Although big food marketers, from Frito-Lay (to name one) to Wal Mart supercenters to McDonald’s, can take a big share of the blame for the generally poor diet in the United States, those same marketers by their sheer size can do a lot to improve it. (By poor diet, of course, I don’t mean the traditional definition where it meant people going hungry or malnourished. I mean the poor diet that has fattened us up like so many feedlot cattle.)
I was surprised and delighted, therefore, to find that presenters at the recent Food Marketing Institute’s annual conference saw that profits may lie in cleaning up their (and by extension, our) acts both nutritionally and environmentally.
For instance, the list of “10 hot food & beverage trends” in a presentation from Lynn Dornblaser of Mintel International included:
1. Omega-3- for mental function as well as heart health
5. Ethical positioning- Fairtrade and sustainability
6. Amazonia- products & superfoods sourced from Brazil and the
rainforest
9. Keeping it simple- via package and function
The marketers, of course, are concerned about profits first (that’s their job), but they seem to be recognizing that healthful and responsible food is good business. Now, I’m not sure about the Amazonia trend being good for anyone (I’m thinking excess transportation costs and potential harm to the rainforest), but the other items above are very good steps.
Going even farther out on the progressive limb was a presentation by (I gather, although it’s not entirely clear) Ted Brown of Brown Consulting and Christopher Flynn, president, Massachusetts Food Association. They give suggestions for sustainability in food marketing, from buying locally produced food to recycling to increasing energy efficiency. They even have a 14-page list of resources on sustainable practices.
It’s heartening to see such this huge industry taking a fresh look at food, and seeing both financial and social profits in the possibilities. Most of the presentations are available at the 2007 FMI Show page
Joanne // Jun 8, 2007 at 9:58 am
Yes, this new trend has even pushed some grocery stores to start carrying organic foods under their own brand labels. In Kentucky, I can’t get some organic foods no matter what I do-but things are slowly changing…as a result, I am somewhat more confident about what we’re eating-but still try to buy local, sustainable, organic foods rather than grocery store stuff when I can. Sometimes I feel like I’m all alone in trying to do this where I live!
Rebecca // Jun 9, 2007 at 10:36 am
I did notice that recently when I bought Calvin his Honey Bunches of Oats at Target they had an “organic” version, which I thought was hilarious! We like the Heinz organic ketchup, though, made with sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup. The only place I can find it is at Wal-Mart.
Janet Majure // Jun 10, 2007 at 7:03 pm
You mean “organic” doesn’t mean “extra healthy”???