The Tricks of the Food Industry

I really love my job – I love working with food and knowing the facts behind all the hype. But let me tell you, sometimes I’m embarrassed to be part of the food industry. The latest case of the Nutella advertisement is a good example. I remember seeing the Nutella commercial on TV here in the Netherlands and being a bit upset by it. The ad was encouraging Moms to give their kids Nutella as part of a healthy breakfast. The implication was very clear – Nutella is nutritious! Apparently the same ad was shown in the US and now the company faces a lawsuit for falsely portraying the product as healthy.

The fact is Nutella is really not healthy and serves as a good example of products that pretend to be healthier than they are. How do they do it? Very carefully. If you read the website, they accurately cite research about the advantages of eating breakfast. And Nutella can be eaten for breakfast ergo Nutella is healthy. They also suggest that you spread Nutella on whole wheat bread thus increasing the healthy halo.

If you click on the ingredient listing on the website, they flag several positives about the product in large type just above the list of ingredients. They highlight that the 13 oz. jar contains over 50 hazelnuts. (At 10 servings per jar, that’s 5 nuts per serving). They also say there are no artificial colors and no artificial preservatives. Maybe that’s to soften you up before they tell you that the first ingredient is sugar and the second is palm oil. While there are no artificial colors or preservatives, the product does indeed contain an artificial flavor. So, it’s a blend of sugar and fat with about the same calorie load as butter. But you probably didn’t read that far (Cliff’s Notes anyone?).

The website artfully highlights the positives and glosses over the negatives. Of course, this is simply marketing 101 for a company trying to sell a product. You can’t fault the company for wanting to make a buck. Why should we be surprised? Why should we be outraged?

A lot of industry people point to personal responsibility. You are the only person who controls what goes into your mouth. Only a moron would fail to read the nutritional information. We don’t need a lot of regulation telling companies how that can and can’t sell their products – it would be bad for business.

Here’s the reality check. Just because people should read the label doesn’t give food companies license to lie and deceive. Advertising works, otherwise companies would not spend millions of dollars to market their products. Advertisers know how to make those ads very seductive so we buy the product without fully understanding the negatives. Finally, we are bombarded with these seductive messages so often that it’s just a matter of time before one of them breaks through your defenses. Many people, especially children, are just not sophisticated enough to see through the marketing hype. Many people don’t want to see through the hype –they are happy to convince themselves that Nutella (or whatever product) is healthy.

Fortunately, the US does have laws prohibiting misleading advertising. Even while people have a responsibility to choose an appropriate diet, companies have a responsibility to market their products honestly. The laws and the enforcement, help to keep the marketing in check. They are necessary.

Here’s a tip if you are concerned about eating healthier: don’t focus on the marketing hype. The more it says it’s healthy, the less healthy it’s likely to be. It’s an over simplification of course. But truly, food companies make money on highly processed foods made with inexpensive ingredients (salt, sugar, vegetable oil). Heavy marketing should be a red flag for you to think twice before you buy. The real nutritious food is in the vegetable aisle. Without the big company backing, these foods don’t shout for your attention, but they just quietly wait to be discovered.