10 Things the Food Industry Doesn't Want You to Know

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U.S.News & World Report

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

10 Things the Food Industry Doesn't Want You to Know

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

face value

By Adam Voiland

Posted October 17, 2008

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.

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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 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 n

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, 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

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 antiobesity 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 (CCF) 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 '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 n Nestle.

The bottom line, says Nestle, is quite simple: Kids need to eat less,

include more fruits and vegetables, and limit the junk food.

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