A recent CNN article written by Lisa Drayer describes the techniques that food manufacturers use to develop foods that will be more desirable and, thus, more marketable. There’s a wonderful book on the topic called Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss.

Both Drayer and Moss agree that the nutritional needs of consumers are beside the point. Selling the most food is food manufacturers’ primary goal. As I read this article, I discovered an odd parallel between that and what I do on a daily basis, as a researcher, in studying the abuse potential of drugs.