In Michael Moss’s essay, “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food,” he illustrated that the products of food corporations, such as Prego, General Mills, and Frito-Lays, are the reason for America’s obesity, calling for us to fix this problem. Obesity and addiction of junk food is an epidemic in the United States. However, the businesses that caused this problem know it is a result of their products and would rather stand and watch than fix the problem. These corporations use marketing tactics that specifically targets financially unstable people because unstable consumers do not have the same freedom of choice, power or education as wealthy consumers. The marketing tactics that companies use include emotional manipulation and packaged
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People make choices based on the emotional guilt, happiness, or terror they experience. Therefore, the companies hire scientists to figure how to manipulate the consumers into buying the corporation’s products. A mothers’ guilt is one of the biggest targets for emotional manipulation. Because of the limited time and money, financially unstable mothers feel guilty for not provided for their child, making them vulnerable to the emotional manipulation. In Michael Moss’s essay, the mothers were referred to as “a gold mine of disappointments and problems” (Moss 266) by a scientist from the Oscar Mayer franchise. These corporations only care about power; financially unstable mothers are being controlled by the guilt, to buy all the unhealthy and cheap products for the children. Although consumers experience emotions, the companies use that emotion to the corporations’ advantage. Therefore, people no longer have the freedom of emotion, without being manipulated. Children are also being emotionally manipulated. The emotional manipulation strategy is using a child’s longing for freedom. It is ironic how the Lunchables’ slogan was “‘all day, you gotta do what they say.... but lunchtime is all yours’” (Moss 268). The slogan implies a sense of freedom to the child; however, the company is taking away the child’s freedom of choice, by making the child addicted to the …show more content…
If people keep consuming a product of a food company, and become addicted, then the consumer would not be able to fight back, even if he knew the product was harmful, because he is unable to stop consuming the product. “Our limbic brains love sugar, fat, salt.....”(Moss 269) stated Drane in Michael Moss’s essay. Therefore, companies produce their products by adding a ton of sugar, even foods like Prego’s tomato sauce has sugar in it. As expressed in Michael Moss’s essay about junk food, “‘the largest ingredient, after tomatoes, is sugar’” (Moss 263). Michael Moss was referring to the Prego brand when stating this, these companies purposely put a ton of sugar into their products specifically for the endorphin release. Endorphins give humans a sensation of happiness. The happiness is addicting, because humans want to be happy, to escape from the stress. And the easiest way to get that is through the processed foods. Once consumers start eating processed foods, the endorphin release makes them want more, to a point where they cannot stop. In this way, the companies just took over the power of decision, making it so the consumers have no choice but to consume more and more of the product. However, the only people that know of the manipulation are people that have the education, the power and time; in other words, the people
People make choices based on the emotional guilt, happiness, or terror they experience. Therefore, the companies hire scientists to figure how to manipulate the consumers into buying the corporation’s products. A mothers’ guilt is one of the biggest targets for emotional manipulation. Because of the limited time and money, financially unstable mothers feel guilty for not provided for their child, making them vulnerable to the emotional manipulation. In Michael Moss’s essay, the mothers were referred to as “a gold mine of disappointments and problems” (Moss 266) by a scientist from the Oscar Mayer franchise. These corporations only care about power; financially unstable mothers are being controlled by the guilt, to buy all the unhealthy and cheap products for the children. Although consumers experience emotions, the companies use that emotion to the corporations’ advantage. Therefore, people no longer have the freedom of emotion, without being manipulated. Children are also being emotionally manipulated. The emotional manipulation strategy is using a child’s longing for freedom. It is ironic how the Lunchables’ slogan was “‘all day, you gotta do what they say.... but lunchtime is all yours’” (Moss 268). The slogan implies a sense of freedom to the child; however, the company is taking away the child’s freedom of choice, by making the child addicted to the …show more content…
If people keep consuming a product of a food company, and become addicted, then the consumer would not be able to fight back, even if he knew the product was harmful, because he is unable to stop consuming the product. “Our limbic brains love sugar, fat, salt.....”(Moss 269) stated Drane in Michael Moss’s essay. Therefore, companies produce their products by adding a ton of sugar, even foods like Prego’s tomato sauce has sugar in it. As expressed in Michael Moss’s essay about junk food, “‘the largest ingredient, after tomatoes, is sugar’” (Moss 263). Michael Moss was referring to the Prego brand when stating this, these companies purposely put a ton of sugar into their products specifically for the endorphin release. Endorphins give humans a sensation of happiness. The happiness is addicting, because humans want to be happy, to escape from the stress. And the easiest way to get that is through the processed foods. Once consumers start eating processed foods, the endorphin release makes them want more, to a point where they cannot stop. In this way, the companies just took over the power of decision, making it so the consumers have no choice but to consume more and more of the product. However, the only people that know of the manipulation are people that have the education, the power and time; in other words, the people