Tagged: Big Food
So Glad We Have a Trade Commission
As terms of a settlement with the Kellogg Company, the Federal Trade Commission has issued a new, expanded order banning Kellogg's from "making 'claims about any health benefit of any food unless the claims are backed by scientific evidence and not misleading.'"
Read moreBig Ag’s Blowback: “Know Your Farmer” is a Waste of Money
Big Ag's blowback against all foods local, regional, and organic is getting stronger and louder. Now, instead of simply targeting mere figureheads like Michael Pollan or Michelle Obama, they're targeting the USDA's Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food program, and enlisting allies in Congress to join the food fight. From KC Star's website:
Read moreNYT Bloggingheads: Fair and Balanced
Over at the New York Times, their "Bloggingheads" series asks "Is Organic Best?"
Big Food apologist Robert Paarlberg lays out perfectly the argument for industrial, production-heavy farming (just as he did in Foreign Policy back in April), while Corby Kummer of The Atlantic pitches him softballs, fails to press the argument for organics, and generally brings knives to a gunfight.
Read moreFast Company: McDonalds vs. Starbucks
Fast Company has an interesting piece on McDonald's vs. Starbuck's in a face-off over which company is more "sustainable."
It's not a mind-blowing article, and I might quibble over use of the word sustainable here, but it's still a must read. The writer doesn't go overboard, saying that these companies are sustainable (or even health-conscious). But this article's important because it is worth noting when Big Food companies start employing more environmentally-friendly practices. Why?
Because it's evidence that our side is slowly winning the war of expectations over how a company should behave.
Read moreAmericans Turning Away from High Fructose Corn Syrup
A terrific piece in the New York Times this weekend details the decline of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as a food sweetener in recent years. According to the article, this decline is exemplified by ConAgra's decision this month to pull the sweetener from the ever-popular Hunt's ketchup in favor of cane sugar.
And you know an ingredient is unpopular when Big Food is making a financial call like this one:
Although sugar costs more than high-fructose corn syrup, the price of Hunt’s is not set to increase. Eager for a sales boost from the switch, ConAgra decided to absorb the extra costs.
Read moreHelp Bust Up Big Food
Via our friends at Food Democracy Now!:
The evidence is in: America's food system is broken.
Every week we read about record-breaking food safety recalls, a spiraling childhood obesity epidemic, and the continued loss of independent family farmers.
All of these problems can be traced back to one thing: excessive consolidation by big, corporate food. But change may be on the way.
Read more
