.

Chef: It makes you want to eat this again and again and again. It's like sex.

Safer: [walking down a grocery store aisle] Almost every product on this aisle has been enhanced artificially or with so-called natural flavors.

Kessler: We're living in a food carnival.

Teams of highly trained professionals are working around the globe to create foods that exploit our natural food preferences, resulting in hyperpalatable and hyper-rewarding products that drive our reward circuits beyond what they are adapted to constructively handle. Our preferences served us well in a natural environment, but in today's world, they are exploited by commercial interests. Common sense suggests that this would contribute to obesity, and the scientific literature strongly supports this notion. The public's awareness of this is gradually increasing.

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