Is the food industry the next big tobacco?

[dannyboy]

By Adam Voiland Adam Voiland Mon Oct 20, 5:31 pm ET

Two nutrition experts argue that you can't take marketing campaigns at face value

With America's obesity problem among kids reaching crisis proportions, even junk food makers have started to claim they want to steer children toward more healthful choices. In a study released earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that about 32 percent of children were overweight but not obese, 16 percent were obese, and 11 percent were extremely obese. Food giant PepsiCo, for example, points out on its website that "we can play an important role in helping kids lead healthier lives by offering healthy product choices in schools." The company highlights what it considers its healthier products within various food categories through a "Smart Spot" marketing campaign that features green symbols on packaging. PepsiCo's inclusive criteria--explained here--award spots to foods of dubious nutritional value such as Diet Pepsi, Cap'n Crunch cereal, reduced-fat Doritos, and Cheetos, as well as to more nutritious products such as Quaker Oatmeal and Tropicana Orange Juice.

But are wellness initiatives like Smart Spot just marketing ploys? Such moves by the food industry may seem to be a step in the right direction, but ultimately makers of popular junk foods have an obligation to stockholders to encourage kids to eat more--not less--of the foods that fuel their profits, says David Ludwig, a pediatrician and the co-author of a commentary published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association that raises questions about whether big food companies can be trusted to help combat obesity. Ludwig and article co-author Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York University, both of whom have long histories of tracking the food industry, spoke with U.S. News and highlighted 10 things that junk food makers don't want you to know about their products and how they promote them.

10 Things the Food Industry Doesn't Want You to Know (http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnews/20081020/ts_usnews/10thingsthefoodindustrydoesntwantyoutoknow/print)

[frizgolf]

Can't believe the junk kids eat now.
[old man voice] When I was a kid, we were lucky to see a pop and/or a bag of chips once a week. Can't believe the sheer amount of soda kids drink in a day.
Don't forget dentists. They benefit from the junk food industry as well. Honestly, are there more kids with rotten teeth today, or is it just me? [/old man]

Mess with the food industry like you messed with Big Tobacco, and you'll see a serious backlash.

[Tweeks_Coffee]

I like how their first big "secret" is that the companies who make junk food are advertising that junk food to kids. I'd say that falls solidly into the "duh" category.

Yes, the next thing to get pushed out of the public eye because it's bad for people is going to be unhealthy foods. Soon you'll have to step outside to eat a candy bar.

[frizgolf]

Soon you'll have to step outside to eat a candy bar.

Oh, no you don't! Don't get that nasty candy bar next to my cigar.
Eeew.

[drougan]

Yes, the next thing to get pushed out of the public eye because it's bad for people is going to be unhealthy foods. Soon you'll have to step outside to eat a candy bar.

Yeah... I hate getting fat off of someone else's caloric intake. :rolleyes:

Very little is done to promote a healthy lifestyle. Selling the things that kill us is easy since they also happen to make us feel good-strange how that works.

Either way, the best way to eat healthy is to prepare as much of your own food as possible, which is damn difficult in this day and age.

[dannyboy]

Unlike cigarettes, someone sitting next to me a table in a restaurant and scarfing down a greasy burger and fries isn't directly affecting my health like a smoker blowing smoke in my face.

However, as we head down that inevitable road to a government backed health care system, I just wouldn't feel very good knowing that I'm trying to do a decent job of eating healthy and my taxes are paying for the heart problems of those that subsist on a diet of Big Macs and Fritos.

[Tweeks_Coffee]

Oh Christ, people, obviously I was joking about having to go outside to eat a candy bar. Can't a guy make a freaking joke anymore?

[drougan]

Oh Christ, people, obviously I was joking about having to go outside to eat a candy bar. Can't a guy make a freaking joke anymore?

Nope ;)

[Duemellon]

Another side effect of a maturing Capitalist Free Market.

Corporations want to make money. The way they make their dough is by selling product. As markets become saturated they begin to focus on new markets.

Why should they care if their consumers have unhealthy side effects if their consumers have continuous use for an extended time. If their consumers died immediately from it's use it'd be bad. But because it takes awhile & it can be blamed on consumer misuse, they're not liable.

[Tweeks_Coffee]

Nope ;)

Well fine, then! :mad:

*goes and pouts in corner*

[jneale]

Take a look into what the corn lobby did to coconut oil.

Coconut oil is very high in saturated fat, but it is digestible & actually good for you as it helps reduce cholesterol.

Ultimately the person doing the eating is at fault – but the misleading information adds to poor choices.

[lutz]

Is there no way to compel these companies to make their food healthier? - i.e. to stop selling shit and start selling stuff that isn't 90% sugar/fat/both?

Yeah it would cost the company more, but surely they could make that back in increased sales from health-conscious people?

[silentpaul]

Is there no way to compel these companies to make their food healthier? - i.e. to stop selling shit and start selling stuff that isn't 90% sugar/fat/both?

Yeah it would cost the company more, but surely they could make that back in increased sales from health-conscious people?

Somewhat related: Every so often here at work they get a new vending machine company, and when they do they ask us for suggestions of what we'd like to see in the new machines. Every time I suggest an increase in healthy options. Every time we get the same options: Twenty candy bars and one hard granola bar.

[wileE]

Is there no way to compel these companies to make their food healthier? - i.e. to stop selling shit and start selling stuff that isn't 90% sugar/fat/both?

Yeah it would cost the company more, but surely they could make that back in increased sales from health-conscious people?
Well, in schools they are starting to offer healthier foods and eliminate pop. Kids are learning that they should eat better. That won't sink in with all of them, but it's a start. The parents need to lead by example as well.

Even the fast food industry is getting in on it. Kids meals this days come with milk and apples instead of pop and fries.

If there is public backlash, the companies will change. If not (as with Coconut oil), the companies will continue on their merry way doing whatever to increase sales.

[drougan]

Is there no way to compel these companies to make their food healthier? - i.e. to stop selling shit and start selling stuff that isn't 90% sugar/fat/both?

Yeah it would cost the company more, but surely they could make that back in increased sales from health-conscious people?

ARE YOU CRAZY!? This is America. The government can't compel a company to do something. That would be anti-business. Why... that would be tantamount to socialism!


Sad but true

[BOBROX123]

When we were younger, we all used to eat like crap.....mmmmm, DOritos (for example). However, when we were young, we would play outside until it was so dark that continuing to play would cause great bodily harm. Winter, spring, summer, and fall we would be outside all day, when not in school, and when we were in school recess helped out. I used to be in really good shape, but then I got a Nintendo, then Super Nintendo, then Nintendo64, etc and the time I spent outside running/playing was cut considerably. So, in time, my eating habits didn't change but my shape certainly did. I'm not saying that the industry doesn't have some fault, but the person eating the food is to blame. Or the parents allowing their children to eat whatever, and sit in front of a monitor, as long as they behave, and are quiet. Think about this, is there a safe playground within walking distance from your house that is in good condition? Was there one when you were a kid? My childhood neighborhood had a GREAT playground/park, and we were there constantly. Kids need better ways to spend their time than sitting, eating, etc.
So, yesterday big Tobacco, today Food Industry, tomorrow Sony.

[cockney rebel]

Just condemn HFCS. Its introduction to the American diet resulted in obesity rates going through the roof (or, rather, through the floor, I suppose?) and increased diabetes. Body can't digest it the same way as it can sugar.

Its in everything.

[BOBROX123]

Is there no way to compel these companies to make their food healthier? - i.e. to stop selling shit and start selling stuff that isn't 90% sugar/fat/both?

Yeah it would cost the company more, but surely they could make that back in increased sales from health-conscious people?

Also, I run cafe dining in a corporate office building, where the clientele 'says' that they are health conscious. However, less healthy options sell 10 to 1 versus healthy options. Every time that I offer a healthy menu (lots of variety/options) my clients leave the building and drive to the nearest fastfood place. So, to answer your question, no. Not until the bottom line backs up your statement, they could make that back in increased sales from health-conscious people?

[Cyclone]

Yeah it would cost the company more, but surely they could make that back in increased sales from health-conscious people?

Oh, I don't think they'd even come close to making the same kind of money. I think the fact of the matter is that "health-conscious people" don't eat at fast food joints because they do just that, eat healthy. There are simply not enough people in the US who would buy as many healthy products as the guy on the go who wants to swing through a drive through to grab the 99 cent double cheeseburger. Not even close. I do notice that a lot of places are offering, say apple slices and chocolate milk instead of fries and soda in the kid's meals, but that is of course optional and I highly doubt if they get 10 people a day who actually order that.

BOBROX is right ... the consumer needs to be to blame just as much, and that includes me as much as the people I'm stereotyping. I eat fast food a couple times a week pretty consistently. A buddy and I stopped at a Sonic drive through in Dayton last weekend. I feel like I'm going to die after every time, but I'm cheap. I think another thing is location. I like eating out as part of the experience, i.e. getting together with friends for lunch, eating your meal right when you're out doing your errands. I would eat at a lot more diverse places if there were more in town (granted, I do when I'm not in town), but all we have is the McDs, Arbys, BKs, and KFCs.

[drougan]

When we were younger, we all used to eat like crap.....mmmmm, DOritos (for example). However, when we were young, we would play outside until it was so dark that continuing to play would cause great bodily harm. Winter, spring, summer, and fall we would be outside all day, when not in school, and when we were in school recess helped out. I used to be in really good shape, but then I got a Nintendo, then Super Nintendo, then Nintendo64, etc and the time I spent outside running/playing was cut considerably. So, in time, my eating habits didn't change but my shape certainly did. I'm not saying that the industry doesn't have some fault, but the person eating the food is to blame. Or the parents allowing their children to eat whatever, and sit in front of a monitor, as long as they behave, and are quiet. Think about this, is there a safe playground within walking distance from your house that is in good condition? Was there one when you were a kid? My childhood neighborhood had a GREAT playground/park, and we were there constantly. Kids need better ways to spend their time than sitting, eating, etc.
So, yesterday big Tobacco, today Food Industry, tomorrow Sony.

The thing is, you're describing a societal shift that crosses many more areas of life than what you eat, and what you have available to pass the time. Americans move around more, know their neighbors less, trust their neighbors less, like their neighbors less, and trend more towards insular behavior except at accepted social funcions and outlets. You'd have to lay blame at Home/subdivision developers, city/county planners, the automobile industry, federal highway tax subsidies, big box retailers, the local news, TV sitcoms and dramas, decline of American manufacturing jobs, increase of women in the workplace, diversification/integration of the population, etc...

Big list that one. All things that contribute towards insularity in a complex, socially demanding world where people try to raise their lifestyles to artificially constructed, unsustainable levels.

[BOBROX123]

You'd have to lay blame at Home/subdivision developers, city/county planners, the automobile industry, federal highway tax subsidies, big box retailers, the local news, TV sitcoms and dramas, decline of American manufacturing jobs, increase of women in the workplace, diversification/integration of the population, etc...


I do blame it on them/that, and more.


Big list that one. All things that contribute towards insularity in a complex, socially demanding world where people try to raise their lifestyles to artificially constructed, unsustainable levels

It makes more sense than blaming the whole thing on the food industry. Food producers are, for the most part, looking to make money. So are the people behind all those factors that you listed, so I guess we could just blame money. I think my point is that there are many contributing factors to 'what's wrong with the kids today'. And unfortunately, I and other's in my field, want to help solve these problems, but it's hard to get the consumers to go along. and no matter what we try, what we do, we always catch the blame. When little johnny gets fat, when the vending machine only has one healthy-ish option, when the menu reads like a McDonald's. We have to 'give the people what they want'. $$$$$ Unfortunately, most people just want an excuse. And, "it's not my fault, the food industry has been hiding facts, and lying to me all these years" often seems to fit their needs.

[drougan]

I do blame it on them/that, and more.




It makes more sense than blaming the whole thing on the food industry. Food producers are, for the most part, looking to make money. So are the people behind all those factors that you listed, so I guess we could just blame money. I think my point is that there are many contributing factors to 'what's wrong with the kids today'. And unfortunately, I and other's in my field, want to help solve these problems, but it's hard to get the consumers to go along. and no matter what we try, what we do, we always catch the blame. When little johnny gets fat, when the vending machine only has one healthy-ish option, when the menu reads like a McDonald's. We have to 'give the people what they want'. $$$$$ Unfortunately, most people just want an excuse. And, "it's not my fault, the food industry has been hiding facts, and lying to me all these years" often seems to fit their needs.


Consumers want what intersects what they can be convinced to want and what makes them happy. Success in sales and in advertising is tied to packaging a product within a lifestyle, and when the consumer can buy and consume a product that suits their "unique" lifestyle than they feel good about the purchase. The sale of processed (ready to eat, or at least to quickly cook) is big in to that. Consumers will get what they want, but what they want is not very difficult to influence, particularly if you can tailor your brand to fit their idealization of a lifestyle. It works with healthy food too, albeit only slightly differently. People have to want to live and eat healthy, but there's a perception that one has to make an effort to do so, so they choose easier and feel goodier lifestyles.

Largely though, I agree with you. The final choice of lifestyle (and all the acutrements) lies with the consumer, regardless of influences.

In the end it's about integration of healthy choices and activities into your own lifestyle. Consumer products don't advertise their ability to integrate into diverse, interesting, and gratifying life, it's more like "buy me to be happy, I'm all you need" and in the end your dissatisfaction will drive you to go looking for something else you can buy.

[Duemellon]

The thing is, you're describing a societal shift that crosses many more areas of life than what you eat, and what you have available to pass the time.This was one of the things I was alluding to in the Blame Capitalism thread in that the luxury item of eating out has become so commonplace that it's actually an expectation & is integrated into our daily lives.

Meaning,...
If you boss keeps you late for work they aren't worried that you won't eat because they'll simply order out to compensate or expect you to eat something on the way home. If you told you boss, "No, I gotta leave at 5 because I gotta cook at home" they will not only look at you funny but start manuevering to get you replaced.

These luxuries we've been sold on have become part of our infrastructure & is now an expectation we have of each other to participate in our society.

[BOBROX123]

In the end it's about integration of healthy choices and activities into your own lifestyle. Consumer products don't advertise their ability to integrate into diverse, interesting, and gratifying life, it's more like "buy me to be happy, I'm all you need" and in the end your dissatisfaction will drive you to go looking for something else you can buy.


Agreed, Skepticism helps me in this regard, I don't trust/believe anyone or anything especially advertisements. If more people learned this art, maybe they could make up their own minds, and make better choices.

[C. Doves]

http://www.simpsoncrazy.com/gallery/images/HomerSimpson15.gif

NO MORE APPLES in the vending machine PUHLEEZE!!!!

[lutz]

ARE YOU CRAZY!? This is America. The government can't compel a company to do something. That would be anti-business. Why... that would be tantamount to socialism!


Sad but trueIt wouldn't have to be "DO THIS OR WE PUNISH YOUUUUUUU!" It could be "Do this and we'll subsidize you to some extent, or give you some kind of tax bonus". Would that work?

BOBROX is right ... the consumer needs to be to blame just as much, and that includes me as much as the people I'm stereotyping. I eat fast food a couple times a week pretty consistently. A buddy and I stopped at a Sonic drive through in Dayton last weekend. I feel like I'm going to die after every time, but I'm cheap. I think another thing is location. I like eating out as part of the experience, i.e. getting together with friends for lunch, eating your meal right when you're out doing your errands. I would eat at a lot more diverse places if there were more in town (granted, I do when I'm not in town), but all we have is the McDs, Arbys, BKs, and KFCs.I suddenly feel very lucky to have grown up in a 'cosmopolitan' sort of city, where pretty much any kind of cafe/restaurant you could possibly want is available. Which may also help explain why I've put on 8 kilos since starting uni in a different, somewhat less diverse city... That and I've become fucking lazy :(