The New York Times Magazine is running an important feature article this weekend entitled “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food.”

What’s important about it is that it’s not just about foods traditionally considered junk foods like candy and fluorescent orange snacks, but foods that historically have been considered healthy and nutritious like yogurt and tomato sauces that have been re-engineered to make them less healthy and more addictive.

Tomato sauce:
“Many of the Prego sauces — whether cheesy, chunky or light — have one feature in common: The largest ingredient, after tomatoes, is sugar. A mere half-cup of Prego Traditional, for instance, has the equivalent of more than two teaspoons of sugar, as much as two-plus Oreo cookies. It also delivers one-third of the sodium recommended for a majority of American adults for an entire day.”

Yogurt:
Under his leadership, General Mills had overtaken not just the cereal aisle but other sections of the grocery store. The company’s Yoplait brand had transformed traditional unsweetened breakfast yogurt into a veritable dessert. It now had twice as much sugar per serving as General Mills’ marshmallow cereal Lucky Charms. And yet, because of yogurt’s well-tended image as a wholesome snack, sales of Yoplait were soaring, with annual revenue topping $500 million.

Please spread the word about this article. The more people who know what they’re really eating and the manipulative tactics that are being used, the better our chances are of directing them towards healthier options.