But why? Is it the nutrient profile (high in sugar, salt, unhealthy fats)? Or something deeper?
Food science, in its best form, is not about creating synthetic imitations of nature. It is about understanding nature’s genius so deeply that we can work with it—to preserve, enhance, and celebrate the alchemy of eating.
Food science is now engineering foods not for the tongue, but for the colon.
The goal is not appetite suppression (which usually backfires), but prolonged satisfaction . The holy grail is a food that feels indulgent, eats slowly, and keeps you full for six hours. Of course, not all food science serves health. The same technology that gives us resistant starch also gives us ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Defined by the NOVA classification system, UPFs are industrial formulations made mostly from substances extracted from foods (oils, sugars, starches, proteins) with little to no intact whole food.