<p>
I don’t think anyone objects to the “sophisticated taste tests” by themselves. Rather, there are two ethical quandaries that get people like me upset.</p>
<p>First, I draw a distinction between a conscious “want” and a chemical “need”. This is the Doritos thing - they weren’t trying to create a chip that tasted better (that being what the customer wanted) but rather they were trying to create a chip that specifically triggered the brain to want more regardless of taste or nutritional value. I think that crosses an ethical line.</p>
<p>Second, providing such an essential service as food should come with a moral obligation not to harm or endorse the harm of your customers. There are a wide variety of foods that should be “sometimes” foods that the food industry has snuck into “everyday” foods. Would we tolerate it if pharmaceutical companies said “we are going to add otherwise unnecessary things to your medication that make them mildly addictive and also adversely affect your health”? Heck no! But we let the food industry do it all the time, and again, I think that unconscionable.</p>