February 10, 2003 Recent News
Obesity makes IOM's "Top 20" health care priority list
The Super-sizing of America's Waistline
Industry to launch council to combat obesity
Health claims confuse consumers
Obesity makes IOM's "Top 20" health care priority list
The Institute of Medicine will issue a report later this winter in which it will list obesity as one of the top 20 priority areas for government officials. It is included along with such problems as heart disease, stroke and depression and is noted as an "emerging area of concern." According to the report, obesity could eventually become the single most preventable cause of premature death and disability in the US. It is necessary, the report says, to make changes in social norms and national policies to promote diet and exercise.
(Extracted from Food Chemical News Daily, 1/9/2003)
The Super-sizing of America's Waistline
According to a report in the February issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Society, consumers are being encouraged to by more food than is good for them. According to Marion Nestle, chairwoman of the department of nutrition and food studies at New York University and author of the report, "money" is why portions have been distorted. "It doesn't cost the manufacturer very much to make larger portion sizes, since the biggest factor in cost is labor. The food itself is relatively cheap." Nestle believes that "food companies are very competitive for the consumer dollar and increasing portion size is an easy way to attract more customers." There are also differences in the USDA and FDA definitions of a serving. The USDA considers ˝ cup pasta as one serving, whereas the FDA defines one serving of pasta as one cup. FDA rules also allow manufacturers to label a portion of food up to twice the standard serving size as one serving. What can consumers do? You can stick to small portion, share larger portions with a friend. Marion Nestle has written extensively on this topic in her new book. "Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health."
(Extracted from HealthScoutNews)
Super-Sizing Hits Home
Families are not just eating super-sized meals at restaurants, but are eating them at home as well. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill researchers are reporting that consumers are eating much larger portions at home as well in a report published in The Journal of the American Medical Association. In 1977, a homemade burger weighed 5.7 ounces; in 1996 a homemade burger weighed in at 8.4 ounces. A typical fast-food burger, during the same time period grew from 6.1 to 7.2 ounces. According to Dorothy Caldwell, coordinator of the N.C. Healthy Weight Initiative, "people buy on the perception of size and peoples idea of what constitutes a meal has become distorted." Consumption rates are increasing with serving sizes. Consumers are drinking a lot more soda and fruit juices and snacking more. These high calorie and low nutritional value food has become popular because it is so easy to eat on the run. In 1977, 77 percent of meals were eaten at home. In 1996 that number dropped to 65%. These findings show a need for self imposed portion control and increased exercise.
(Extracted from Prepared Foods.Com)
Industry to launch council to combat obesity
Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, Kraft Foods, McDonald's and the Snack Food Association are among members of the new American Council for Fitness and Nutrition (ACFN), which plans to encourage a "healthy balance between fitness and nutrition." The ACFN supports increasing the number of students engaging in physical activity for 30 minutes a day in schools and will call for state and national legislation to achieve that goal. It also wants to increase nutrition education in schools and plans to increase support for applied research on how to accomplish behavior changes that would fit into everyday lives. The group does not favor taxing snack foods or soft drinks or in limiting access to soda or snacks at school, saying the problem is not the food but is the American lifestyle. -- Along the same lines, Fortune Magazine included several lengthy stories on the obesity epidemic, one on the possibility of litigation for fast food companies and another on ways in which the issue of obesity is being addressed. The article notes that "it has been a lousy year for burgers and fries," with McDonald's stock near a seven year low and global sales slightly down, and Burger King being sold at a $700 million discount from its original sales price. Companies such as Subway, which promotes its foods as a low-fat alternative to burgers and fries, now has more US franchises than McDonald's; and Wendy's has been profiled in the American Diabetes Association magazine for its low-fat items. Aside from the development of a "fat pill," some people are doubtful that the obesity epidemic can be reversed.
(Extracted from Fortune Magazine, 3 Feb 03 and Food Chemical News Daily, 1/14/2003)
Health claims confuse consumers
Research from the UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) examined the efficacy of proposed EU health claims for food products. The qualitative research was made up of 130 one-to-one interviews with primary UK shoppers to determine the level of understanding conveyed by the proposed claims. The study concluded that the best term for consumers' reactions to the health claims was "bafflement." Interpretation of health claims is an individual function, and depends on the individual's relative position to the specific health condition. "Consumer explanations can therefore sound quite mythical and magical," the researchers noted. Personal experience with the health issue was the most consistent factor in claims recognition. Health claim information on product labels was "rarely" mentioned by the interviewees. Heavy advertising of a product with a health claim did effect an association between the brand and the claim. The researchers concluded that "regulatory nuances" which are comprehensible to the professional are just that and "are not relevant to consumers own lives."
(Extracted from New Nutrition Business, 12/1/2002)
