5Marchetto

Conjoined twins
 * PROJECT #3 **

The neurochemistry of eating disorders
 * PROJECT #2 **

Powerpoint on pros and cons of diet
 * PROJECT #1 **

Remove File The NY Times article on junk food is very informative and something that had to be done. When we studied obesity this year, it was shocking to see the rates at which obesity was rising in America and how young the children were that were affected. Junk food are the most pleasurable, especially to kids. Some of these kids over indulge in the sugary foods which causes them problems later on in life. The fact that the CEOs of these popular companies that put out those foods, is extremely changing to the food industry. Behnke, Pillsbury's chief technical officer in 1979, has studied and became extremely aware of what was going on with people over eating the food that he produces. He felt that many of the CEOs, like the one of Pillsbury, needed to know the disturbing news of childhood obesity due to their foods. All of the CEOs felt like they needed to do something, even though no one knew the answer of what to do to solve the issue. I think its not fair to fully blame the food industry on this problem, but it is a good portion of the fault it should be placed on. The food industry, these companies, have to know from the beginning that all the chemicals they put into their foods are not safe in the long run. They wanted to make the most desirable foods so that kids will want their parents to buy it and they can eat as much as they want. I also never thought about connecting sugary foods with tobacco companies. It really does make sense though because the cigarettes cause harm and so do the foods that these companies are putting out. The executive producer of Kraft, Michael Mudd, stated that the CEOs needed to change the whole idea of the foods they put out because they are at fault for this. Not just the ingredients used or how the product is made, but how they advertise to children. The right thing to do would be for these CEOs to agree they are at fault and do something to change it, but that's not how Sanger (head of General Mills) felt. He said that people only wanted what tasted good and didn't care about nutrition. He does not care about the well being of the people who are buying his product. He only cares about his products being successful, and considering that General Mills is doing very well, he is not willing to change his recipes. Howard Moskowitz, a food optimizer, has been studying something called the “bliss point”. The bliss point helps companies create the greatest amount of crave to their food. There is also something called sensory-specific satiety, and this is the contradiction between the tendencies for big, distinct flavors to overwhelm the brain, which responds by depressing your desire to have more. Moskowitz worked with Dr. Pepper to create a cherry vanilla flavor. He took data on how it affected peoples mouths and all other related sensations. All of this leads to a study on ways to make lunch easier for kids. The creation of the Lunchable made it easier for mothers to get their kids out the door for school. “The prevailing attitude among the company’s food managers — through the 1990s, at least, before obesity became a more pressing concern — was one of supply and demand. “People could point to these things and say, ‘They’ve got too much sugar, they’ve got too much salt,’ ” Bible said. “Well, that’s what the consumer wants, and we’re not putting a gun to their head to eat it. That’s what they want. If we give them less, they’ll buy less, and the competitor will get our market. So you’re sort of trapped.” I think that these people who are making the food are marketing to the wrong people. Yes, it’s the kids who eat things like Lunchables, but it’s their parents, the ones who are concerned about their kid’s health who pay for it. Lunchables tried to make their meals healthier, but once again that wasn’t what the kid’s wanted. They reduced the sugar and fat in them by 10%, but that really didn’t make them the healthiest thing to eat. Bob Drane who invented Lunchables, wished he could have made them better (nutritional) wise and still talks to mothers about what they would like to see in their kid’s lunches. The Baby Boomers were changing from eating meals to just eating snacks. This lead to food technicians from inventing products to just improving the ones they had. They were able to create the perfect chips (from a mouths point of view). The chips were able to snap with four pounds of pressure, and that’s what people desired. Another great discovery was the Cheese Puff. It practically melted in your mouth so it felt like you really weren’t eating anything, this is called vanishing caloric density. After reading this whole article, I found some really interesting things, but this quote stood out. “While people like and enjoy potato chips, they feel guilty about liking them. . . . Unconsciously, people expect to be punished for ‘letting themselves go’ and enjoying them.” Dichter listed seven “fears and resistances” to the chips: “You can’t stop eating them; they’re fattening; they’re not good for you; they’re greasy and messy to eat; they’re too expensive; it’s hard to store the leftovers; and they’re bad for children.” I mean it makes a lot of sense, why do we continue to eat things that we know we are going to feel guilty about? I think the food companies are mostly at fault because they make this horrible foods have great advertising and make children want them more and more. I think they really need to look at this obesity situation from a parent’s point of view. It seems like they keep trying to make improvements to the sugar or fat levels, but they really don’t want to take a giant leap because they know that they will lose money. It’s more of a moral thing I think considering all the CEOs talked about losing money.