No wonder most of us are thoroughly confused about what to eat to stay healthy. When it comes to the mass production and consumption of food, strategic decisions are driven by economics-not science, not common sense, and certainly not health. She vividly illustrates food politics in action: watered-down government dietary advice, schools pushing soft drinks, diet supplements promoted as if they were First Amendment rights.
We learn that the food industry plays politics as well as or better than other industries, not least because so much of its activity takes place outside the public view.Įditor of the 1988 Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition and Health, Nestle is uniquely qualified to lead us through the maze of food industry interests and influences. It is nevertheless shocking to learn precisely how food companies lobby officials, co-opt experts, and expand sales by marketing to children, members of minority groups, and people in developing countries. They have stakeholders to please, shareholders to satisfy, and government regulations to deal with. Food companies in 2000 generated nearly $900 billion in sales. Like manufacturing cigarettes or building weapons, making food is big business. Our over-efficient food industry must do everything possible to persuade people to eat more-more food, more often, and in larger portions-no matter what it does to waistlines or well-being.
The abundance of food in the United States-enough calories to meet the needs of every man, woman, and child twice over-has a downside. In this engrossing exposé, Marion Nestle goes behind the scenes to reveal how the competition really works and how it affects our health. We all witness, in advertising and on supermarket shelves, the fierce competition for our food dollars.
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