Y'know, this comment just got stuck in my brain. Yes of course, if a product doesn't sell well it won't last long on the shelves. But the notion that "stores just sell what people buy" is so disingenuous. So, let's look at a little more of this story. 1/
Who even pays attention to the Dietary Guidelines anyway?
Answer: The food industry. This has been true from the beginning. Now it is even more intense: They watch the committee hearings. They show up to listen (as well as testify). They prepare. 2/
Answer: The food industry. This has been true from the beginning. Now it is even more intense: They watch the committee hearings. They show up to listen (as well as testify). They prepare. 2/
If you follow industry publications during the years leading up to a new edition of the DGA, you'll quickly learn how they prepare products *in advance* to conform to what they think will be declared the next big thing in how we define "healthy" food. 3/
Does that mean food manufacturers only make "healthy" food?
Of course not. But there are close ties between the creation of some "healthy" foods & the creation of "unhealthy" ones. 4/
Of course not. But there are close ties between the creation of some "healthy" foods & the creation of "unhealthy" ones. 4/
For example, multiple revenue streams from low-fat reformulations have been a boon to many sectors. Fat left over from fat-free dairy can be resold to consumers in the form of cheap cheese & upscale ice cream. 5/
There are good (physiological, biochemical, socioeconomic, cultural) rationales for how all three types of foods are likely to have contributed to the rapid rise in metabolic dysfunction (like that @RobertLustigMD ?) following the creation of the 1980 DGA. 6/
But the manufacturing of only ONE of these types of foods was actively encouraged by the government.
Guess which one?
The resulting domino effect on the food supply was a happy progression of events for manufacturers & for some consumers as well. 7/
Guess which one?
The resulting domino effect on the food supply was a happy progression of events for manufacturers & for some consumers as well. 7/
As many others have said, it isn't the job of food manufacturers to sell "healthy" food. But they DO make "healthy" food anyway. Why? Because people buy it.
People buy it: if they can afford it, they like it, it's convenient, AND/OR *they believe the related health claims.* 8/
People buy it: if they can afford it, they like it, it's convenient, AND/OR *they believe the related health claims.* 8/
However, as @GarrettBroad would argue (& he's right), "healthy" claims are multiple - from low fat to low carb.
But, again, only one of these version of "healthy" has been promoted by the US government. 9/
But, again, only one of these version of "healthy" has been promoted by the US government. 9/
And don't pretend that the US government's version of "healthy" is ineffectual compared to the BAZILLION of dollars that food manufacturers get to spend on advertising.
1st, the US government INFLUENCES how food manufacturers think about what is "healthy" (see above). 10/
1st, the US government INFLUENCES how food manufacturers think about what is "healthy" (see above). 10/
2nd, the US government has platforms & access to power that food manufacturers don't (although they do try to buy their way in sometimes), but let's start with this: Who defines what a "healthy" diet is for schools, elder care, nutrition programs, hospitals, veterans, etc.? 11/
(And don't come back with "but if broccoli was advertised as "healthy" the way FrootLoops are ..." You'd be hard pressed to find a mom in the US who really thinks that FrootLoops are as "healthy" for her kids as broccoli.) 12/
Since the creation of the DGA, government is as “interested” in particular outcomes from nutrition science as any corporation. They have provided support for preferred views in terms of funding science & these views can be reinforced without the "taint" of "industry bias." 13/
Government also provides access to public platforms (the Pyramid & Plate), training, positions of authority & access to important information & policymakers.
To reiterate: Government decides what a "healthy" diet consists of. 14/
To reiterate: Government decides what a "healthy" diet consists of. 14/
Now - let's recognize things are changing in many ways. With interwebz access to science, nearly anyone can defend their definition of "healthy." Similarly, almost any kind of "healthy" product can be ordered online.
But that's going to have no effect on school lunches. 15/
But that's going to have no effect on school lunches. 15/
To make myself clear (& wind this up), I am NOT saying that low-fat diets "caused" the rise in metabolic dysfunction that we read as "the obesity epidemic."
(Note that in absolute amounts, our fat intake didn't go down significantly after 1980.) 16/
(Note that in absolute amounts, our fat intake didn't go down significantly after 1980.) 16/
I AM saying that government-backed, top-down, one-size-fits-all, nutrition guidance for prevention of chronic disease dramatically changed & continues to affect our food environment & our relationship to food - in ways that have adversely affected the health of many. 17/
Most importantly, the 1980 Dietary Guidelines were instrumental in creating a tangled web of mythology about how food & chronic disease are related that affects how we think about "healthy" food & "eating right," no matter how we define those terms.
17/done
17/done
