What will
the food industry think up next to fool the public? The abstract for
the study by a George Washington University associate professor, Ivy
Ken, makes some accurate observations about the priorities of the
food industry. The full study is in this PDF file.
Learn about these two organizations -
the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) and the Alliance for a
Healthier Generation (AHG). Ivy Ken says, “The analysis I
present here reveals that the organizations’ positive message of
“getting everybody together” to solve the problem of childhood
obesity is meant to deliberately obscure corporate culpability.”
Food corporations and the related
industries rarely prioritize healthy communities over healthy profit
margins, but their profits depend on community acceptance.
Corporations co-opt the rhetorical tactics typically associated with
social movement organizations to frame their profit-maximizing
practices as the solution to the problem of childhood obesity. The
“work together” theme is a cover to obtain the acceptance of the
public.
The extent of the companies'
commitments is to create new marketing campaigns for lower-calorie
products, making healthier options more prominent in stores, but
still on the same shelves as their full-sugar, full fat options
products. An example of the marketing campaign can be found here.
Phil Ruggiero covers two different marketing campaigns and both show
what can happen if people with diabetes believe the advertisements.
Food companies or Big Food work hard to
divert our attention away from the problems of obesity and diabetes
so that they can continue to have a healthy profit. It is fortunate
that we have as much information on packaging as we do, although Big
Food is attempting to corrupt the latest labeling change.
Please consider reading the full study
by downloading the PDF file at the link in the first paragraph.
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