A rather alarming report came out today from ESPN regarding food safety issues at a number of sports facilities across the country. ESPN reviewed health department inspection reports for 107 arenas and stadiums that were home to Major League Baseball, National Football League, National Hockey League and National Basketball Association teams in 2009.
Today, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, (CSPI) a nutrition watchdog group based out of Washington D.C., threatened to slap McDonald’s with a lawsuit, saying their toys lure small children to the restaurant and that by doing so, they are using unfair and deceptive marketing practices which are illegal under various state consumer protection laws.
When people find out I’m a dietitian, one of the first things they say is “you must love to cook.” My answer… “not so much.” Eyebrows rise. How can that be?
Fortune magazine published an article this week on what our diets might look like in 10 years. My take-away from the piece: we’ll be straddling two worlds due by and large to technology. On one hand it will be highly personalized. We'll be able to select foods specific to our individual health needs. On the other hand it will become pretty impersonal. Technology will focus on numbers and nutrients so we choose “good things” based on a score versus on an understanding and interest in the flavors and fun of good food.
Some food manufacturers are grabbing “healthy” headlines as of late. Last week, Pepsi Co. reported that by 2012 they’ll remove all of their full-calorie, sweetened drinks from schools in more than 200 countries. Yesterday, they announced they’ll cut the sodium in their major snack food brands such as Doritos and Fritos by 25 percent within the next five years. They’ll also drop the sugar in drinks by 25 percent over the next 10 and reduce the saturated fat in their snack foods by 15 percent. Hmmmm. Should we be thankful or skeptical?
Who would have thought that there’s a “system” or psychology to writing restaurant menus? True. There’s a whole science to the way many establishments lay out their offerings, price them and entice you to order up.
It’s been a good couple of weeks for kids. A flurry of media attention has focused on their health—the discouraging trends surrounding it; a call to action to by the government to turn the tide and research findings that show to improve it, there’s no place like home.
You’d think January 1st would be the time when most people’s serious efforts to be “healthier” begin. The start of a new year is a fresh page so… dig in. But, according to Harry Balzer of NPD Group, a consumer marketing research firm headquartered in Port Washington, New York, March is the month when many folks really buckle down and actually make a more dogged effort to be healthy.
I’m a Michael Pollan fan. You have to admire his ability to stir up a meaningful and meaty conversation about the quality of the food we eat. We should all appreciate the spotlight he’s shone on how much of the food in this country is grown and produced, and I envy his knack for keeping the heat turned up on some troubling issues.
That’s the word on the street. Healthy eating is a good indicator of improved consumer confidence.