Marketing has a profound affect on the foods we eat and the beverages we drink, yet most of that marketing is for products we should avoid. BMSG monitors the media to help keep advocates informed of the tactics food and beverage companies use to target children, communities of color, and other groups that are particularly susceptible to the health harms these products cause. Below are archives of our monitoring.
Source: MediaPost on November 25, 2013
Pinterest and holiday nostalgia are at the heart of Campbell's "heartwarming" holiday campaign, which urges customers to share family memories for a chance to win a trip home for the holidays.Source: good food on November 25, 2013
Due to the food industry's inadequate self-regulatory initiatives, Australian children are increasingly bombarded with "'subtle and insidious" advertisements for unhealthy food, disguised as mobile phone app games and social media competitions. Because the "line between entertainment and advertising is increasingly blurred," health advocates, including consumer group Choice, are calling for stronger regulations on social media, comparable to those that control tobacco advertising.Source: The Economist on November 23, 2013
While describing Big Food's critics as "scolding" extremists and prohibitionists, The Economist applauds the food industry's self-regulatory efforts, despite evidence from researchers at Yale's Rudd Center and elsewhere that these loose standards actually help the food industry target children.Source: Food Politics on November 21, 2013
The food advocate comments on how food industry-sponsored research should not be considered science: "Sponsored research is not about seeking truth or adding to public knowledge. It is about obtaining evidence to defend or sell the sponsor's product, to undermine research that might suggest that a product is unhealthy, to head off regulation, and to allow the product to be marketed with health claims."Source: PR Newswire on November 21, 2013
The philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association has announced that Philadelphia will be the latest state to join ProStart, a corporate social responsibility initiative that trains high school students to work in the industry.Source: PR Newswire on November 19, 2013
The campaign features a dedicated "Flavor Battle" website where young people can listen to custom music mixes from the participating DJs and then vote on their favorites. There is also a social media component, with users being invited to share their votes on Facebook and Twitter.Source: Mother Jones on November 18, 2013
The company's "Stretch and Save" coupons targeted to low-income consumers feature far more unhealthy items than its general grocery coupons. This is a clear example of how companies use price-based targeting to sell unhealthy foods and how these strategies impact the health of low-income consumers.Source: The Wall Street Journal on November 18, 2013
Coca-Cola's close ties to Swaziland's authoritarian monarchy have prompted criticism and have allowed the corporation to pay taxes at 6% rather than the typical corporate rate of 27.5% in the country. The Coca-Cola Company has become a "cornerstone" in the country's economy, supporting the royal family to receive an annual allowance of $26 million, while two-thirds of the country's citizens live below the poverty line.Source: Food DIVE on November 18, 2013
This blog describes Ben & Jerry's decision to ditch its 'all natural' labeling in 2010, as well as recent lawsuits filed against PepsiCo, Truvia, Barbara's Foods, and Pepperidge Farms over their use of the term. The author comments that "natural" labeling has become a liability and predicts that food makers will begin to stop using the term to market their products.Source: AlterNet on November 18, 2013
A new study from the University of Toronto found that subjects who viewed logos of fast food restaurants were more inpatient than subjects who viewed other photos. The author of the article calls the logos "arguably the most pervasive reminders of our instant gratification culture."
