If you can't open a bag of chips without finishing them, you're not alone. Turns out, there's science behind it.

No matter the flavour, salty, crunchy chips hit home every time. There's a reason: the addictive combination of fat, salt and texture is based on a model invented in the 1960s by Howard Moskowitz, a psychophysicist from Harvard, all about finding your "bliss point."

The bliss point is the precise level of an ingredient required to maximize the taste pleasure of a food product. Anything above it means the amount of salt or fat is too high to be enjoyable. Below it, it's too little. 

It's clear the formula is working.  Ninety-seven percent of Canadians say they bought a bag of chips during their last trip to the grocery store, according to research firm Nielsen. The potato chip industry generates sales of more than $2 billion each year. 

This is why chips are addictive

In the years following Moskowitz's discovery, he was hired by several food giants including Campbell Soup, Kraft and Pepsico. The goal was to find the specific amount of sugar people need to eat to maximize the secretion of endorphins in your brain. You don't need to be hungry to eat the foods—it's about creating an irresistible craving through hormones.

Besides being used for chips and other salty snacks, the bliss point is used to improve the taste of sweets like ice cream, cookies or drinks. 

However, it's also being used in unexpected ways you should be aware of, as made evident by New York Times journalist Michael Moss. His book explores the role of packaged and processed foods as part of the obesity epidemic in the United States.

He explains that sugar is now added to certain products such as bread, yogurt or tomato sauce in order to reach this famous point of bliss. By making unassuming foods sweeter, food companies can change consumers' palates, expecting everything to be sweet. This strategy would likely cause of a form of sugar addiction that has serious consequences on people's health.

So, what are you to do? It's obviously fine to enjoy a bag of chips. Instead of cutting out all processed foods, start to read nutrition labels and get familiar with added vs. natural sugars. You'll start to make more informed choices bout what you eat.

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