Food Myths, the Media & Lawyers (Oh My)
gchutson
Posts: 657
One of the most infuriating things in the world to me, is to see food advertisements that portray "healthy" ingredients in a food product, that everyone knows (or should know) is pure garbage.
This is one of my favorites:
Kellogg's, Inc. wrote a 2.5 million dollar check to settle this little gem of a class action lawsuit.
I'm very much a big, egotistical, evil capitalist. I believe in business. I believe in private enterprise. And I REALLY believe in profitability.
However, I do not believe in "bad business."
Taking a huge, steamy dump in a box and putting "ALL NATURAL! NOW WITH MORE CORN!" on the label, is very bad business.
Discuss.
This is one of my favorites:
Kellogg's, Inc. wrote a 2.5 million dollar check to settle this little gem of a class action lawsuit.
I'm very much a big, egotistical, evil capitalist. I believe in business. I believe in private enterprise. And I REALLY believe in profitability.
However, I do not believe in "bad business."
Taking a huge, steamy dump in a box and putting "ALL NATURAL! NOW WITH MORE CORN!" on the label, is very bad business.
Discuss.
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Replies
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Bzzzztttt!
You just hit one of my hot buttons. I become incensed over deliberately misleading labeling.
You know those "single serve" heat and eat pasta bowls? I don't know anyone who splits those with anyone else. Yet, if you read the label, you will discover that the one bowl of chicken and wild-rice that you would keep in your desk drawer so you can "eat healthy" is actually considered 1.5 servings. It infuriates me so. It is pure marketing and eveeel bamboozling.0 -
Bzzzztttt!
You just hit one of my hot buttons. I become incensed over deliberately misleading labeling.
You know those "single serve" heat and eat pasta bowls? I don't know anyone who splits those with anyone else. Yet, if you read the label, you will discover that the one bowl of chicken and wild-rice that you would keep in your desk drawer so you can "eat healthy" is actually considered 1.5 servings. It infuriates me so. It is pure marketing and eveeel bamboozling.
Yeah... that "serving size" crap annoys the hell out of me.0 -
Wait...you mean Cocoa Krispies aren't a part of a healthy diet? I am appalled and disappointed.
As a complete aside, this is why we don't let our kid watch tv in real time, we tivo so we can skip the bombardment of commercials telling him the opposite of the truth.0 -
You know what infuriates me? Parents who look at a box of cereal like that and say "Oh wow, the box says it's healthy so it must be!"
If the idiocy continues, so will the bad business. Parents need to take responsibility for what they feed their kids.0 -
Wait...you mean Cocoa Krispies aren't a part of a healthy diet? I am appalled and disappointed.
As a complete aside, this is why we don't let our kid watch tv in real time, we tivo so we can skip the bombardment of commercials telling him the opposite of the truth.
Disney, owner of ABC Television, plans to curtail "unhealthy food advertising" in 2015. In my opinion, that like putting a Band-Aid on a yeast infection, but at least it's a start.0 -
Why 2015? Why not yesterday?0
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Probably because of long running contracts but the fact that they are doing must mean that there is consumer pressure, which means that the majority knows that this kind of advertising is garbage.0
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This ad is pretty unbelievable. The idea that any sugar-ridden junk food breakfast item could ever possibly improve the health of one's child is truly preposterous. I'm sure it would have done extremely well at Wal-mart =/ It's incredible, the negatively bold chances the advertising industry is taking, since it knows that most people are seriously unaware of how to take care of themselves nutritionally. :: sighs ::0
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I think it's split. You get the people who really ARE aware how to eat and about the relationship between diet and health - and then you get the other extreme of not knowing the name of vegetables, let alone how to cook them.
Lots of people don't realise that the health sector and food industry work hand in hand - the government won't 'ban' such products as they make capital from it. HOWEVER, that said, there will come a point where the revenue from the food and beverage industry will be outstripped by the need for healthcare funding to rectify the consequences of eating such stuff.
*sigh* the world depresses me.0 -
You know what infuriates me? Parents who look at a box of cereal like that and say "Oh wow, the box says it's healthy so it must be!"
If the idiocy continues, so will the bad business. Parents need to take responsibility for what they feed their kids.
Exactly, this! It doesn't take a genius to know the difference between a sugar and additive laden cereal and a healthier whole grain one.0 -
Why 2015? Why not yesterday?
My guess is that they already have contractual commitments that last 24 months.0 -
It doesn't matter if Disney stops advertising. Kids see that crap in the store and beg mommy to buy it or mommy sees the bright colors and health claims and thinks its kid food.
The only, ONLY thing that will ever help is for parents to educate themselves on what their kids should be eating.
On second thought, I bet if you couldn't buy that crap with food stamps sales would plummet.0 -
It doesn't matter if Disney stops advertising. Kids see that crap in the store and beg mommy to buy it or mommy sees the bright colors and health claims and thinks its kid food.
The only, ONLY thing that will ever help is for parents to educate themselves on what their kids should be eating.
On second though, I bet if you couldn't buy that crap with food stamps sales would plummet.
I'm not a fan of food stamps. They taste horrible.0 -
It doesn't matter if Disney stops advertising. Kids see that crap in the store and beg mommy to buy it or mommy sees the bright colors and health claims and thinks its kid food.
The only, ONLY thing that will ever help is for parents to educate themselves on what their kids should be eating.
On second though, I bet if you couldn't buy that crap with food stamps sales would plummet.
I'm not a fan of food stamps. They taste horrible.
It may sound insensitive but... these companies have a huge base of uneducated parents subsidized by the government. If all of a sudden the government teat was taken away and FS money could only be spent on food that meets certain nutritional standards, the food companies would follow.0 -
It doesn't matter if Disney stops advertising. Kids see that crap in the store and beg mommy to buy it or mommy sees the bright colors and health claims and thinks its kid food.
The only, ONLY thing that will ever help is for parents to educate themselves on what their kids should be eating.
On second though, I bet if you couldn't buy that crap with food stamps sales would plummet.
I'm not a fan of food stamps. They taste horrible.
It may sound insensitive but... these companies have a huge base of uneducated parents subsidized by the government. If all of a sudden the government teat was taken away and FS money could only be spent on food that meets certain nutritional standards, the food companies would follow.
I don't know that your suggestion is a total solution, but it's a damn, damn good start.0 -
On second though, I bet if you couldn't buy that crap with food stamps sales would plummet.
Wow. That's harsh.0 -
Yumm...I want that cereal in my mouth!0
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Hi All,
Just signed up to MFP and this post was the first one I wanted to respond to. I agree, it's shocking the rubbish the media feeds us. I'm an Aussie and it's just as bad here as in the States, so I believe. We have a great TV program here called The Gruen Transfer, it's about advertising and media and all the tactics these companies use to get us to buy their products. It's very educational and I really believe this is the key. We need to educate ourselves and our children about what is really good food! I only have 5 annoying kilos to lose but I tell my kids if you eat things that are as close to their natural state as possible, without lots of prcessing, you can't go wrong eg. fresh fruit veg etc etc. We need to teach kids about the slogans they use and to read the labels on packaging. These moguls will always be trying new ways to trick us and make money so it's up to us to learn more. PS anyone out there needed to lose just 5 kilos and had success on MFP?0 -
I feel like people should read labels and know what they are putting into their bodies before they eat it. If someone is dumb enough to think that highlighting some numbers in green at the top of the box makes it healthy then I feel bad for them...I don't blame the company.0
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yep utter crap in a pretty bow!
two days ago i went shopping for some treats for me for a change, doing great and thought i'd work on self control with a bag of oreos (so far so good by the way!!) looked at the 30% less fat!!! and then checked the original… the original are better for you? fat free comes with majorly increased sugar and sodium as compared to a small amount of fat, ps check ingredients and basically its because reg uses butter, fat free uses something along the lines of 'can't believe it's not butter' garbage chemical in a tub!
'never get suckered in by a pretty package!' (lol advice my dad gave me that's transferred all across life!)0 -
Playing Devil's advocate for a moment...
cocoa krispies has fewer g of sugars per serving than 6 oz. of yogurt or 5.3 oz of Greek yogurt...
That being said, I'm of the mindset that just about anything can be PART of a healthy, balanced diet. All things in moderation...
ps. I don't think that this has anything to do with food stamps. I also don't think that just because someone has food stamps, they're automatically "uneducated." That's a little harsh (and a gross generalization), IMO.0 -
I just spent far too much time "discussing" this post with my husband (he's a CPA/CISA/CITP, but I think he wants to be an attorney when he grows up). His considered opinion is that, with regards to the serving size issue, that the culpirt is regulations and that the food companies are merely taking advantage of the "loopholes" and the ignorance, wilful or otherwise, of the consumer.0
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I just spent far too much time "discussing" this post with my husband (he's a CPA/CISA/CITP, but I think he wants to be an attorney when he grows up). His considered opinion is that, with regards to the serving size issue, that the culpirt is regulations and that the food companies are merely taking advantage of the "loopholes" and the ignorance, wilful or otherwise, of the consumer.
Who in their right mind would ever want to be a lawyer.
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I used to work for attorneys...
...I don't anymore.0 -
ps. I don't think that this has anything to do with food stamps. I also don't think that just because someone has food stamps, they're automatically "uneducated." That's a little harsh (and a gross generalization), IMO.
Statistics show that people who live in poverty are more likely to be obese and be uneducated about nutrition. Your bleeding heart does not change facts.
And I did not say that every single person who uses FS is uneducated. Not at all. You're looking for a reason to be offended because you don't like the truth.
Maybe instead of pretending like there isn't a problem (poor people are more likely to be fat) we could acknowledge the facts AND WORK TO FIX IT.0 -
I just spent far too much time "discussing" this post with my husband (he's a CPA/CISA/CITP, but I think he wants to be an attorney when he grows up). His considered opinion is that, with regards to the serving size issue, that the culpirt is regulations and that the food companies are merely taking advantage of the "loopholes" and the ignorance, wilful or otherwise, of the consumer.
Who in their right mind would ever want to be a lawyer.
I haven't figured out who would want to be a CPA, yet, let alone a lawyer. Lol.0 -
I used to work for attorneys...
...I don't anymore.
I need to start a "lawyer joke" string. We love them.0 -
I used to work for attorneys...
...I don't anymore.
I need to start a "lawyer joke" string. We love them.
I am a paralegal. I work in property management. 'nuf said.0 -
But I wasn't joking.... XD0
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It doesn't matter if Disney stops advertising. Kids see that crap in the store and beg mommy to buy it or mommy sees the bright colors and health claims and thinks its kid food.
The only, ONLY thing that will ever help is for parents to educate themselves on what their kids should be eating.
On second though, I bet if you couldn't buy that crap with food stamps sales would plummet.
I'm not a fan of food stamps. They taste horrible.
It may sound insensitive but... these companies have a huge base of uneducated parents subsidized by the government. If all of a sudden the government teat was taken away and FS money could only be spent on food that meets certain nutritional standards, the food companies would follow.
I don't think it's insensitive at all! It's very upsetting to stand in the grocery line watching people pile crap onto the conveyor belt and see them whip out their FS card. Why should I have to subsidize someone else's crappy eating, then subsidize their medical care afterward?
However, I don't know about meeting nutritional standards. If you mean the USDA standards, this is the same entity that proclaimed pizza was a vegetable. School lunches didn't meet USDA criteria, so rather than change the food to meet the standards, they changed the standards. It's ridiculous!0
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