Shyanne Butler
English 1010
18 July 2017
We are all familiar with the word Junk Food, and though we know it is unhealthy we
consume it daily. Junk food is popular, convenient, it tastes good and its affordable. The truth is
that junk food has no nutritional value but the food industry is still producing and marketing
these unhealthy foods. In The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food Author Michael
Moss uses interviews and research to make his readers believe in his credibility. These appeals to
ethos, combined with pathos and logos, creates an effective argument that the food industry
The Article The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food was published in The
New York Times Magazine on February 20, 2013. The author Michael Moss, is an investigation
reporter for The Times, he won a Pulitzer prize in 2010 for his reporting on the meat industry, he
also is a New York Times best seller of Salt, Sugar, Fat and was a reporter of the Wall Street
Journal. Mosss main purpose of the article is to give consumers insight about the food industrys
role in Americas health crisis and the science that goes into making the foods we consume every
day. Moss uses the rhetorical tools ethos, pathos and logos in his article to persuade the audience.
Michael Moss begins his article by describing a private meeting that was held April 8,
1999. Those who attended the meeting were some of Americas largest food corporations. The
purpose of this meeting was to discuss the rising obesity epidemic and what the food industry
could do to help. The article also focuses on the science behind processed food, the food
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industries attitude towards the effect of those foods have on consumers, and who should be held
responsible. Throughout the article the Moss interviews many credible sources. He interviews
past and present leaders in the food industry as well as scientist who are responsible for why
Moss draws emotion from the audience when he states that even CEOs of the food
industry were concerned with obesity. During an interview with Michael Mudd., the Vice
Let me say right at the start, this is not an easy subject. There are no easy answers
for what the public health community must do to bring this problem under control
or for what the industry should do as others seek to hold it accountable for what
has happened. But this much is clear: For those of us whove looked hard at this
issue, whether theyre public health professionals or staff specialists in your own
companies, we feel sure that the one thing we shouldnt do is nothing. (Mudd)
Moss also gives the audience something that they can relate to, by describing the
reactions to certain junk foods and why it ends up being addicting. He describes in an interview
with Steven Witherly, how he brought in 2 bags of a variety of chips, Steven instantly pointed
out Cheeto puffs. The author quotes him saying This (Witherly) he said is one of the most
marvelously constructed foods on the planet, in terms of pure pleasure. (Witherly) He quotes
him describing why If something melts down quickly, your brain thinks that theres no calories
in it . . . you can just keep eating it forever. (Witherly) There is a lot to be said about the food
Moss appeals to the audience using logical reasoning, by writing about how the food
industry plays a major role in the obesity epidemic. His interviews consist of facts on how the
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food industry uses science to get their products to the bliss point (Moskowitz)-when
consumers like products the most. He uses statics on obesity and how as the food industries
creates new and addicting foods that contributes to the public wanting more of the processed
food being created. Most leaders in the food industry do not care about the health of the general
public for them it is all about making more money and expanding their power in the industry.
Moss uses his 4 years of research which include memos from within the food industry that shows
what the food industry doesnt want you to know. They take food that consumers are already
addicted to and labeling it so that it is more appealing to the healthier consumer. Labeling a
product reduced fat, reduces the guilt of the consumer however, less guilt means more
Moss also interviews the creator of lunchable, Bob Dane. In the interview Dane gives
details on the process that went into making Lunchables. How they were to appeal to the busy
working mom and then later marketed to appeal to children. Dane also shares what a lunchable
consist of even down to the container and how the company did everything they could to make
production cost lower even if that meant even more processed products. In the article Moss tells
how during his reporting he met up with Monica Drane the daughter of Bob Dane, creator of the
Lunchable he recalls her saying, I dont think my kids have ever eaten a lunchable(Drane) he
also quotes her saying, They know they exist and that Grandpa Bob invented them but we eat
very healthfully.(Drane) Moss writes, how Bob Drane, created a prcis of the food industry that
is used in discussions with medical students on how he finds the entire food industry
accountable for the obesity epidemic, Moss points out however, Bob Dane does not mention his
In conclusion, the article fairly solidifies that the food industry should be accountable for
their part in the obesity epidemic. It is disturbing that so many companies in the food industry
knowingly continues to market and create unhealthy products to consumers. I believe that the
article is a successful piece of writing. Before reading the article, I felt that the consumer should
hold all the responsibility when it came to obesity. However, I now believe that though
consumers need to take responsibility for their consumption, the food industry needs to admit the
Work Cited
Moss, Michael. The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk food. The New York Time