Download Educating Producers and Consumers

Educating Producers
and Consumers
Unit 9 NS430
Whole Foods
Is the Public Confused?
• Research has been
ongoing for more
than 50 years to
support the advice
concerning health
benefits plant food.
What is Healthy?
• Consumers are eating more processed
food
– Leading to obesity in adults & children
• Epidemic that leads to chronic diseases
– Heart disease
– Diabetes
– High blood pressure
Benefits of Eating Whole Foods
• What are some of the
benefits we have
discussed to eating
whole foods?
• What are advantages
of using organic
foods?
Long Term Advantages
Poorer Countries
• Rely more on plant based
diets which can meet
nutritional needs
– Can lead to a healthy
adulthood free of chronic
diseases.
Less Poor Countries
• Less of a plant based diet
• Higher in fat
• Higher in meat
• Higher in processed food
– Leads to an increase in
obesity and chronic
diseases.
In 2000 the number of obese people in the world matched that of
the number of undernourished people (1.1 billion each)
Marketing
• Why do people
choose to eat food?
• When there is no
shortage of food, we
tend to lead toward
personal preference
• Four main factors
–
–
–
–
Taste
Cost
Convenience
Public confusion
ARE WE SEEING AN
INCREASE OR DECREASE IN
THE AVAILABILITY OF
WHOLE FOODS?
Taste
• Food preferences are
influenced by:
– Level of education
– Age
– Gender
– Income
– Family background
– Ethnic background
• People prefer foods that are
familiar in:
– Look
– Taste
– smell
• We prefer food that is:
– Energy dense
• High in fat
• Calories
• Sugar
– Sweet
– Salty
Cost
• Surplus has resulted in the need to add
value by processing food
• The raw food producers only receive a
small portion of the retail price
– Vegetable producers = 5%
– Egg, Beef, & Chicken producers = 50-60%
How Does the Cost
Influence the Production?
• In 1998, about 20% of the retail cost of the
food was returned to the producer.
• The remaining 80% is distributed
between:
–
–
–
–
Packaging
Advertising
Labor
Other value enhancing activities
How Does the Abundance of
Food Influence Cost?
• Helps to keep the cost of foods low
– Related to high average income
• Americans pay <10% of income for food
• Low income countries pay >70% of income
for food.
Convenience
• Contributor to the development of value added
products
• More women are working and unable or unwilling
to spend time cooking and grocery shopping
• ½ of all meals are eaten outside the home
– ¼ of them are fast food
• The need for more quick foods such as prepackaged
foods and foods designed to be eaten directly out of
the package
Convenience
• Most convenience foods are not whole foods
– Processed
• High in calories, fat, sugar, and salt
• Overrides health considerations and the
meaning of meal times
• Popularity of these foods adds value and
encourages the industry to create more types
of products that require minimal preparation
and can be consumed quickly.
How Is the Internet Being
Used By Food Companies?
Is This An Appropriate Source
Of Consumer Info?
Public Confusion
• Public is often confused about nutritional
advice
• People rely on the media for information on
nutrition
–
–
–
–
Magazines
Radio
Internet
Television
• Media usually focuses on single nutrients
instead of a broader healthy diet
Promotion
• Competitive market
• Looking for new
audiences for products
– Minority groups
– International groups
– Children
• Looking for new ways to
sell old products
– Repackaging
– Increasing serving size
• Promotion Techniques
– Advertising
– Introducing new
products
– Increased serving sizes
Advertising
• More than $11 billion • More than $33 billion is
is spent annually by
spent by food companies
food companies on
on advertising (most
direct media
convenience processed
advertising
foods)
–
–
–
–
–
Newspapers
Radio
Magazines
Televisions
billboards
–
–
–
–
–
Snacks
Candy
Alcohol
Desserts
Soft drinks
How Is The Industry
Responding To Consumer
Demand For “Health” Foods?
Of the billions of dollars spent on
advertising each year, only 2.2% is spent on
whole foods such as fruits, vegetables,
grains, and beans
This shows thee is a disproportionate distribution of
marketing expenditures in regards to consuming
more whole foods.
Introducing New Products
• Convenience and added • Break down of foods
value products are the
introduced:
main force behind the
– Candy, gum, snacks (2065)
development of new
– Beverages (1547)
products for food and
– Processed meats (728)
beverage products
– Pre-prepared entrees (678)
– In 1995, there were 16,900
– Fruits and vegetables (375)
new food and beverage
• Fruits and vegetables are
products introduced
very few compared to
– In 1998, there were 11,000
some of the processed
new food and beverage
foods
products introduced
Increasing Serving Sizes
• Use bigger sizes to
promote products
– Increased calories and
contributes to the
obesity epidemic
• Promoting larger
sizes is a sensible
move since the cost of
food is low compared
to labor and other
factors that add value.
– A large order of
French fries are a
better buy than small
order because they are
40% cheaper per ounce
What Are Some Of The
Current Issues Being
Addressed By Consumer
Advocacy Groups, Industry
Organizations And The
Government?
What Should
Nutrition
Professionals Do
To Improve Food
Choices of the
Public?
It is the role of
nutrition
professionals
to advocate
and improve
the food
choices made
by the public
• Lets look at Public
policies that can help
promote better food
choices and ethical
questions related to food
choices…
Public Policies That Can Help
Promote Better Food Choices
• Public policies and suggestions that can
help promote better food choices
– Education
– Food labeling/advertising
– Taxes
Education
• Start major nutritional campaigns
• Educate teachers about the importance of nutrition
• Ban commercials for foods that have minimal nutritional
value in schools
• Ban the selling of soft drinks, candy bars and other high
fat high calorie snack foods in schools
• Serve fresh fruits and vegetables at lunches
• Promote the use of whole foods in schools
Food Labeling/Advertising
• Fast food establishments to show nutrition information
on packaging
• Soft drink and snack containers show information about
sugar, calorie, and fat content
• Restrict TV advertising of unhealthy foods
• Increase TV advertising of healthy and whole foods
• Prohibit misleading claims on food packages
Taxes
•Subsidize the
costs of
vegetables and
fruits
•Levy taxes on
“junk” foods to
fund nutrition
campaigns
Ethical Questions Related
to Food Choices
• Production Methods – • Marketing Methods – Do
they:
Do they:
– Preserve and protect
natural resources
– Avoid pollution
– Reward producers of
whole foods
– Ensure food safety
– Promote quality
nutrition
– Avoid targeting children
– Disclose the contents of
food products
– Promote foods high in
nutrition
– Avoid misleading claims
– Avoid putting pressure on
government officials,
journalists, and nutrition
professionals to promote
their products
Is There An Opportunity To
Make A Difference In The
Food Industry?