In the last chapter of The Shangri-La Diet and this post, I said it was foolish for those who want to improve the world to denigrate those in industry. (“[Food] companies will put anything in their food if they think the extra marketing hype will help them sell more of it,” said Marian Nestle.) A recent article in the NY Times described in detail how a wash-your-hands campaign became more effective by studying industry tactics. The head of the campaign said pretty much what I’ve been saying:
“For a long time, the public health community was distrustful [not to mention scornful] of industry, because many felt these companies were trying to sell products that made people’s lives less healthy, by encouraging them to smoke, or to eat unhealthy foods, or by selling expensive products people didn’t really need,” Dr. Curtis said. “But those tactics also allow us to save lives. If we want to really help the world, we need every tool we can get.”
And every person.
Thanks to Marian Lizzi.
There’s no doubt that those who sell fast foods that are unhealthy try to position themselves as having a solution to the obesity epidemic by marketing ‘healthy salads’ or other healthy items, when in fact 90% of what they’re serving is unhealthy. We purchased hamburgers from a fast food restaurant and have kept them, with no preserving techniques, and have seen NO deterioration or breakdown of them. They look the same. (You can view them here – https://www.GuessTheAge.com) Companies can’t have it both ways – they’re either a part of the problem or part of the solution!