Better Junk Food?
Published 1.12.2017There is a theory that the best way to address the "obesity crisis" is to create better junk food. Back 2013, when I first wrote the topic, I wasn't much a fan of the idea. I still maintain that the best way to control what goes into your gob is to avoid ultra-processed foods (a term I cam across in 2016, which is why is doesn't appear in my 2013 writing). It's not always possible to do that of course, and I'm no extremist nor am I a preacher to others (in real life, that is, as I note on the About page of this site) as to how they eat. I eat ultra-processed food occasionally without guilt.
Always on the prowl for new market niches to exploit (as all good capitalists are), some snack manufacturers have attempted to meet the "better junk" standard. However, success has been elusive because people only say they want to eat healthy, their actual buying habits tell a different story.This fact explains why food companies make the ultra-processed food that they do. Because that’s what we buy. It is also why people like Marion Nestle, frustrated by the reality of people's habits, want to force the issue with taxes. If the better junk hypothesis is to work though, then what really needs to happen is that food scientists need to find a way to make healthier foods more palatable.
Companies are trying to create markets for healthier foods, in part because Michelle Obama's efforts related to childhood health and nutrition. Will this change in the Trump era?Natural and organic foods and beverages are growing fast—23% to $41 billion the past two years in the U.S.—but are still a small slice of the country’s $425 billion in overall sales, according to retail tracker Spins. Such products are often costlier to develop and harder to scale up. There were up to 50,000 products in a typical grocery store by 2013, up from 15,000 in 1991, but a quarter of them sold less than one unit a month, according to Accenture, a global consultancy.
It comes down to taste, When they have “healthy” products that taste good, people will buy them. I will give Pepsi this, they are trying to get it done. But along with taste, profits matter too.In October, PepsiCo set new sugar, sodium and fat reduction targets for 2025. It says nutritious products have risen to about 25% of revenue from 20% a few years ago.
However, I remain not all that interested in helping the cause. Healthier ultra-processed foods are still ultra-processed.Flat Earth, a chip line the company launched in 2007, promised half a serving of fruit or vegetable per ounce. PepsiCo hoped it would generate sales of about $100 million the first year. When sales were closer to $50 million, the brand was deemed a failure and soon discontinued for taking shelf space away from faster-selling chips, say former executives.
I do think the increased use of legumes is a positive development though. Most people could do with more legumes in their diets! If more products begin to be based on legumes, then I might have to revisit my general policyPepsiCo says it is introducing a new product next year called Off the Eaten Path Mosaic Veggie Crisps that is made with rice, black beans and green and yellow peas.
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