It seems very different and critically important. Would we have a current obesity epidemic without "optimized flavor and marketing strategies"? Because if we would not, then that is the true cause and of fundamental public health importance.
If we would have an obesity epidemic even without "optimized flavor and marketing strategies", then it is totally irrelevant.
Yes and no. I think there are two levers on the CI side of the equation and only one of them is hyper-palatability (optimized flavor); the other is simply cost. Food costs have fallen sharply, and that contributes to over-feeding. Hyper-palatability also contributes. It's not irrelevant, but not the only factor.
If we would have an obesity epidemic even without "optimized flavor and marketing strategies", then it is totally irrelevant.