This is the part that bugs me the most.  If the ingredients are safe, as they claim, then why do they hide them under euphemisms?

I don't like sneaky behavior, and the more they try to hide things, the more suspicious I become.  

"It was an ancient rule of Hawaiians that no one should hurt another bodily, or through theft of goods or through injury to feelings.These were the only sins."

Well, they're not safe. I have no need for any chemicals in my body. But they're not "hiding" anything, they're just "helping their clients clean up their labels." ;-)

It is easy to buy small plaster models of what you think life is like.

right.

"It was an ancient rule of Hawaiians that no one should hurt another bodily, or through theft of goods or through injury to feelings.These were the only sins."

I have no need for any chemicals in my body.

Your body is chemicals.

Really? Wow. You're blowing my mind here, man.

It is easy to buy small plaster models of what you think life is like.

I have no need for any chemicals in my body.

Are you a metaphysical spirit?  Your body, like all matter, is composed entirely of chemicals.

Still, I'm as suspicious of these industrial concoctions as you are.  After the melamine/gluten scandal I worry about anything that comes from a country with negative regulation, and that means pretty much every industrially produced additive to our food and drugs.

"The ability to reduce sugar, salt, or artificial flavoring without sacrificing taste is a huge opportunity in this health-conscious society," says Robin Manners West of New Mexico's State Investment Council, which has purchased shares.

I would say we've already sacrificed taste in a nation where the majority of the people want their food oversweet, oversalted or overfatty.

I was recently saying to a friend in a discussion about education that we live in a nation where all resources are like economic wealth: 10% gets a disproportionate share and the rest of the nation gets too little or lower quality education.  

When I think about food, I think it's staggering how much good food is available on the West Coast, and how little good food is available elsewhere.

 

Where on the west coast? Certainly not LA, lol.

It is easy to buy small plaster models of what you think life is like.

In San Francisco, at least, the produce is crazy good and reasonably priced for the quality of the food.

And the local food movement has produced all sorts of artisanal food categories including fine chocolate, local cheese, amazing bakeries (as long as you are not looking for more East European/Jewish breads... I do miss my bagels, challah, rye, pumpernickel), local dairies, local yogurt-makers, and even organic chicken rotisserie trucks that show up at the farmer's market here (along with the lady who sells fresh kettle corn).

If the ingredients are safe, as they claim, then why do they hide them under euphemisms?

Have you ever seen the gag where an interviewer goes up and starts asking people if they're aware of the dangers of "dihydrogen monoxide"?

I'm not claiming that these food additives are safe (far from it) but I don't agree with your reasoning.  I believe there are plenty of legitimate reasons why manufacturers of even a perfectly safe product (well, actually there's no such thing, but you know what I mean) might want to give it a consumer-friendly brand name.

Even though this isn't about a stock tip, certainly Senomyx is being financed by food companies with mostly business interests at heart.  I doubt that Coca Cola, Campbell, Kraft and Nestle care about food as much as they do about business. It's not merely that they are using Senomyx's products; these companies actually financed $30 million for Senomyx's research (one of the links in the sub to the New York Times story).

It's like every other time when the doctors have tried to tell Americans to live healthier.  Rather than actually modifying our habits, companies come out with new products and tell us that consuming the new products will let us live in exactly the same way: overeating, not exercising, not eating enough fresh produce.  

Yet, research across diets throughout different nations all show that eating the traditional diet (homecooked meals of a variety of different ingredients) is key to good health.  Unfortunately for food companies, this might mean their stocks would fall.

Again, it's a parody - I don't see how anyone who actually took the time to read the article would view it as a pump and dump.  Then again, considering the state of the US stock market, asking for reading comprehension from stock traders might be a little much...