Making Taste with Intention Part One: Is Food Too Enjoyable?

Byline Dave Lundahl, Founder & CEO at InsightsNow

In recent years, we’ve seen the dramatic rise of GLP-1 drug users – originally designed to control blood sugar levels by regulating the GLP-1 hormone in diabetic patients, these drugs have gained popularity among weight loss users for their appetite-suppressing effects. Current estimates say 12% of adults in the U.S. have tried GLP-1 drugs, 6% are actively using it, and projections show the number to triple over the next few years(1). Taken to change eating behaviors, the growing popularity of the drug suggests that weight management has taken center stage as a concern for many people – an unsurprising development given the four-decade trend of obesity growth in the U.S.

Food and beverage products have always strived to meet people’s demands – whether in taste, dietary preferences, trends, or functional benefits. But this shift forces the industry to reflect: What do people truly want from their food today? Are current offerings still meeting their needs – or have we, as an industry, unintentionally become the source of the problem?

Hyper-Palatability: Too Tasty for Our Own Good?

Through ultra-processing and advanced sensory science, the food and beverage industry has mastered the art of making food people like. Sensory science plays a large role with tools like the 9-point hedonic and the Just About Right scales (which are used to help guide development towards maximally liked food), and other computer modelling techniques have allowed us to engineer the most liked products – the most palatable to people.

But have we gotten too good?

For years, ultra-processed food has been the main suspect to unhealthy eating habits and weight gain. Carlos Monterio’s (2009) research stating that “the issue is not food, nor nutrients, so much as processing”(2). This was later supported by Kevin Hall (2019), who found that ultra-processed foods are consumed at a much faster rate than unprocessed food: an average of 17 more calories and 7.4g per minute(3).

However, that same year, Tera L. Fazzino et al (2019) revealed a more nuanced insight: it’s not the ultra-processing which drives overeating, but actually the hyper-palatability of these foods (how good they tasted and how easy they are to consume)(4). This perspective was brought back to the public spotlight again in 2025, when Hall’s findings (2025) were released through the New Yorker(5) and Wall Street Journal(6). It supports that the ultra-processed label was not the culprit – it’s how hyper-palatable these foods have become.

A Path to Healthier Eating: Reframing Ultra-Processed Food

To tackle this issue head-on, we need to understand what hyper-palatability really means and how it affects eating behavior. A 2013 research identifies two components making food hyper-palatability: first, it is the “momentary subjective sensory pleasantness” of the food – measured as ‘liking’ in sensory science. Second is its capacity to stimulate ingestion through the senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, texture)(7).

Crucially, this study defines these two dimensions of palatability as separate. This implies that, even when the food remains ultra-processed, developers have the opportunity to design products to maximize ‘liking’ without encouraging further eating.

This introduces a new avenue of innovation opportunity for food developers. But to be successful, food marketers have to face the challenge: can we reframe ultra-processed foods as not the problem, but part of the solution? By focusing on mindful sensory design, we can move away from beliefs that it causes weight gain to products that foster slower, healthier eating habits – without compromising on taste.

Moving Forward: What Food Innovation Must Look Like

The industry has long responded to customer concerns through functional-foods: low calorie, low salt, dairy-free, non-GMO, and clean label options, to name a few. But the surging uptake of GLP-1 drugs send us a clear message – these means are no longer enough.

Customer needs have evolved. So must we.

If we want to remain relevant in this rapidly shifting landscape, innovation cannot be just about dietary demands. It must address the deeper behavioral, emotional and psychological triggers that shape eating habits. The food and beverage industry has the tools, the science, and the influence to reshape the narrative of ultra-processed food – into one that meaningfully resolves everyday tensions around wellbeing, not cause it.

In part two of Making Taste with Intention, we’ll explore how the food and beverage industry can harness behavioral science to develop a new category of products designed for today’s needs: slow-eating foods that promote satisfaction, not overconsumption.