Cereal addiction conspiracies had me fooled until a food scientist friend set me straight

Lisa Flores · 2026-03-07T06:50:48.497243+00:00

He showed me how taste panels work and that there's no secret addictive formula. It's just sugar and marketing, not some dark plot.

robertcarr6mo ago

Sugar and marketing, sure. But nobody talks about the crunch. They design that sound on purpose, makes you want more.

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the_finley6mo ago

Consider how the crunch sound gets studied in food labs. They DO test it to make the eating experience better. But calling it "designed to make you want more" makes it sound EVIL. It's really just about sensory appeal, not addiction. Marketing uses all kinds of tricks, and sound is one of them. So while the crunch is on purpose, it's not a dark plot, just smart business.

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aaronsullivan6mo ago

What specific mechanical tests do they run on the crunch itself... like do they have machines that measure the perfect breaking point or sound frequency they're aiming for?

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