Ok, here’s one I just have to rant about. This article was in the May 10 issue of Business Week. Click on the link below to read the full article.
The article says that in March, Michelle Obama asked foodmakers to “entirely rethink” their high sugar, high sodium, high fat foods. Wouldn’t that be somethin’. This comes as part of her campaign against childhood obesity. Companies like Kraft, Coca-Cola and Pepsi saw a good PR angle and jumped on board. First off, can you imagine anything wholesome or nutritious coming from any of those companies? Ain’t gonna happen.
Well when the companies found out that what Obama was asking for might actually cost them a lot of money, they started to get a little weak in the knees. One of the initiatives that has them scared is “red-light, green-light” labeling on their products. Could you imagine, the same government that tells us aspartame is ok in our food but stevia isn’t is going to give consumers a green light when they think the food is healthy for you. Don’t read the ingredients, don’t ask any questions, if the feds labeled it green, it must be good for you. Makes me giggle.
And notice what Kraft said it was going to do when Obama asked so nicely. They’re going to extend a previous effort to reduce salt in their tortillas and wraps…and move that same salt to their bacon and other products! What’s the deal? Is there some huge order of salt that they can’t cancel? The drink makers are tooting their own horn about efforts to reduce calories in schools by 88 percent. Ugggh. Guess what they’re going to replace the high calorie sugar with…I’d imagine it’d be some cancer-causing artificial sweetener. Sounds like a good swap doesnt’ it?
Don’t expect these companies to voluntarily choose to stop poisoning their consumers and start producing healthy foods. They’re efforts aren’t altruistic. They’re in the crosshairs and they know it. All of their decisions, as any public company’s should be, will be in the best financial interest of their shareholders. And for the time being, crappy food is what sells. Like in all things, don’t stand around thinking the federal regulators have your back. No matter what the law makes these companies do, read the labels and make your own decisions.
