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: Warc on January 22, 2013
It sounds great when industry spokespeople talk about the importance of acknowledging cultural, racial, and linguistic diversity (as a KFC representative does in this article) until you remember that the only reason they're saying it is because they want to exploit that diversity to sell as much of their unhealthy products as possible.Source: MediaPost on January 22, 2013
The campaign puts the responsibility for keeping kids active (and by extension, healthy) squarely on moms. The effort includes a sweepstakes, local tie-ins to events and destinations through Yelp, and content created by popular "mommy bloggers."Source: FoodNavigator-usa.com on January 22, 2013
Amid the controversy over Coke's anti-obesity campaign, advocates point out that "education won't solve the problem if the environment is saturated with sugary beverages," and suggest significant steps the soda industry could take to drive truly meaningful change.Source: Advertising Age on January 22, 2013
Coke's ambitious Super Bowl campaign will feature different teams competing for a huge bottle of Coke. The campaign engages viewers in the quest through a social media game that spans a host of platforms.Source: Food Politics on January 22, 2013
A new study by Michele Simon unveils some of the financial ties between food and beverage companies and nutrition professionals, including the sponsorship funds the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) has received from companies like Coca-Cola. The report, and Marion Nestle's analysis of its findings, has stirred up considerable controversy.Source: Food Politics on January 17, 2013
The juice company's product health claims have been disputed for several years, and the FTC just ruled that they're deceptive. Marion Nestle draws parallels between POM and the controversy over Coke's Vitaminwater, arguing that "health claims are about marketing, not about health."Source: Reuters on January 17, 2013
A new study indicates that low-income black children and teens consume more calories from "low nutrient fruit drinks" than do their white peers. According to one public health advocate, these findings suggest that the soda industry undermines efforts to remove sugary drinks from schools (particularly low-income schools) by replacing sodas with sugary fruit drinks.Source: Upworthy.com on January 17, 2013
Lappe discusses the incredible amount of money these companies spend targeting children for the purchase of unhealthy products and praises the advocates working to hold them accountable.Source: Progressive Grocer on January 16, 2013
The discontinued items are being replaced with alternatives in plain packaging. The CEO explained the decision: "Marketing to children is wrong and should be illegal. ... It focuses on creating a shallow emotional attachment instead of pointing out the merits of a product."Source: FoodPolitics on January 16, 2013
Marion Nestle presents some tangible solutions that Coke could embrace if the company were truly motivated to helping prevent obesity. She also addresses Coke's financial motivation for touting diet and reduced-calorie drinks, a fact that has slid under the radar in some news coverage.
