Is the Food Industry to Blame for Our Rising Obesity Problem? Get In On the Debate

You just can’t escape the heated talk. People have been railing about the fact that the processed food industry is either to blame or not to blame for playing a major role in our rapidly escalating obesity epidemic.

Often, discussion has been waged privately — at health conferences or seminars, in corporate board rooms or hallways, in thought-provoking news stories, or even at health food restaurants.

Well, the often-interesting FoodNavigator.com/USA raised the topic last week in a provocative article, "The obesity blame game."

While I disagree with writer Lorraine Heller’s conclusions, the industry-favoring article did some good, because it brought this topic to the forefront of people’s consciousness. And that’s what I aim to do here now, too.

How culpable is the processed food industry in its role in making Americans gain more and more weight and getting more and more diseases?

As for the FoodNavigator.com piece, frankly, I think it was very biased. That’s certainly understandable, given that the site is dedicated to "Breaking New on Food & Beverage Development – North America."

Nonetheless, the article’s pro-industry remarks offer insights into the minds of beleaguered processed food companies:

Laying the blame for a fatter world at the feet of the food industry has become a convenient mistake," the article argued, "and until this is recognized, there is little chance of controlling the growing the growing obesity epidemic."

Heller’s article claimed:

"Indeed, the industry was caught off guard when it was suddenly blamed for causing obesity, even though its practices had not changed dramatically from what they were years ago. But most leading food and beverage companies have taken major action to make their products healthier.

"General Mills reformulated its cereals to be made with whole grains; PepsiCo reformulated its snacks without trans fats; Kellogg slashed sugar from its products; Kraft introduced the concept of 100-calorie packs."

"Other initiatives have also been taken to make healthy food choices easier for consumers. PepsiCo uses a SmartSpot to distinguish ‘better for you’ products; Kraft uses a Sensible Solution logo that meets specific nutrient criteria set out by the FDA; General Mills promotes different Goodness Corner icons that meet FDA criteria.

Gee, I find it hard to get excited. Come on, let’s be real. Weren’t these changes made because knowledgeable and outspoken consumers, as well as weight loss and health experts, and even attorneys were boxing these companies into a corner?

Besides, I’ve looked at some of these allegely more-healthy-for-you products, and some may still contain lots of sugar, high fructose corn syrup or other unhealthy processed components.

Getting back to the FoodNavigation.com defense of the food industry. The writer does acknowledge that "mounting pressure" played a role.

"It is true that these industry shifts were jump-started by mounting pressure, but the bottom line is that they have now become mainstream.

"The changes witnessed within the past three years have been more far-sweeping than ever before, and it hasn’t been easy in an environment where every move has been subject to criticism.

"The industry does deserve some credit for that. It should be encouraged for its achievements; unending criticism is just not helpful."

Talk about a blatant disregard for the full truth.

Indeed, in my mind, this FoodNavigator.com article completely overlooked many important points, which clearly illustrate that the food industry is playing a major role in making Americans fatter.

For instance, the piece ignored a massive amount of in-your-face, underhanded, and possibly deceptive marketing of foods, especially to unsuspecting teens and children; rapidly growing portion sizes where you can’t even pick something smaller; the persistent, annoying drive and goals to persuade us to consume more (so the companies make more money); excessive sugar despite food reformulations, the proliferation of high fructose corn syrup; and a lot more.

Well, apparently, readers were quite intrigued by the blame-or-not-to-blame-the-industry topic, which led FoodNavigator.com/Europe to post a follow-up article with reader feedback to the article.

One of the more articulate responses came from Dee Boling, who also cited the industry’s overly aggressive marketing, as well as some other points. She wrote:

"The fact is that while they tout ‘health,’ food and beverage manufacturers are doing their best to get us all to consume more. It is a personal decision, but it’s very hard to fight against so much marketing that is designed to get inside our brains and under our skin.

"Second, there’s size. While the trend toward ‘100-calorie’ portions is step in the right direction, many other products have not trended in that direction. The standard size soda these days, is a 20-oz bottle (…) Many snack foods are sold in packages that appear to be one serving, but in reality serve two or two and half tiny servings.

"Finally, many of the strides you comment on are very self-serving. The ‘better for you’ smart spots are self-regulated. PepsiCo, Kraft, and General Mills decide what’s better for you, not an independent panel of nutritionists. The whole grains included in cereals and other foods are often a small part of the total processed grains of the full serving (…)

"So, do I think the food industry deserves to accept the blame leveled its way? Yes, I do. Bottom line, manufacturers are making changes because they fear regulation. There’s also a demographic that is looking for healthy food and they want to market to that group. You’ll pardon me if I refrain from applauding."

What do you think? Am I being unfair? Is FoodNavigator.com being too supportive of industry action?

Get in on the debate!

Do you think the food industry is at fault for making us fatter and fatter?