Food, Soda and Candy Bar Companies Unite to Fight Obesity

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It’s hard not to be cynical about the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation and its anti-obesity campaign, which was announced yesterday by Kellogg head David Mackay.

Food companies involved — including General Mills, Kraft and PepsiCo — are investing at least $20 million into the program, which aims to “provide and promote solutions that will help people achieve a healthy weight by balancing the calories they consume with the calories they burn.” The program’s stated goal is to reduce obesity — especially childhood obesity — by some unspecified amount before 2015.

But it’s hard to believe that companies like Hershey, Nestle and Mars are in the best position to promote nutrition. Sure, they’ll sell junk food in smaller packages (with higher margins) and push their own lower-fat snack options, but the bias will still be towards processed food. Just look at what happened with Smart Choices.

It’s great that companies are looking into creating healthier options for people, but they’re still food companies. They’re not going to push for initiatives that hurt their profits, and they’re not going to promote research that goes against their interests.

For example, many of the same companies involved with the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation are also behind the Center for Consumer Freedom, which rails against government efforts to discourage unhealthy eating. I don’t know for sure whether junk food and soda taxes would be effective, but I do know that no amount of research supporting such taxes is going to persuade the food industry they’re a good idea. These companies can’t be objective on these issues, and while it’s great for them to participate in health initiatives, they might not be the best choice when it comes to who determines what information children receive about nutrition.

Tags: Food, Food & Beverage, Manufacturing, Katherine Glover

Katherine Glover is a Minneapolis-based print, radio and online journalist. She's written for Salon.com, Sierra Magazine and many others, and she does a weekly blog on immigration issues for MinnPost.

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1

Eliyahu60

10/07/09 | Report as spam

RE: Food, Soda and Candy Bar Companies Unite to Fight Obesity

Junk food manufacturers fighting obesity makes about as much sense as drug dealers fighting addiction... If either of them cared about the outcome, they wouldn't be selling the stuff in the first place.
2

chrisnir1

10/07/09 | Report as spam

RE: Food, Soda and Candy Bar Companies Unite to Fight Obesity

Mars in Australia reduced the weight of their chocolate bars by 10% but retained the same prices. The result - less calories of course by lower weight but higher margins. They promoted the move as a move towards more responsible nutrition and a focus on helping consumers reduce the incidence of obesity.

One suspects that the average consumer could spend less at the same time (If they had also reduced the prices by 10%) and have at least an option to invest it towards allied healthy eating and exercise opportunities.

The short term gain for these companies is profit but the medium to long term loss is any value held by consumers that these companies are responsible. So much for corporate social responsibility!

One large burger company took a hit, and still retains the perception in the public view of high fat content food efferings. No matter the investment they make in salads and similar offerings. The lesson here might be that the uneducated public is not as uneducated as it might once have been and they see through these marketing devices for what they are!! The rise of competitors who are seen to be clearly promoting more responsible outcomes and values without the spin seems almost certain in this environment!
3

djalma

10/07/09 | Report as spam

RE: Food, Soda and Candy Bar Companies Unite to Fight Obesity

Of course these companies are willing to improve their profits. At least that kind of commitment gives consumers better healthy food options.
4

erockett

10/07/09 | Report as spam

RE: Food, Soda and Candy Bar Companies Unite to Fight Obesity

Glad to see them using the concept of balancing calorie intake
and calorie use -- it seems like that very simple balance is the
"magic" that most people forget in the question of how to
maintain healthy weight and healthy eating habits.

Regardless, I agree with your perspective, this is hard to take
seriously. For those of us who want to strengthen the public
conversation in some way, could you recommend other groups
that have invested money and talent to combating this issue
and have a similarly large platform to address the obesity and
food nutrition crises in the US?
5

chrisnir1

10/08/09 | Report as spam

RE: Food, Soda and Candy Bar Companies Unite to Fight Obesity

erockett - you raise a good question. I personally am not aware of much being actively promoted. I suspect there are alot of socially responsible health conscious traders of foodstuffs in the market promoting a healthy balance and lifestyle solution. Maybe they dont have the weight of the lobby these larger enterprises have, and therefore are not heard so much. I'm aware of plenty of smaller companies - just not in the size you are referring to. But maybe they add up to the same in aggregate?

My main point is promotion of balance and healthy choices is of course a good thing. But when the concept is promoted in such a crude way to a more educated public it seems naive to expect them to beleive what is represented at other times. Is it any wonder Generation Y are turning out to be the most cynical of the recent generations! (I'm generation X by the way, also with a healthy dose of scepticism!)

Can you point to other proponents?