Marion Nestle is a professor of food studies, public health and nutrition at New York University. Nestle’s article entitled “The Supermarket: Prime Real Estate,” is a short but succinct description of how different sectors of the food industry (food producers, manufacturers, and distributing supermarkets, especially) conduct their processes to ensure the prospective consumer purchases varietiess of products they do not need. This not only ensures such industries continue to profit, but that the unsuspecting consumer is instilled with desires for products they would not have, otherwise; oblivious to the tactics employed on them to purchase things they do not have to. ----------- To begin with, Nestle points out that the social sciences have been employed by a variety of corporations, including those in the food industry, to develop more ingenious ways for instilling and/or appealing to the desires of consumers. But Nestle’s analysis of the food industry is a kind of lens wherein one can view this practice taking place, rather simply. -----------
As Nestle points out, “the rate of exposure is directly related to the rate of sale of merchandise” (Nestle, 498-499). But it is not merely the rate at which one is exposed to a given product (x) that drives them to buy it—but the methods by which they are
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Much less are they interested in ensuring the content sold to the public is nutritious. Rather, the implicit goal of such tactics employed by the food insdustry, in each of its component-sectors, is the creation of demand “by putting some products where you cannot miss them” (Nestle, 501). It is not just a simple matter of providing a supply of product to meet a demand—but the creation of demand for a certain product—that is a central goal of a profit-driven food
Journalist, David H. Freedman, and author of How Junk Food Can End Obesity, dedicates an article to address the situation regarding the wholesome food movement. In his writings, he points out that although this new phenomenon brags about healthier foods being made available, there are some faulty aspects within the cause. Many loyal fast-food customers are put off by the anouncement of healthier menu items, while health fanatics are raving about restaurants catering to their needs. There are two types of consumers in the world of food; both of which are blind to the opposing sides’ work ethics.
To create a sound piece of writing it is imperative to develop skills that make the piece both enjoyable and understandable to the reader. By doing so we become academic writers who acknowledge the importance of careful and concise writing. The piece of writing that I found best exemplifies an academic piece in its use of Craft tips is “The Supermarket: Prime Real Estate”, by Nestle. I believe this because of its meta-commentary, outstanding framework while quoting, and use of transitional phrases. This particular essay pulls together ideas about a modest subject, the grocery store and its’ setup, in a way that is intriguing to the reader by the expansion of simple ideas,
What’s the difference between a Walmart and a farmers’ market? What causes these differences? And, what are we more partial to? Tracie McMillan delves into the intricacies and complications of our nation’s food industry in The American Way of Eating. Specifically, as McMillan integrates herself into the farming and grocer/selling aspect of the industry, it is evident the food system has been extremely successful in offering ‘abundance, accessibility, and affordability’ to its consumers.
In her book Marion Nestle examines many aspects of the food industry that call for regulation and closer examination. Nestle was a member of the Food Advisory Committee to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the 1990’s and therefore helps deem herself as a credible source of information to the audience. (Nestle 2003). Yet, with her wealth of knowledge and experience she narrates from a very candid and logical perspective, but her delivery of this knowled...
“We cannot be free if our food sources are controlled by someone else” (2). Berry argues that the average consumer buys food without question. That we depend on commercial suppliers, we are influenced by advertisements we see on TV and that interfere with our food choices. We buy what other people want us to buy. We have been controlled by the food industry, and regard eating as just something required for our survival.
In the documentary, Food Inc., we get an inside look at the secrets and horrors of the food industry. The director, Robert Kenner, argues that most Americans have no idea where their food comes from or what happens to it before they put it in their bodies. To him, this is a major issue and a great danger to society as a whole. One of the conclusions of this documentary is that we should not blindly trust the food companies, and we should ultimately be more concerned with what we are eating and feeding to our children. Through his investigations, he hopes to lift the veil from the hidden world of food.
In compliance with the essay, the title “The Pleasures of Eating” relays the thoughts of the author as he suggests that the true “Pleasure of Eating” is in the process, from personally growing the food to preparing it and knowing fully well the hard work and preparation needed to put the food on the table. The discussion does not stray from the topic at hand, rather it stays focused talking about important information with appropriate points. The points in this essay where each given their own merit by neither over nor underemphasizing any of them. Undeniably, the author assumes that most people access their information about food from commercials and do not actually put in any effort to know what goes into their food, though people do at least try to take a stand by seeking out organic food products; nevertheless, they are deceived as the government agencies set in place to aid them instead work against them with lax guidelines. The essayist observes the interactions between the consumers and their food; thereafter he reports based on his observations and creates this article to discuss this phenomenon objectively.
The article highlights and includes the documentary Food, Inc. which exposes the inability of the profit system to provide safe and healthy food for the vast majority of the population. Eric Schlosser investigating journalist quotes, “The way we eat has changed more in the last 50 years than in the previous 10,000…now our food is coming from enormous assembly lines where animals and the workers are being abused, and the food has become much more dangerous in ways that are deliberately hidden from us”. Schlosser also quotes, “Birds are now raised and slaughtered in half the time they were 50 years ago, but now they’re twice as big”. He believes they not only changed the chicken, but they changed the farmer implying that capitalism has taken the place for the need of small scale farming. In addition, Michael Pollan also a journalist believes that the vast array of choices which appears in everyday supermarkets is nothing but an “illusion of diversity”. The advancement of technology and how consumers react to products has been further developed and continues to be in this generation. Food scientists are now genetically modifying and engineering products to satisfy and manipulate consumers to desire more of these unhealthy product choices. The biggest advance in recent years has
Zinczenko shares his personal story about how fast-food restaurants such as Taco Bell and McDonald’s led to a weight problem during his high-school years. He claims that the ease of accessibility and lack of healthy alternatives make it all too easy to fall into the cycle of unhealthy eating. Zinczenko also contends that the lack of nutrition labels on fast-food products leaves the consumer in the dark about what he or she is actually consuming. At the time Zinczenko wrote his article, fast-food restaurants were not willingly disclosing nutritional values of their products. Today this has changed. Fast-food companies, including McDonald’s, have put the full nutritional information of their products directly on the packaging and wrappers. All other fast-food establishments either post it on the menu board (Panera), offer easy access to pamphlets containing all nutritional information of their menu in store, or have it easily accessible online (Taco Bell, KFC). I am sure that this is a helpful step forward toward educating the public as to what they are consuming, but has this new knowledge to consumers had a dramatic change toward ending obesity? No. People have always known that eating a Big Mac and fries with the giant soft drinks that McDonald’s and other chains offer is not healthy; putting the nutritional labels on these items has done little to nothing to stop people from eating these high-calorie meals. This again leads back to the point that people as consumers need to be more accountable to themselves and stop blaming others for what they willingly choose to put in their
of Philip Morris, said “People could point to these things and say, ‘They’ve got too much sugar, they’ve got too much salt […] 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.” (Moss 267) However, consumers are being unconsciously forced to fund food industries that produce junk food. Companies devote much of their time and effort into manipulating us to purchase their products. For instance, Kraft’s first Lunchables campaign aimed for an audience of mothers who had far too much to do to make time to put together their own lunch for their kids. Then, they steered their advertisements to target an even more vulnerable pool of people; kids. This reeled in even more consumers because it allowed kids to be in control of what they wanted to eat, as Bob Eckert, the C.E.O. of Kraft in 1999, said, “Lunchables aren’t about lunch. It’s about kids being able to put together what they want to eat, anytime, anywhere” (Moss 268). While parents are innocently purchasing Lunchables to save time or to satisfy the wishes of their children, companies are formulating more deceiving marketing plans, further studying the psychology of customers, and conducting an excessive quantity of charts and graphs to produce a new and addictive
The sole purpose of a company is to offer goods and services while making a profit. If people have a liking for food products with so many unhealthy items and are willing to buy them, the companies have no obligation to reduce the amount of added ingredients. The companies aren’t the ones forcing the public to overeat. However, these companies shouldn’t market their products to people who they can easily exploit, like children and those who are penurious. Michael Moss, author of the article “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food” interviews several people who worked for certain big brand companies and gives us an abundant amount of information on how the food companies make and market their food to “get us hooked”.
“Attention Whole Foods Shoppers” is an essay written by Robert Paarlberg for the May/June 2010 edition of Foreign Policy magazine. Foreign Policy was originally founded in 1970 with the intention of providing views on American foreign policy during the Vietnam war and does more or less of the same today. Paarlberg’s purpose in this essay is to convince an educated western audience that the Green Revolution was not a failure and improved life everywhere it took place, organic food having advantages over non-organic food is a myth, and the solution to food disparity is investing into agriculture modernization. With logos as the main mode of appeal, Paarlberg’s organization effectively sets up his points throughout the essay with consistently
Companies nowadays are using different and strong methods in marketing their food products. The Companies are very competitive, and the results can affect the people. When we think about this job field, it is convincing that those producers should use cleverly ways to gain their own living. In the other side they shouldn’t use misleading ways that could harm the people. Food companies should be straightforward with every marketing method they use. People have the right to know what they are consuming and also to know the effects of these products on them, whether it is harmful, useful, or even neutral.
The "Food/Challenge Corporate Abuse of Our Food." Corporate Accountability International. Stopcorporateabuse.org, 21 June 2013. Web. The Web.
Nestle, discloses information on public policy, how the food industry is one of the largest and most powerful industries, making profits of $1.3 trillion dollars on an annual basis. The article covered information on school food as well as strategies for change. Change can only come with cooperation and unity. In the meantime, children can be introduced to healthy foods and taught about the consequences of junk food (processed foods). Nestle, M. (2002).