When big companies are in charge of our food and big money is at the root of all decisions are we really getting the best from those companies?
Read this food article and think:
1) What is the bottom line for all companies? How does that affect us?
2) How much does marketing have an affect in people's purchases?
3) What are some positives/negatives of buying from big companies?
4) How can you eat more healthily? Do you buy the groceries or pay for them?
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-26771260
This is my weekly post:
ReplyDeleteI chose this article because one of the main topics it covers is sugary cereal. I remember as a child not being allowed to have any sugar cereals. To my mom, honey nut Cheerios were considered as a sugar cereal and the only way we were allowed to eat it was as a small layer of topping for our bland cereal. The worst part about it was that I craved to try the other cereals even though I had no idea what they tasted like. It was the constant commercials and characters on television that convinced me that these cereals were, as Tony the tiger would say, GRRREEEAATTT.
The bottom line in this article is that large food companies have put so much marketing influence for people to buy these unhealthy products, that they have contributed to the leading health epidemic revolving around obesity, diabetes and other food related health problems. In the past few years, companies like Pepsi and Kellogg’s have tried making healthy alternatives but many people still prefer eating their original unhealthy foods.
Honestly, I think marketing has a lot to do with what people buy. If you walk down the hall or in the cafeteria during lunch, the first thing you see are very recognizable brands that we have seen since we were children. The marketing that first convinced our parents to buy these products made the company one that we can trust, so we continue to buy from the company. One of the great things about buying from these companies is that they are recognizable and easily found but at the same time they make their products in mass quantities for the mass enjoyment, so most of the options are extremely unhealthy. Even if they try to offer healthy options, most of the time they are filled with artificial foods to replace the unhealthy ones. This just makes the product just as unhealthy as the first option. For example, coke introduced a product called coke zero, a healthy soda alternative with zero sugar. Although the product did seem healthier, they were really marketing a product with artificial sugars like aspartame that are very bad for you.
To sum up, these large companies are a big reason why people buy what they buy. There marketing techniques are extremely efficient which can convince people what to buy. It’s the consumer’s responsibility to see what they are buying and be aware whether or not it is good for them.
Here is the article I used to research Coke Zero:
http://www.mhlearningsolutions.com/commonplace/index.php?q=node/5587
Good post, I like how you mentioned companies marketing techniques and how it is ultimately our job as consumers to be aware of what they are consuming.
DeleteNice post, Anne. Like Gabrielle, I appreciated how you touched base on the fact that we as consumers should know what we're buying before we purchase a product. I'm not disputing the fact that companies don't always direct you to full scoop on what makes up their product but it's our job to do the research with the information that's provided.
DeleteSorry that was the wrong link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.coca-cola.co.uk/brands/coke-zero.html
This is my weekly post:
ReplyDeleteI have always found major food corporations and their attempts to make their food healthier fairly interesting. As stated in the article above, these major corporations main goal is to make money. As a business, their primary concern is the finances. As people are becoming more and more concerned about their health and obesity, the demand for healthier options is increasing. If there is a demand for healthier products then it is basically a no-brainer for major corporations such as Kellogg's and Nestle.
These companies, however, aren't necessarily making their products "healthier". Sugar, calories, and fat are among the token 'evils' that people are making more of an effort to avoid. It's all in how they market it. People see soda's labeled "sugar-free" and immediately believe that it's healthier, however, just because something is sugar-free does not make it automatically healthier. Artificial sweeteners can be just as hazardous to your health as sugar, but people over look the chemicals inside their sugar-free food because they are being distracted by the seemingly 'healthy' label on the front.
One of the few positives of buying from major corporations is because massive businesses such as the ones mentioned in the article create millions of jobs and a lesser demand for those products would mean that people would get laid-off. A prominent negative is that when your food is being produced thousands of miles away in enormous factories, you don't really know what is going into your foods. Buying local, homegrown food is the best way to know that you are getting food that is fresh and healthy. Also, cutting out calories can be helpful under certain circumstances but eating a clean, well rounded diet is essentially what should be promoted instead of these fat/sugar-free, low calorie substitutes.
Below is an interesting article furthering discussing major corporations pledge to reduce calories:
http://www.buffalonews.com/associated-press/ap-national-news/major-food-companies-top-pledge-for-reducing-calories-20140108
Great post, good points and thoughts
Deletereally interesting points!
DeleteAwesome post Gabrielle! I definitely agree that people can be pretty lazy and uninformed when they're trying to eat healthy. They're almost instantly persuaded by the "sugar free" or "diet" labelling that they refuse to look further into what exactly is being substituted.
DeleteThis is my weekly post,
ReplyDeleteI chose this article for a similar reason as Anne did but I where I differ is I was always allowed to eat cereals with a high amount of sugar in them, drink pop and not worry about the amount of calories in my food. I believe that the bottom line for all companies is to make a profit, not all people want these healthier options and I see no need to get rid of unhealthy options just because some people think they’re bad. Companies have to look at what two different kinds of consumers want. When food experts talk about how consumers now want all food to have reduced sugars and fats, that’s not always the case, within the article Alexa Hoyland points out that not all consumers are ready. This can become a problem for companies that want to please all consumers.
I think marketing has a large effect on people’s purchases. I personally don’t just randomly buy products I’ve never heard of before or seen advertised anywhere. I think that although this is kind of sad a lot of people just buy things because ads tell them to, if a popular big company advertises something as healthy and great for kids, parents are more likely to buy the product. An article on consumer influence talks about what influences a consumer to buy a product. One of the stages in a consumer buying process is “The search for information stage, which means searching one’s knowledge bases or external knowledge sources for information on the product”, this is where marketing comes in. Most people don’t buy a product without prior knowledge about the product so marketing has a large effect on people’s purchases.
https://www.boundless.com/marketing/advertising-and-public-relations/impacts-of-advertising/consumer-influence/
I agree Anneli, advertising is a huge part of our purchasing lifes whether we like it or not and has a huge impact on our purchasing habits as people. Even if a commercial, ad, or billboard is a terrible advertisement that is not appealing, people will still have more knowledge on that product then ones they have not seen before. Thus, allowing them to default to the product they have seen before but not necessarily liked.
DeleteGreat post Anneli!