The Dark Side Of The Food Industry

Casey Thaler, NASM-CPT, FNS Health

in the health, fitness and nutrition industry, we find ourselves splintered off, into tiny sections, subsections and niches. While the monetary rewards and competitive market may deem this necessary, this line of thinking substantially hurts the Paleo community’s overall power.

 

Collectively we can recognize, organize, harness, and use our power to reform the many apparent dangers and problems of the U.S. food industry.

The ills of the industry are vast. And the food industry, unlike citizens, is protected by lobbyists, politicians and corporations. History has a way of repeating itself. If we look to the tobacco industry that publicly touted little health risk, the food industry is equally aware of which staples are detrimental to health, but publicly don’t bat an eye at our skyrocketing (and bankrupting) healthcare costs.

Type 2 diabetes is killing our economy, to the tune of $245 billion, per year. In the U.S. alone, nearly one third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese, yet food and beverage companies continue to target them with advertising for the same products that contribute to their problems. To put the food industry’s hold on our health in proper perspective, realize that basically 10 companies control nearly our entire food supply.

 

Do you know who does the bulk of water purification, overseas? Coca-Cola. Remember the time when you didn’t have to pay $8 for a bottle of water, at the movie theater? Remember the time when we weren’t buying bottled drinking water – at all? I sure do.

We used to rely on farmers, and their honest practices, to provide us with clean, organic, non-GMO food. Now we rely on multi-national corporations and mega-companies, who specifically target “heavy users” (their language, not mine) to provide them with the large majority of their profits.

Layman’s terms translation: “Heavy users” are the high-roller consumers of soda and junk food. The term “heavy users” was co-opted from the tobacco industry. Is this an implication of addictive product? We think so. Tantalizing and deceptive marketing allowed limited nutrition and excessive sugar to enter the mainstream.

Worse yet, these ad campaigns target impressionable children, at peak times to maximize their visibility. In spending billions of dollars to capture “market share” (i.e. your kid’s mouth, and your hard-earned dollar) to peddle sugary, salty products, your kids become over-stimulated, sick – and left craving more. On this issue, we have the opportunity to build bridges, not walls.Rally together. Support what we all believe in: reform the food industry so they have our best interest and health in mind. Take action and responsibility and together we can fix the increasing health problems that plague us in the 21st century.In 2013, we spent roughly $2.8 trillion (almost 20% of our GDP) on healthcare. We are in the business of helping people, whether they’re ill, uninformed, injured – or all three.

Soon our country’s healthcare system will be bankrupt from all these diseases and illnesses – many of which are entirely preventable. Join the fight against the ills of the food industry, and ‘share’ this article with your family and friends. You have a voice, and you can make a difference.

+ REFERENCES

  1. Ashraf MJ, Baweja P. Obesity: the ‘huge’ problem in cardiovascular diseases. Mo Med. 2013;110(6):499-504.
  2. Gill TP. Key issues in the prevention of obesity. Br Med Bull. 1997;53(2):359-88.
  3. Karnik S, Kanekar A. Childhood obesity: a global public health crisis. Int J Prev Med. 2012;3(1):1-7.
  4. Rubenstein AH. Obesity: a modern epidemic. Trans Am Clin Climatol Assoc. 2005;116:103-11.
  5. Ofei F. Obesity – a preventable disease. Ghana Med J. 2005;39(3):98-101.
  6. Seidell JC. Prevention of obesity: the role of the food industry. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 1999;9(1):45-50.
  7. Sharma LL, Teret SP, Brownell KD. The food industry and self-regulation: standards to promote success and to avoid public health failures. Am J Public Health. 2010;100(2):240-6.
  8. Bauman HE. What is the food industry doing on nutrition problems?. Bull N Y Acad Med. 1971;47(6):601-5.
  9. Buttriss JL. Food reformulation: the challenges to the food industry. Proc Nutr Soc. 2013;72(1):61-9.
  10. Namba A, Auchincloss A, Leonberg BL, Wootan MG. Exploratory analysis of fast-food chain restaurant menus before and after implementation of local calorie-labeling policies, 2005-2011. Prev Chronic Dis. 2013;10:E101.
  11. Harris JL, Pomeranz JL, Lobstein T, Brownell KD. A crisis in the marketplace: how food marketing contributes to childhood obesity and what can be done. Annu Rev Public Health. 2009;30:211-25.
  12. Ronit K, Jensen JD. Obesity and industry self-regulation of food and beverage marketing: a literature review. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2014;68(7):753-9.
  13. Gross LS, Li L, Ford ES, Liu S. Increased consumption of refined carbohydrates and the epidemic of type 2 diabetes in the United States: an ecologic assessment. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;79(5):774-9.
  14. Mohan AV, Mccormick D, Woolhandler S, Himmelstein DU, Boyd JW. Life and health insurance industry investments in fast food. Am J Public Health. 2010;100(6):1029-30.
  15. Kessler R. Engineered nanoparticles in consumer products: understanding a new ingredient. Environ Health Perspect. 2011;119(3):a120-5.
  16. Nyenje ME, Odjadjare CE, Tanih NF, Green E, Ndip RN. Foodborne pathogens recovered from ready-to-eat foods from roadside cafeterias and retail outlets in Alice, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa: public health implications. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2012;9(8):2608-19.
  17. Prayson B, Mcmahon JT, Prayson RA. Fast food hamburgers: what are we really eating?. Ann Diagn Pathol. 2008;12(6):406-9.
  18. Jahren AH, Kraft RA. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in fast food: signatures of corn and confinement. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2008;105(46):17855-60.
  19. Sánchez-villegas A, Toledo E, De irala J, Ruiz-canela M, Pla-vidal J, Martínez-gonzález MA. Fast-food and commercial baked goods consumption and the risk of depression. Public Health Nutr. 2012;15(3):424-32.
  20. Wickens K, Barry D, Friezema A, et al. Fast foods – are they a risk factor for asthma?. Allergy. 2005;60(12):1537-41.
  21. Taylor PL. Innovation incentives or corrupt conflicts of interest? Moving beyond Jekyll and Hyde in regulating biomedical academic-industry relationships. Yale J Health Policy Law Ethics. 2013;13(1):135-97.
  22. Nestle M. Preventing childhood diabetes: the need for public health intervention. Am J Public Health. 2005;95(9):1497-9.
  23. Fields S. The fat of the land: do agricultural subsidies foster poor health?. Environ Health Perspect. 2004;112(14):A820-3.
  24. Cohen DA, Sturm R, Scott M, Farley TA, Bluthenthal R. Not enough fruit and vegetables or too many cookies, candies, salty snacks, and soft drinks?. Public Health Rep. 2010;125(1):88-95.
  25. Roblin L. Childhood obesity: food, nutrient, and eating-habit trends and influences. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2007;32(4):635-45.
  26. Reedy J, Krebs-smith SM. Dietary sources of energy, solid fats, and added sugars among children and adolescents in the United States. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010;110(10):1477-84.
  27. Malik VS, Schulze MB, Hu FB. Intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;84(2):274-88.
  28. Brownell KD, Warner KE. The perils of ignoring history: Big Tobacco played dirty and millions died. How similar is Big Food?. Milbank Q. 2009;87(1):259-94.
  29. Moodie R, Stuckler D, Monteiro C, et al. Profits and pandemics: prevention of harmful effects of tobacco, alcohol, and ultra-processed food and drink industries. Lancet. 2013;381(9867):670-9.
  30. Alderman J, Daynard RA. Applying lessons from tobacco litigation to obesity lawsuits. Am J Prev Med. 2006;30(1):82-8.
  31. Bodenheimer T. High and rising health care costs. Part 1: seeking an explanation. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142(10):847-54.
  32. Allison DB, Zannolli R, Narayan KM. The direct health care costs of obesity in the United States. Am J Public Health. 1999;89(8):1194-9.
  33. Alemayehu B, Warner KE. The lifetime distribution of health care costs. Health Serv Res. 2004;39(3):627-42.
  34. Katon WJ, Lin E, Russo J, Unutzer J. Increased medical costs of a population-based sample of depressed elderly patients. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2003;60(9):897-903.
  35. Sharma LL, Teret SP, Brownell KD. The food industry and self-regulation: standards to promote success and to avoid public health failures. Am J Public Health. 2010;100(2):240-6.
  36. PLoS Medicine series on Big Food: the food industry is ripe for scrutiny. PLoS Med. 2012;9(6):e1001246.
  37. Chandon P, Wansink B. Does food marketing need to make us fat? A review and solutions. Nutr Rev. 2012;70(10):571-93.
  38. Available at: http://www.diabetes.org/advocacy/news-events/cost-of-diabetes.html. Accessed November 2, 2014.
  39. Economic costs of diabetes in the U.S. in 2012. Diabetes Care. 2013;36(4):1033-46.
  40. Mello MM, Pomeranz J, Moran P. The interplay of public health law and industry self-regulation: the case of sugar-sweetened beverage sales in schools. Am J Public Health. 2008;98(4):595-604.
  41. Fleck F. Top health officials adopt global plan to cut obesity. BMJ. 2004;328(7451):1278.
  42. Zhuo X, Zhang P, Hoerger TJ. Lifetime direct medical costs of treating type 2 diabetes and diabetic complications. Am J Prev Med. 2013;45(3):253-61.
  43. Harris JL, Graff SK. Protecting young people from junk food advertising: implications of psychological research for First Amendment law. Am J Public Health. 2012;102(2):214-22.
  44. Owens, Brian; . Storm brewing over WHO sugar proposal. Nature News. 2014;507(7491):150.
  45. Powell LM, Szczypka G, Chaloupka FJ. Trends in exposure to television food advertisements among children and adolescents in the United States. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2010;164(9):794-802.
  46. Costa SM, Horta PM, Dos santos LC. Food advertising and television exposure: influence on eating behavior and nutritional status of children and adolescents. Arch Latinoam Nutr. 2012;62(1):53-9.
  47. Yokum S, Gearhardt AN, Harris JL, Brownell KD, Stice E. Individual differences in striatum activity to food commercials predict weight gain in adolescents. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2014;
  48. Chan TF, Lin WT, Huang HL, et al. Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with components of the metabolic syndrome in adolescents. Nutrients. 2014;6(5):2088-103.
  49. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/27/consumer-brands-owned-ten-companies-graphic_n_1458812.html. Accessed November 7, 2014.
  50. Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com/facts-bottled-water-industry-2011-10. Accessed November 2, 2014.
  51. Lalumandier JA, Ayers LW. Fluoride and bacterial content of bottled water vs tap water. Arch Fam Med. 2000;9(3):246-50.
  52. Raj SD. Bottled water: how safe is it?. Water Environ Res. 2005;77(7):3013-8.
  53. Doria MF. Bottled water versus tap water: understanding consumers’ preferences. J Water Health. 2006;4(2):271-6.
  54. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/magazine/the-extraordinary-science-of-junk-food.html. Accessed November 2, 2014.
  55. Spök A. Molecular farming on the rise–GMO regulators still walking a tightrope. Trends Biotechnol. 2007;25(2):74-82.
  56. Kasarda DD. Can an increase in celiac disease be attributed to an increase in the gluten content of wheat as a consequence of wheat breeding?. J Agric Food Chem. 2013;61(6):1155-9.
  57. Shao Q, Chin KV. Survey of American food trends and the growing obesity epidemic. Nutr Res Pract. 2011;5(3):253-9.
  58. Grier SA, Kumanyika SK. The context for choice: health implications of targeted food and beverage marketing to African Americans. Am J Public Health. 2008;98(9):1616-29.
  59. Williams JD, Crockett D, Harrison RL, Thomas KD. The role of food culture and marketing activity in health disparities. Prev Med. 2012;55(5):382-6.
  60. Seifert SM, Schaechter JL, Hershorin ER, Lipshultz SE. Health effects of energy drinks on children, adolescents, and young adults. Pediatrics. 2011;127(3):511-28.
  61. Chriqui JF, Piekarz E, Chaloupka FJ. USDA snack food and beverage standards: how big of a stretch for the states?. Child Obes. 2014;10(3):234-40.
  62. Barry D, Clarke M, Petry NM. Obesity and its relationship to addictions: is overeating a form of addictive behavior?. Am J Addict. 2009;18(6):439-51.
  63. Ahmed SH, Guillem K, Vandaele Y. Sugar addiction: pushing the drug-sugar analogy to the limit. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2013;16(4):434-9.
  64. Avena NM, Rada P, Hoebel BG. Evidence for sugar addiction: behavioral and neurochemical effects of intermittent, excessive sugar intake. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2008;32(1):20-39.
  65. Avena NM, Rada P, Hoebel BG. Evidence for sugar addiction: behavioral and neurochemical effects of intermittent, excessive sugar intake. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2008;32(1):20-39.
  66. Lenoir M, Serre F, Cantin L, Ahmed SH. Intense sweetness surpasses cocaine reward. PLoS ONE. 2007;2(8):e698.
  67. Liu Y, Von deneen KM, Kobeissy FH, Gold MS. Food addiction and obesity: evidence from bench to bedside. J Psychoactive Drugs. 2010;42(2):133-45.
  68. Gearhardt AN, White MA, Potenza MN. Binge eating disorder and food addiction. Curr Drug Abuse Rev. 2011;4(3):201-7.
  69. Gearhardt AN, Corbin WR. The role of food addiction in clinical research. Curr Pharm Des. 2011;17(12):1140-2.
  70. Garber AK, Lustig RH. Is fast food addictive?. Curr Drug Abuse Rev. 2011;4(3):146-62.
  71. Harris JL, Schwartz MB, Brownell KD. Marketing foods to children and adolescents: licensed characters and other promotions on packaged foods in the supermarket. Public Health Nutr. 2010;13(3):409-17.
  72. Powell LM, Szczypka G, Chaloupka FJ. Trends in exposure to television food advertisements among children and adolescents in the United States. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2010;164(9):794-802.
  73. Montgomery KC, Chester J. Interactive food and beverage marketing: targeting adolescents in the digital age. J Adolesc Health. 2009;45(3 Suppl):S18-29.
  74. Elliott C. Assessing ‘fun foods’: nutritional content and analysis of supermarket foods targeted at children. Obes Rev. 2008;9(4):368-77.
  75. Schwartz MB, Vartanian LR, Wharton CM, Brownell KD. Examining the nutritional quality of breakfast cereals marketed to children. J Am Diet Assoc. 2008;108(4):702-5.
  76. Page RM, Brewster A. Emotional and rational product appeals in televised food advertisements for children: analysis of commercials shown on US broadcast networks. J Child Health Care. 2007;11(4):323-40.
  77. Jacobs DR. Fast food and sedentary lifestyle: a combination that leads to obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;83(2):189-90.
  78. Handsley E, Mehta K, Coveney J, Nehmy C. Regulatory axes on food advertising to children on television. Aust New Zealand Health Policy. 2009;6(1):1.
  79. Osei-assibey G, Dick S, Macdiarmid J, et al. The influence of the food environment on overweight and obesity in young children: a systematic review. BMJ Open. 2012;2(6):e001538.
  80. Kotz K, Story M. Food advertisements during children’s Saturday morning television programming: are they consistent with dietary recommendations?. J Am Diet Assoc. 1994;94(11):1296-300.
  81. Karupaiah T, Chinna K, Mee LH, Mei LS, Noor MI. What’s on Malaysian television? – A survey on food advertising targeting children. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008;17(3):483-91.
  82. Andreyeva T, Kelly IR, Harris JL. Exposure to food advertising on television: associations with children’s fast food and soft drink consumption and obesity. Econ Hum Biol. 2011;9(3):221-33.
  83. Zimmerman FJ, Bell JF. Associations of television content type and obesity in children. Am J Public Health. 2010;100(2):334-40.
  84. Harris JL, Pomeranz JL, Lobstein T, Brownell KD. A crisis in the marketplace: how food marketing contributes to childhood obesity and what can be done. Annu Rev Public Health. 2009;30:211-25.
  85. Story M, French S. Food Advertising and Marketing Directed at Children and Adolescents in the US. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2004;1(1):3.
  86. Johnson L, Mander AP, Jones LR, Emmett PM, Jebb SA. Is sugar-sweetened beverage consumption associated with increased fatness in children?. Nutrition. 2007;23(7-8):557-63.
  87. Krummel DA, Seligson FH, Guthrie HA. Hyperactivity: is candy causal?. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 1996;36(1-2):31-47.
  88. Ludwig DS, Peterson KE, Gortmaker SL. Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity: a prospective, observational analysis. Lancet. 2001;357(9255):505-8.
  89. Mysels DJ, Sullivan MA. The relationship between opioid and sugar intake: review of evidence and clinical applications. J Opioid Manag. 2010;6(6):445-52.
  90. Yanovski S. Sugar and fat: cravings and aversions. J Nutr. 2003;133(3):835S-837S.
  91. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/health-expenditures.htm. Accessed November 2, 2014.
  92. Available at: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100780248. Accessed November 2, 2014.
  93. Anand P, Kunnumakkara AB, Kunnumakara AB, et al. Cancer is a preventable disease that requires major lifestyle changes. Pharm Res. 2008;25(9):2097-116.
  94. Tuso P. Prediabetes and lifestyle modification: time to prevent a preventable disease. Perm J. 2014;18(3):88-93.
  95. Khuwaja AK, Khawaja S, Motwani K, et al. Preventable lifestyle risk factors for non-communicable diseases in the Pakistan Adolescents Schools Study 1 (PASS-1). J Prev Med Public Health. 2011;44(5):210-7.
  96. Ofei F. Obesity – a preventable disease. Ghana Med J. 2005;39(3):98-101.
  97. Danaei G, Ding EL, Mozaffarian D, et al. The preventable causes of death in the United States: comparative risk assessment of dietary, lifestyle, and metabolic risk factors. PLoS Med. 2009;6(4):e1000058.
  98. Klonoff DC. The beneficial effects of a Paleolithic diet on type 2 diabetes and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2009;3(6):1229-32.
  99. Dontas AS, Zerefos NS, Panagiotakos DB, Vlachou C, Valis DA. Mediterranean diet and prevention of coronary heart disease in the elderly. Clin Interv Aging. 2007;2(1):109-15.
  100. Estruch R, Ros E, Salas-salvadó J, et al. Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a Mediterranean diet. N Engl J Med. 2013;368(14):1279-90.
  101. Bodenheimer T. Primary care–will it survive?. N Engl J Med. 2006;355(9):861-4.

This article originally appeared on The Paleo Diet.

Share
Pin
Tweet