A recent survey by Foodminds, a PR firm working with food companies, provides some interesting  stats on the triangular relationship consumer-brand-regulator. Americans clearly welcome increased government involvement in food and nutrition issues, particularly when it comes to labeling. Among the interesting findings:

93% of shoppers ranked the Nutrition Facts panel as a very or somewhat useful tool, followed by front-of-pack information (low fat, high in fiber, etc.) at 88%.

86% of consumers are interested in the government implementing objective  front-of-pack labeling. This includes information about calories and beneficial nutrients.

58% support  government bans of junk food advertising to kids.65% of shoppers reject proposed taxes on junk food and beverages.

64% said if their favorite food had a warning label on it, they would either eat less or stop buying the product entirely.

Wow. That last stat is amazing – almost two thirds of Americans would cut down on their FAVORITE food? And all it needs is a warning label? Seems like wishful thinking, although some will say that severe warnings on Cigarette packs have reduced smoking.

What to do at the supermarket:

You don’t nee warnings on products to know what to stay away from. A quick glance at the ingredient list can tell a lot – the longer it is, the more processed the product and the less nutritiously worthwhile it is. A look at the nutrition facts panel gives you the whole picture. A product may be low-fat but very high in sugar. Now that won’t help you very much will it?

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The most popular kids TV Network, Nickelodeon, should be ashamed of itself, says the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a consumer watchdog group, in its latest expose. The reason: Most of the ads running on the network are for food products that promote obesity, diabetes, and other health problems in young children.

This is especially irritating because the industry set up a self-regulatory body with the Better Business Bureau – the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) – several years ago. Once again, this goes to show that you can’t have the cat watching over the cream. Just as with the ill-fated Smart Choice Program, the nutrition benchmarks that this group have set are – how shall we say – very lenient.

CSPI evaluated the nutritional quality based on the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity’s (NANA) Model
School Wellness Policies on Physical Activity and Nutrition. It’s a standard supported by over 50 health, nutrition, and education organizations.

Here are some findings:

• Of 425 foods and beverages that were advertised, 267 (60%) were sub par nutritionally (too much sugar, salt or fat, for example).
• 25% of the products had excess sugar.
• None of Pepsico’s 10 products met the nutritional minimum.
• The only bright spot – the figures are slightly better than 4 years ago, when 90% of commercials were for junk food.

You can download the full report here (PDF)

What to do at the supermarket:

My mother recently reminded me how as a 7 year old tagging along on her grocery shopping trips I would pick up a box of cereal I had seen on Saturday Morning cartoons. In a serious tone I would tell her “We need to buy this, mom.” and then add “They said on TV that it’s good for you.” Most often, the box would find itself back on the supermarket shelf.

Luckily, in retrospect, my parents had good sense. And I hope you do too. Teach your children at an early age to read critically, to look for products with good values in nutrition labels. In breakfast cereal for example, sugar should be below 8 grams per serving, and fiber higher than 3 grams. By getting your children involved in the nutrition hunt, they will be more apt to choose better products together with you.

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A clever marketing campaign by industry backed Center for Consumer Freedom is trying to free high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) of its bum rap. Parents, dieters and health industry professionals have been “brainwashed” to think that HFCS is the cause of America’s obesity epidemic. Not so, says the group who hides the list of its funders. In newspapers, on TV, and on the web, HFCS is now “exonerated” from being the cause of obesity, by lack of evidence.

The campaign is part of a broader effort by the industry to ward off any limitations on their ability to sell us more and more junk food and “liquid calories” in the form of soda pop. Such efforts include increasing calls to tax sugary soft drinks and totally remove them from schools.

What you need to know:

High Fructose Corn Syrup is very similar to table sugar in its chemical properties and in the way it is absorbed by the body. So gram per gram they will have the same effect on you as sugar does.

The problem lies not in the syrup itself, but in how cheap it has become to manufacture a slough of sweetened snacks and drinks compared to the past.

A bit of historical perspective: Farmers have been receiving subsidies from the US government to grow corn for years. They have become so good at it that they began to create huge surpluses, even after selling corn to the entire world AND switching livestock feed from grass to corn.

What to do with all the excess corn?

Some smart dudes discovered about 30 years ago that through a chemical process, the sugars in corn could be separated from its other parts and be synthesized into a liquid syrup. Introducing HFCS. The beauty – gram for gram it costs half the price of sugar to produce. Woohoo!

Manufacturers started dumping HFCS into sodas, snacks, pasta sauces, and as many products as possible because (a) it made them taste good (b) they shaved a few dimes off their costs.

The early 1980’s are considered the time that obesity started to take off in this country. And that’s exactly when HFCS was unleashed into supermarkets.

And the rest is history.

What to do at the supermarket:

Try to avoid any food that has too much sweet in it. Humans are not supposed to consume so much sugar. Look for sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and a host of other synonyms on the ingredient list. In many cases, sugar is scattered in several places along the list.

A good summary of the total sugar content in the product is in the nutrition facts panel. Remember – every 4 grams of sugar is equal to 1 teaspoon.

To play it safe, there are certain aisles just worth avoiding at the supermarket – snacks and beverages. You’ll save your health and a lot of money by just resisting the temptation to walk down those HFCS laden alleys.

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photo credit: Patrishe

Have your children seen an ad for fresh apples lately? How about a commercial for yams or carrots?

Probably not.

But they most likely have seen lots of advertisements for candy, soft drinks, sugary cereals, and other processed food like substances.

And what they see, they immediately turn into action. At least, this is what a study from the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale has concluded. From the New York Times:

In one experiment, 118 children, ages 7 to 11, were each given bowls of Goldfish crackers and then left to watch a 14-minute cartoon. During the commercial breaks, some of the children saw ads for games and entertainment; others watched four spots for unhealthy snacks like waffle sticks with syrup, fruit roll-ups and potato chips. The children who saw the food spots ate 45 percent more Goldfish than those who watched the game commercials.

What you need to know:

It’s an uphill battle for parents today to try and keep their children eating healthfully. Food manufacturers are not making things easy.  Tens of thousands of nutritiously superfluous products manufactured for kids,  and the big brands spend tens of millions of dollars on advertising to those eyeballs that count the most.

Some parents have decided to live TV free. Others Tivo commercials away. But for the most part, our impressionable younger generation is learning what to eat from brand marketers on Madison Avenue.

What to do at the supermarket:

You need to start educating your children from a very early age about healthy eating habits. Definitely provide snacks and sweets, but in moderation.

You also need to explain that not everything on TV is  true, and when it comes to advertising, there are motives present not necessarily in the best interest of the consumer.

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March 15th marks the annual World Consumer Rights Day, organized by Consumer’s International.

Consumers International (CI) is a UK based non-profit founded in 1960 that serves as an industry independent voice and represents 220 member organizations in 115 countries.

The stated goal is to help protect and empower consumers everywhere.

Last year, the group began to focus on the marketing of junk food to kids. They are continuing with this important message today:

Around the world, from the Dominican Republic to Sweden, and India to Mali, CI member organisations unite in activities around the Junk Food Generation campaign to mark World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) 2009 on 15 March 2009.

The day  also sees the launch of New media, same old tricks – a new report by CI that examines the ways that global food companies use to promote foods high in fat, sugar and salt to children on their own websites.

The Junk Food Generation campaign calls for an end to the marketing of unhealthy food to children globally and 2009 is an important year for this campaign. In March, the World Health Organization (WHO) will publish draft recommendations on the marketing of food and non-alcoholic beverages to children.

Consumers International and the International Obesity Taskforce (IOTF) have published Recommendations for an International Code on Marketing of Foods and Non-Alcoholic Beverages to Children.

What you need to know:

Consumers International wants the World Health Organization (WHO) to adopt the suggested code and for national governments to incorporate it into legislation. This would protect children up to the age of 16 years old by a global standard on the marketing of unhealthy food and drink, including:
* A ban on radio or TV advertisements promoting foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS foods)
* No marketing of HFSS foods on using new media (such as websites, viral marketing, text messaging)
* No promotion of HFSS foods in schools
* No advertising of HFSS foods targeting parents or caregivers
* No use of celebrities, cartoon characters, competitions or free gifts to market HFSS foods

What to do at the supermarket:

“Fat Chance” that such legislation will be put in effect in the US, but as parents we can choose what to buy for our kids.

Doing some grocery shopping today? Empower yourself together with your children to check nutrition labels and ingredient lists, choosing healthy foods and snacks.

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From across the Atlantic, an interesting study conducted in the UK found an overabundance of junk food adverts in magazines, even those providing health advise and suggestions. From Medical News Today:

Newcastle University researchers collected and compared data on the nutritional content of the foods advertised in 30 most widely-read weekly magazines during November 2007.

Almost one quarter (23%) of the foods advertised were categorised as “containing fat or sugar” including products such as ice-cream, chocolate bars, sweets and full sugar soft drinks. Government guidelines recommend these should be eaten only “sparingly”. More of these adverts were found in magazines with a higher proportion of women readers or readers of a lower social class. In contrast, very few of the ads, only 1.8%, were for fruit and vegetables and these were mainly in high-end magazines.

“Nearly every magazine contains advice on a healthier lifestyle, yet we found the food adverts were for products high in sugar and salt and low in fibre such as ready meals, sauces and confectionary,” explains Dr Jean Adams, lecturer in public health at Newcastle University, who led the study.

“Obviously, it’s up to each of us to decide what we eat but if we’re constantly bombarded with images of unhealthy food every time we pick up a magazine then we’re going to be swayed in what we choose,” she adds.

Read the entire article…

What you need to know:

Unprocessed foods, mostly produce such broccoli, are the orphans of the advertising industry. They don’t have rich sponsors that can plaster ads every which way you turn. Manufactured, packaged foods, are priced to include a profit for the manufacturer after cost of advertising. Some brands of sweets have campaigns costing millions of dollars.

Consumers are thus unevenly exposed to some foods much more than others. And these marketing messages do work, otherwise manufacturers wouldn’t pay. This is especially critical with children, who as a result of creative marketing ads deem a bag of chips much cooler than a piece of fruit as a snack.

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flickr photo: Ian Muttoo

Should fast food commercials aimed at children be regulated? According to a  recent study by NYU researchers, 23% of ads children see are for fast food, contributing to the alarming growth in obesity rates. Regulating the ads could reduce weight. From the Seattle Post Intelligencer:

A little less “I’m Lovin’ It” could put a significant dent in the problem of childhood obesity, suggests a new study that attempts to measure the effect of TV fast-food ads.

A ban on such commercials would reduce the number of obese young children by 18 percent, and the number of obese older kids by 14 percent, researchers found.

Read entire article…

Constant exposure to brands is a true and trusted means to increase sales, as any beginning advertiser will tell you. With the ginormous budgets (in the billions of dollars) allocated by fast food companies to the cleverest advertising agencies, it’s no wonder gazillions are gulping down empty calories. The Hollywood branded gifts that kids get with purchase of a happy meal certainly contribute to the greasy addiction.

The solution though, is not banning advertisements, but rather providing children with “cool” alternative options. Imagine if carrots, apples, and other fiberous friends had a corporate daddy spending a billion dollars a year to promote them in creative ways. Imagine if for every 10 lbs of fresh produce parents bought they’d get a Shrek figurine for Junior. Sales would shoot sky high, guaranteed.

Unfortunately, there is no direct economic incentive for anybody to match fast food (and snack food) advertising budgets with healthy alternatives. As usual, it’s up to parents to steer their children in the right direction.

Have a great weekend. And maybe cook up something tasty and healthy with the kids at home?

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Image via Wikipedia

The obesity epidemic is hitting countries all around the globe. Across the puddle, the UK health secretary warns that 9 out of 10 British adults will be obese or overweight by 2050. Moving forward, the British health office will be using new tactics, such as TV commercials showing fat ooze off burgers into peoples abs, to ward off this seemingly inevitable trend. Read more…