{"id":7893,"date":"2023-10-03T19:35:54","date_gmt":"2023-10-03T12:35:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=7893"},"modified":"2023-10-03T19:35:54","modified_gmt":"2023-10-03T12:35:54","slug":"the-political-power-of-the-food-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=7893","title":{"rendered":"The Political Power of the Food Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">What can millions of dollars in the hands of the lobbying industry do to shut down efforts to protect children? <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">For nearly half a century, there have been calls to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1973\/03\/06\/archives\/ban-on-sugarycereal-tv-ads-urged-sugarcoated-nothings-115-pounds-of.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">ban<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> the advertising of sugary cereals to children, a product that Harvard nutrition professor Jean Mayer referred to as \u201csugar-coated nothings.\u201d In a Senate hearing on nutrition education, he said, \u201cProperly speaking, they ought to be <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/ERIC_ED078117\/page\/n1\/mode\/2uphttps:\/\/archive.org\/details\/ERIC_ED078117\/page\/n1\/mode\/2up\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">called<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> cereal-flavored candy, rather than sugar-covered cereals.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">As I discuss in my video <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/a-political-lesson-on-the-power-of-the-food-industry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A Political Lesson on the Power of the Food Industry<\/a><\/strong><span data-contrast=\"none\">, the Senate committee <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/ERIC_ED079441\/page\/n1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">invited<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> the major manufacturers of children\u2019s cereals to testify, and they initially said yes\u2014until they heard what kinds of questions were going to be asked. One cereal industry representative candidly admitted why the decision was made to boycott the hearing: They simply didn\u2019t have \u201cpersuasive answers\u201d to why they were trying to sell kids breakfast candy.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">In the Mad Men age before the consumer movement was in bloom, ad \u201ccompany executives were more willing to talk frankly about the purpose of their ads and how they felt about aiming the ads at the \u2018child market.\u2019\u201d Said an executive of the Kellogg\u2019s ad firm: \u201cOur primary goal is to sell products to children, not educate them. When you sell a woman on a product and she goes into the store and finds your brand isn\u2019t in stock, she\u2019ll probably forget about it. But when you sell a kid on your product, if he can\u2019t get it, he will throw himself on the floor, stamp his feet and cry. You can\u2019t get a reaction like that out of an adult.\u201d <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Sugary cereals are the number one food <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/24175878\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">advertised<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> to kids, but don\u2019t worry\u2014the industry will just self-regulate. \u201cIn response to public health concerns about the amount of marketing for nutritionally poor food directed to children, the Council of Better Business Bureaus launched the Children\u2019s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative\u201d in which all the big cereal companies \u201cpledged to market only healthier dietary choices in child-directed advertising.\u201d The candy industry <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/26232330\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">signed<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> on, too. Despite pledging not to advertise to kids, after the initiative went into effect, kids actually saw <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">more<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\"> candy ads. Take Hershey, for example. It doubled its advertising to children \u201cat the same time it pledged to not advertise to children.\u201d <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The cereal companies got to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/24175878\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">decide<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> for themselves their own definitions of \u201chealthier dietary choices.\u201d That should give us a sense of how serious they are at protecting children. For example, they classified \u201cFroot Loops and Reese\u2019s Peanut Butter Puffs consisting of up to 44% sugar by weight\u2026as \u2018healthier dietary choices.\u2019\u201d In that case, what are their <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">unhealthy<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\"> choices? It seems that the Children\u2019s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative basically just \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthaffairs.org\/doi\/full\/10.1377\/hlthaff.2012.1294\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">based<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> its maximal nutrient levels more on the current products marketed by its members than on a judgment about what was best for children.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Now, they\u2019ve since <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foodpolitics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/CEREALSewg_press_cereal_report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">revised<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> that to allow only cereals that are 38 percent sugar by weight. But even if they are only one-third sugar, that means kids are effectively <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cerealfacts.org\/media\/cereal_facts_report_2012_7.12.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">eating<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> \u201cone spoonful of sugar in every three spoons of cereal\u201d\u2014not exactly a healthier dietary choice.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The Federal Trade Commission tried <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthaffairs.org\/doi\/full\/10.1377\/hlthaff.2012.1294\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">stepping<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> in back in 1978, but the industry <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">poured<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> in so many millions of dollars in lobbying might that Congress basically threatened to yank the entire agency\u2019s funding should the FTC mess with Big Cereal, demonstrating just \u201chow powerful market forces are compared to those that can be mobilized on behalf of children.\u201d The political \u201cpost-traumatic stress induced by the aggressive attacks on the FTC <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">led<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> to a twenty-five-year hiatus in federal efforts to rein in food marketing aimed at children.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Finally, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/news-events\/news\/press-releases\/2011\/04\/interagency-working-group-seeks-input-proposed-voluntary-principles-marketing-food-children\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">enter<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> the Interagency Working Group with members from four federal agencies\u2014the FTC, CDC, FDA, and USDA. The group developed a set of \u201cvoluntary principles [that] are designed to <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">encourage<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> stronger and more meaningful self-regulation by the food industry and to support parents\u2019 efforts to get their kids to eat healthier foods.\u201d It <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/documents\/public_events\/food-marketed-children-forum-interagency-working-group-proposal\/110428foodmarketproposedguide.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">proposed<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> the <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">radical<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\"> suggestion of not marketing to children cereals that are more than 26 percent pure sugar.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">As you can see below and at 4:02 in my <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/a-political-lesson-on-the-power-of-the-food-industry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">video<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">, the top ten breakfast cereals marketed to children are Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, Honey Nut Cheerios, Froot Loops, Reese\u2019s Puffs, Trix, Frosted Flakes, Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa Puffs, and Cookie Crisp\u2014and not a single one would <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cerealfacts.org\/media\/cereal_facts_report_2012_7.12.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">meet<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> that standard. General Mills <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20200308234725\/https:\/\/www.bbb.org\/storage\/0\/Shared%20Documents\/General%20Mills%20Comment%20(7-14-11).pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">shot<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> back: \u201cThe Proposal\u2019s nutrition standards are arbitrary, capricious, and fundamentally flawed.\u201d No surprise since \u201cliterally <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">all<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\"> cereals marketed by General Mills would be barred from advertising\u201d\u2014not a single one would make the cut. To suggest voluntary standards \u201cunconstitutionally restrains commercial speech in violation of the First Amendment,\u201d to which the FTC basically <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20210327154307\/https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/news-events\/blogs\/business-blog\/2011\/07\/whats-table\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">replied<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">: <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">Let me get you a dictionary<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\">. How could suggesting <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">voluntary<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\"> guidelines violate the Constitution? But that\u2019s how freaked out the industry is at even the <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">notion<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> of meaningful guidelines. One grocer\u2019<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">s association<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> actually <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/documents\/public_comments\/preliminary-proposed-nutrition-principles-guide-industry-self-regulatory-efforts-project-no.p094513-07776\/07776-79959.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">called<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> the proposed nutrition principles the \u201cmost bizarre and unconscionable\u201d it had ever seen.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-97080\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/4-02.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/4-02.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/4-02-960x540.jpg 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/4-02-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/4-02-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/4-02-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/4-02-480x270.jpg 480w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/4-02-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/4-02-720x405.jpg 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/4-02-540x304.jpg 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">So, what happened? Again, agency funding was <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthaffairs.org\/doi\/full\/10.1377\/hlthaff.2012.1294\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">jeopardized<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> so the FTC called off the interagency proposal.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cAt every level of government, the food and beverage industries <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-usa-foodlobby\/special-report-how-washington-went-soft-on-childhood-obesity-idUSBRE83Q0ED20120427\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">won<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> fight after fight\u2026.They have never lost a significant political battle in the United States\u2026\u201d Said a director of one of the child advocacy organizations: \u201cWe just got beat. Money wins.\u201d And it took a lot of money\u2014$175 million of Big Food lobbying funds. It was apparently enough to buy the White House\u2019s silence as the interagency proposal got killed off. As one Obama advisor put it, \u201cYou can tell someone to eat less fat, consume more fiber, more fruits and vegetables, and less sugar. But if you start naming foods, you cross the line.\u201d <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201c\u2018I\u2019m upset with the White House,\u2019 said Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Health Committee. \u2018They went wobbly in the knees, and when it comes to kids\u2019 health, they shouldn\u2019t go wobbly in the knees.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">For more on breakfast cereals, click <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/topics\/breakfast-cereal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">here<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">. And click <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/topics\/sugar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">here<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> for more on sugar.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">I am all in favor of <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/audio\/taking-personal-responsibility-for-our-health\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Taking Personal Responsibility for Your Health<\/a><\/strong><span data-contrast=\"none\">, but the strong-arm tobacco-style tactics of the multitrillion-dollar food industry are contributing to the deaths of an estimated 14 million people every year.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">On a brighter note, check out <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/how-we-won-the-fight-to-ban-trans-fat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How We Won the Fight to Ban Trans Fat<\/a><\/strong><span data-contrast=\"none\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">For more on sugar specifically, see <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/flashback-friday-sugar-industry-attempt-to-manipulate-the-science\/?queryID=f1e3d7596c36765273f3e63ccbaf5959\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Flashback Friday: <\/strong><\/a><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/flashback-friday-sugar-industry-attempt-to-manipulate-the-science\/?queryID=f1e3d7596c36765273f3e63ccbaf5959\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Sugar Industry Attempts to Manipulate the Science.<\/strong><\/a><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Check out my other videos on breakfast cereals: <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/flashback-friday-the-worst-food-for-tooth-decay\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Flashback Friday: <\/strong><\/a><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/flashback-friday-the-worst-food-for-tooth-decay\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>The Worst Food for Tooth Decay<\/strong><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> and <\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/how-to-stop-tooth-decay\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How to Stop Tooth Decay<\/a><\/strong><span data-contrast=\"none\"><strong>.<\/strong> Are there any healthy cereals? A few make the cut. See <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/flashback-friday-the-five-to-one-fiber-rule\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Flashback Friday: <\/strong><\/a><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/flashback-friday-the-five-to-one-fiber-rule\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>The Five-to-One Fiber Rule<\/strong><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"et_social_bottom_trigger\"\/>  <\/div>\n<p><script>\n            !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n            {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n                n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n            if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n            n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n            t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n            s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n                'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n            fbq('init', '1582627921973608');\n            fbq('track', 'PageView');\n        <\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What can millions of dollars in the hands of the lobbying industry do to shut down efforts to protect children? \u00a0 For nearly half a century, there have been calls to ban the advertising of sugary cereals to children, a product that Harvard nutrition professor Jean Mayer referred to as \u201csugar-coated nothings.\u201d In a Senate &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7894,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7893"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7893\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}