Might bland food be related to obesity?

Americans and, to an increasing extent, British have an overweight problem. Over the years, our foods have tended to get increasingly bland. There is not much flavor in a Big Mac or McNugget. I wonder if these things are related. What I am thinking is that if food had strong flavors it might take less of it to be satisfied. Maybe the reason that the French and Italians are not overweight is that their meals taste better. Most snack foods are heavy in salt, fat and sugar but not much else. Eating these foods is kind of like scratching a mosquito bite. There is temporary satisfaction, but then the itch just gets worse. So what do you think? Could we use yet another approach to dieting?