Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Money Makes the World Go 'Round
After reading the a good amount of the book, "Food Politics : How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health", I've come to realize that the food industry, including nutritionists, are just like every other profitable company; all they care about, is money.
In the world of advertising, companies must do what they can to reel in the most amount of consumers. Now, they can't just lie about what they're selling or what rates they offer, but they can definitely manipulate the truth. The food industry is very heavily involved in Congress and the Government in general (hence the book name, Food Politics). What the big companies do is fund the whatever research is being done on food and become very heavily involved in how those results can be released. If studies show that too much sugar or meat is bad for your body, the companies have the results released as "You should eat a moderate amount of sugar" or "You should eat a moderate amount of meat". If a study is released stating that too much sugar or meat is bad for you, the companies that provide those commodities may start to see a drop in sales. This angers the companies and causes a huge ruckus with Congress and within the food industry.
As it was stated in the book, the food industry has become the advertising equivalent of tobacco companies. The only difference is, smoking isn't needed for survival. Telling someone to stop smoking is as simple as that; "Stop smoking". But to tell consumers to not eat as much or eat less of this food or that food, it becomes a lot more complex issue. The fact that the food industry is even being compared to the tobacco industry is rather appalling.
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I could not agree more with the comment about the tobacco companies being compared to fast food industry. I think that is horrible and not right let alone it does not make much sense to me anyways
ReplyDeleteIt is crazy to think how much our government is involved in how our food is marketed and sold to consumers these days. Half the time I feel like I'm being lied to about what it is I am actually eating. I take that back I am obviously not being lied to, but rather fooled by strategic wording used in food labels and marketing. I dislike how much the food industry profits off our obvious need of food for survival. This book sounds like an enlightening read!
ReplyDeleteI too believe that it is appalling that the fast food industry is being compared to the tobacco companies. Neither should even be used in the same sentence. I also think that it is crazy how much food companies can twist the labels around to fool us into believing that we actually know what we are eating. This was very well written!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say the industry is ALL about the money! The smoking analogy is great as well, even if someone gives up say, fast food, it is so hard to completely divorce oneself from this corrupt system.
ReplyDeleteWell said, I especially agree with that last line. I'm really gonna enjoy reading posts from the Food Politics group
ReplyDeleteIt is disturbing to know that food companies will do anything to make money. It sucks that we need food to survive and we don't exactly know what goes in the food because it could harm our bodies!
ReplyDeleteI'm reading Food Politics as well, and manipulation is definitely the right word for the food industry's effect on health and eating habits. I like the images you chose to go along with that on your blog...it's definitely all about sales and money without consideration for what may be harmful for consumers.
ReplyDeleteThe sad part is.... we want to know what's in our foods. It should not be all about the money but about the health of the American people. And by the way Josh, you are a good writer!!
ReplyDeleteThe comparison between the tobacco and food industries really is ridiculous, especially since one can kill you & the other is supposed to sustain you. I really enjoyed the way your blog looks; colors, pictures, etc.
ReplyDeleteI am also appalled that the food industry is being compared to the tobacco industry! The fast-food restaurants, and the packaged and processed foods continue to be made because people need to eat and this is a cheap and convenient option. The food industry is also targeting children and teenagers. Once they see their favorite superhero or cartoon on a box of cereal or chips it is instantly desired.
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