Re: The obesity blame game


"TigerLily" <me@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:4kbeqeFbcd9nU1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The obesity blame game

8/7/2006- Laying the blame for a fatter
world at the feet of the food industry has become
a convenient mistake, and until this is recognized
there is little chance of controlling the growing
obesity epidemic.


Because obesity will not be 'cured' if fat,
inactive people, who eat a lot, suddenly become
fat, inactive people, who eat a lot of slightly
healthier products.

The solution needs to be found at every
touch point of communication, including industry,
family, community, schools and government.

And food and drink companies, for their
part, have made such sweeping changes in the past
few years in response to the crisis, that the
entire direction of the industry has seen a
fundamental shift.

In the US, trans fats have been slashed from
products, sugar and salt content has been reduced,
companies are starting to control portion sizes
and even marketing campaigns increasingly have a
nutritional focus.

Indeed, a whole new industry for functional
foods- or foods with added health benefits- has
sprung up almost out of nowhere over the past five
years, to become the mainstream movement that it
is today.

Yet, food and beverage firms continue to
have the finger of blame pointed at them. Because,
after all, obesity has become a major issue so
something must have caused it.

And the food industry is the most easily
identifiable target.

But many of the foods that have started
being seen as a cause for obesity have been around
for a good score of years. This doesn't make them
any healthier or more nutritious, but it does
suggest that there is more to obesity than the
types of foods consumed.

Being overweight comes down to a simple
balance: energy intake versus energy burned.

And a fundamental change in lifestyle has
resulted in the last part of that equation being
increasingly ignored.

But over the past years, the food industry
has taken the problem on board and is responding
admirably.

Indeed, the industry was caught off guard
when it was suddenly blamed for causing obesity,
even though its practices had not changed
dramatically from what they were years ago. But
most leading food and beverage companies have
taken major action to make their products
healthier.

General Mills reformulated its cereals to be
made with whole grains; PepsiCo reformulated its
snacks without trans fats; Kellogg slashed sugar
from its products; Kraft introduced the concept of
100-calorie packs.

Other initiatives have also been taken to
make healthy food choices easier for consumers.
PepsiCo uses a SmartSpot to distinguish 'better
for you' products; Kraft uses a Sensible Solution
logo that meets specific nutrient criteria set out
by the FDA; General Mills promotes different
Goodness Corner icons that meet FDA criteria.

It is true that these industry shifts were
jump-started by mounting pressure, but the bottom
line is that they have now become mainstream.

The changes witnessed within the past three
years have been more far-sweeping than ever
before, and it hasn't been easy in an environment
where every move has been subject to criticism.

The industry does deserve some credit for
that. It should be encouraged for its
achievements; unending criticism is just not
helpful.

Lorraine Heller is editor of
FoodNavigator-USA and is a specialist writer on
food industry issues. With an international focus,
she has lived and worked in the UK, Cyprus and
France.

If you would like to comment on this
article, please contact Lorraine Heller.



The food industry wants to sell things that taste good so that people will
buy and want to eat them, and that cost the least to make. It is profit
motive, just like everything else. They don't care if you are fat or thin,
just that they sell products. They are quick to "catch the wave" of
whatever fad dietary belief is going around at the moment.

I would really like to see the food industry ban high fructose corn syrup
altogether. Especially in beverages and snack foods.

--

Best Regards,

Evelyn
(to reply to me personally, remove 'sox')


.

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