10 Things the Food Industry Doesn't Want You to Know
Tim Campbell
Two nutrition experts argue that you can't take marketing campaigns at
face value. -
By Adam Voiland, U.S. News & World Report -
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 Web site 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 a recent 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.
1. Junk food makers spend billions advertising unhealthy foods to
kids.According to the Federal Trade Commission, food makers spend some
$1.6 billion annually to reach children through the traditional media
as well the Internet, in-store advertising, and sweepstakes. An
article published in 2006 in the Journal of Public Health Policy puts
the number as high as $10 billion annually. Promotions often use
cartoon characters or free giveaways to entice kids into the junk food
fold. PepsiCo has pledged that it will advertise only "Smart Spot"
products to children under 12.
2. The studies that food producers support tend to minimize health
concerns associated with their products.In fact, according to a review
led by Ludwig of hundreds of studies that looked at the health effects
of milk, juice, and soda, the likelihood of conclusions favorable to
the industry was several times higher among industry-sponsored
research than studies that received no industry funding. "If a study
is funded by the industry, it may be closer to advertising than
science," he says.
3. Junk food makers donate large sums of money to professional
nutrition associations.The American Dietetic Association, for example,
accepts money from companies such as Coca-Cola, which get access to
decision makers in the food and nutrition marketplace via ADA events
and programs, as this release explains. As Nestle notes in her blog
and discusses at length in her book Food Politics (University of
California Press, 2007), the group even distributes nutritional fact
sheets that are directly sponsored by specific industry groups. This
one, for example, which is sponsored by an industry group that
promotes lamb, rather unsurprisingly touts the nutritional benefits of
lamb.The ADA's reasoning: "These collaborations take place with the
understanding that ADA does not support any program or message that
does not correspond with ADA's science-based healthful-eating messages
and positions," according to the group's president, dietitian Martin
Yadrick. "In fact, we think it's important for us to be at the same
table with food companies because of the positive influence that we
can have on them."
4. More processing means more profits, but typically makes the food
less healthy.Minimally processed foods such as fresh fruits and
vegetables obviously aren't where food companies look for profits. The
big bucks stem from turning government-subsidized commodity crops—
mainly corn, wheat, and soybeans—into fast foods, snack foods, and
beverages. High-profit products derived from these commodity crops are
generally high in calories and low in nutritional value.
5. Less-processed foods are generally more satiating than their highly
processed counterparts.Fresh apples have an abundance of fiber and
nutrients that are lost when they are processed into applesauce. And
the added sugar or other sweeteners increase the number of calories
without necessarily making the applesauce any more filling. Apple
juice, which is even more processed, has had almost all of the fiber
and nutrients stripped out. This same stripping out of nutrients, says
Ludwig, happens with highly refined white bread compared with stone-
ground whole wheat bread.
6. Many supposedly healthy replacement foods are hardly healthier than
the foods they replace.In 2006, for example, major beverage makers
agreed to remove sugary sodas from school vending machines. But the
industry mounted an intense lobbying effort that persuaded lawmakers
to allow sports drinks and vitamin waters that—despite their slightly
healthier reputations—still can be packed with sugar and calories.
7. A health claim on the label doesn't necessarily make a food
healthy.Health claims such as "zero trans fats" or "contains whole
wheat" may create the false impression that a product is healthy when
it's not. While the claims may be true, a product is not going to
benefit your kid's health if it's also loaded with salt and sugar or
saturated fat, say, and lacks fiber or other nutrients. "These claims
are calorie distracters," adds Nestle. "They make people forget about
the calories." Dave DeCecco, a spokesperson for PepsiCo, counters that
the intent of a labeling program such as Smart Spot is simply to help
consumers pick a healthier choice within a category. "We're not trying
to tell people that a bag of Doritos is healthier than asparagus. But,
if you're buying chips, and you're busy, and you don't have a lot of
time to read every part of the label, it's an easy way to make a
smarter choice," he says.
8. Food industry pressure has made nutritional guidelines confusing.As
Nestle explained in Food Politics, the food industry has a history of
preferring scientific jargon to straight talk. As far back as 1977,
public health officials attempted to include the advice "reduce
consumption of meat" in an important report called "Dietary Goals for
the United States." The report's authors capitulated to intense
pushback from the cattle industry and used this less-direct and more
ambiguous advice: "Choose meats, poultry, and fish which will reduce
saturated fat intake." Overall, says Nestle, the government has a hard
time suggesting that people eat less of anything.
9. The food industry funds front groups that fight anti-obesity public
health initiatives.Unless you follow politics closely, you wouldn't
necessarily realize that a group with a name like the Center for
Consumer Freedom has anything to do with the food industry. In fact,
Ludwig and Nestle point out, this group lobbies aggressively against
obesity-related public health campaigns—such as the one directed at
removing junk food from schools—and is funded, according to the Center
for Media and Democracy, primarily through donations from big food
companies such as Coca-Cola, Cargill, Tyson Foods, and Wendy's.
10. The food industry works aggressively to discredit its
critics.According to the new JAMA article, the Center for Consumer
Freedom boasts that "[our strategy] is to shoot the messenger. We've
got to attack [activists'] credibility as spokespersons." Here's the
group's entry on Marion Nestle.The bottom line, says Nestle, is quite
simple: Kids need to eat less, include more fruits and vegetables in
their diet, and limit the junk food.
h
"Tim Campbell" <tim...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:afc3411b-48e8-4b16...@x38g2000yqj.googlegroups.com...
>10 Things the Food Industry Doesn't Want You to Know
All you really need to do is declare high fructose corn syrup unfit for
human consumption, like most other civilized countries. That will cut
obesity by at least one quarter, within a year. Fat doesn't make you fat,
sugar makes you fat. Easy peasy.
SoCalMike
> "Tim Campbell" <tim...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
> news:afc3411b-48e8-4b16...@x38g2000yqj.googlegroups.com...
>> 10 Things the Food Industry Doesn't Want You to Know
>
>
> All you really need to do is declare high fructose corn syrup unfit for
> human consumption, like most other civilized countries.
which countries have banned it? what are their obesity rates?
RF
Great post Tim :-)
Hopefully, B.O. will do something about that.
There are dozens of corporations running farms
across the US and they get huge government
subsidies for producing that toxic crop. Not only
that but corn requires far more water, fertilizer
and pesticides than any other crop. Recently I
read an article showing that a dozen or more of
the corporate poisoners live in New York City.
h
"SoCalMike" <mikein562...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:ggctp...@news6.newsguy.com...
Canada and I believe most Latin American countries. I don't know if it's
completely banned in the EU, but they have strict quotas on the production
of non-sugar (sucrose/cane) sweeteners, so it can't be used much if at all
in Europe. HFCS should not be consumed by humans. I can't believe anyone
would eat anything with that poison in it. It's not like it even tastes
good. Yuck.
Don Klipstein
>
>"Tim Campbell" <tim...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
>news:afc3411b-48e8-4b16...@x38g2000yqj.googlegroups.com...
>>10 Things the Food Industry Doesn't Want You to Know
>
>All you really need to do is declare high fructose corn syrup unfit for
>human consumption, like most other civilized countries.
As if cane sugar is much of an improvement?
> That will cut
>obesity by at least one quarter, within a year. Fat doesn't make you fat,
>sugar makes you fat. Easy peasy.
Calories make you fat. I have seen people get fat and stay fat without
eating sugar, even without eating much of carbs in general.
- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)
tyuj
> SoCalMike <mikein562...@hotmail.com> wrote
>>>> 10 Things the Food Industry Doesn't Want You to Know
>>> All you really need to do is declare high fructose corn syrup unfit for human consumption, like most other civilized
>>> countries.
>> which countries have banned it? what are their obesity rates?
> Canada and I believe most Latin American countries.
You're wrong/lying.
> I don't know if it's completely banned in the EU, but they have strict quotas on the production of non-sugar
> (sucrose/cane) sweeteners,
Pig ignorant lie.
> so it can't be used much if at all in Europe.
Another pig ignorant lie.
> HFCS should not be consumed by humans.
Another pig ignorant lie.
> I can't believe anyone would eat anything with that poison in it.
Your problem.
> It's not like it even tastes good. Yuck.
Your problem.
Ron Peterson
> "Tim Campbell" <timc...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
>
> news:afc3411b-48e8-4b16...@x38g2000yqj.googlegroups.com...
>
> >10 Things the Food Industry Doesn't Want You to Know
>
> All you really need to do is declare high fructose corn syrup unfit for
> human consumption, like most other civilized countries.
The ban is on hydrofluorocarbons, not high fructose corn syrup.
--
Ron
h
"tyuj" <ty...@apam.com> wrote in message
news:6p09ksF...@mid.individual.net...
You must work for the corn refiner's conglomerate, and therefore feel the
need to offer insults along with your lies. PLONK.
Dave Garland
> I don't know if it's
> completely banned in the EU, but they have strict quotas on the production
> of non-sugar (sucrose/cane) sweeteners, so it can't be used much if at all
> in Europe.
If so, I suspect the reason is less related to health, than to the fact
that European farmers grow sugar beets rather than sugar cane. Farm
lobbies are strong everywhere.
Dave
up yours
> tyuj <ty...@apam.com> wrote
>> h <tmc...@searchmachine.com> wrote
>>> SoCalMike <mikein562...@hotmail.com> wrote
>>>> h wrote
>>>>> Tim Campbell <tim...@sbcglobal.net> wrote
>>>>>> 10 Things the Food Industry Doesn't Want You to Know
>>>>> All you really need to do is declare high fructose corn syrup
>>>>> unfit for human consumption, like most other civilized countries.
>>>> which countries have banned it? what are their obesity rates?
>>> Canada and I believe most Latin American countries.
>> You're wrong/lying.
>>> I don't know if it's completely banned in the EU, but they have strict quotas on the production of non-sugar
>>> (sucrose/cane) sweeteners,
>> Pig ignorant lie.
>>> so it can't be used much if at all in Europe.
>> Another pig ignorant lie.
>>> HFCS should not be consumed by humans.
>> Another pig ignorant lie.
>>> I can't believe anyone would eat anything with that poison in it.
>> Your problem.
>>> It's not like it even tastes good. Yuck.
>> Your problem.
> You must work for the corn refiner's conglomerate,
You're lying, as always.
> and therefore feel the need to offer insults along with your lies.
Corse you never ever do anything like that yourself, eh ?
> PLONK.
Fat lot of good that will ever do you, you stupid plonker.
h
"Dave Garland" <dave.g...@wizinfo.com> wrote in message
news:w6-dndHH0L5bnbbU...@posted.visi...
I believe that's the case. The reason they have the quotas is to protect
their own industries, but the side benefit is that there is less HFCS in the
EU. Now, I'm certainly not a fan of sugar nor any other processed carbs, but
sugar is less un-healthy than HFCS. The upside is that it's pretty easy to
avoid all of that crap by simply not buying processed foods.
Seerialmom
I thought you were going to say that: "SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE!" :p
Seerialmom
> h <tmcl...@searchmachine.com> wrote
>
> > SoCalMike <mikein562athotm...@hotmail.com> wrote
> >> h wrote
> >>> Tim Campbell <timc...@sbcglobal.net> wrote
> >>>> 10 Things the Food Industry Doesn't Want You to Know
> >>> All you really need to do is declare high fructose corn syrup unfit for human consumption, like most other civilized
> >>> countries.
> >> which countries have banned it? what are their obesity rates?
> > Canada and I believe most Latin American countries.
>
> You're wrong/lying.
>
> > I don't know if it's completely banned in the EU, but they have strict quotas on the production of non-sugar
> > (sucrose/cane) sweeteners,
>
> Pig ignorant lie.
>
> > so it can't be used much if at all in Europe.
>
> Another pig ignorant lie.
>
> > HFCS should not be consumed by humans.
>
> Another pig ignorant lie.
>
> > I can't believe anyone would eat anything with that poison in it.
>
> Your problem.
>
> > It's not like it even tastes good. Yuck.
>
> Your problem.
Is this Rod Speed in disguise??
Don Klipstein
>
>"tyuj" <ty...@apam.com> wrote in message
>news:6p09ksF...@mid.individual.net...
"tyuj" appears to me to be Rod Speed. Extremely unlikely working for
the corn industry, admittedly retired, apparently on a disability
pension for a mental condition. He has been known to use alternate
handles to get around killfiles.
- Don Klipstein (d...@mistyu.com)
Vic Smith
Klipstein) wrote:
>In article <ggetu3$t94$1...@aioe.org>, h wrote:
>>
>>"tyuj" <ty...@apam.com> wrote in message
>>news:6p09ksF...@mid.individual.net...
>
> "tyuj" appears to me to be Rod Speed.
Ya think?
Hope that's not a pig ignorant lie.
If so
Your problem.
etc,etc.
h
"Seerialmom" <seeri...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:b6dc861d-f083-4174...@x16g2000prn.googlegroups.com...
Sounds like. I plonked Rod ages ago, but I seem to remember him loving the
phrase "pig ignorant lie". Of course, that could have been some other
plonker.
Don Klipstein
Do you oppose exposure of tactics of Rod Speed? I suspect you know some
of that sub-troll's tactics and strategies that are merely a step or so
above tactics...
I hope you remain well above that sub-troll while saying one of the
sub-troll's favorite phrases!
- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)
Don Klipstein
My experience is that such plonkees spouting such phrases are
embodiments of the infamous Rod Speed.
- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)
aine...@gmail.com
children..
example like their teeth will be gone before they reach 20 or
something like that..
xoxo,
aineecumi
neway, my secret to release tension is playing this game <a
href=http://www.gamestotal.com> http://www.gamestotal.com </a> <a
href=http://uc.gamestotal.com> http://uc.gamestotal.com </a> <a
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<a href=http://manga.gamestotal.com> http://manga.gamestotal.com </a>
Vic Smith
Klipstein) wrote:
>In article <mhhmi45idg9nl26o7...@4ax.com>, Vic Smith wrote:
>>On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:15:46 +0000 (UTC), d...@manx.misty.com (Don
>>Klipstein) wrote:
>>
>>>In article <ggetu3$t94$1...@aioe.org>, h wrote:
>>>>
>>>>"tyuj" <ty...@apam.com> wrote in message
>>>>news:6p09ksF...@mid.individual.net...
>>>
>>> "tyuj" appears to me to be Rod Speed.
>>
>>Ya think?
>>Hope that's not a pig ignorant lie.
>>If so Your problem.
>
> Do you oppose exposure of tactics of Rod Speed? I suspect you know some
>of that sub-troll's tactics and strategies that are merely a step or so
>above tactics...
>
> I hope you remain well above that sub-troll while saying one of the
>sub-troll's favorite phrases!
>
Of course I mean well.
Wait....that might be a pig ignorant lie.
Sub-troll? Never even thought of that one.
--Vic