Saturday, November 13, 2010

When someone tries to speak up

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is a company who's mission is centered around providing information to policy makers concerning health and nutrition, and "ensure that science and technology are used for the public good and to encourage scientists to engage in public-interest activities." One of their acts included planning to sue the Cadbury-Shweppes company, owner of 7-UP, for using the "All-Natural" label as a marketing tool for the flavors in their beverage.
I find this fascinating because there is no law against using the words "All-Natural", since the term has no concrete definition. It would, however, be illegal if the company had slapped a "Certified Organic" sticker on their drink, one that has the backing of a national organization (and approved by the USDA).
On their website, The Center for Science in the Public Interest lays out "Six Arguments for a Green Diet."
http://www.cspinet.org/EatingGreen/download.html
These arguments include "Less Chronic Disease and Better Overall Health, Less Foodborne Illness, Better Soil, More and Cleaner Water, Cleaner Air, Less Animal Suffering." They give us six different ways having a green diet is important, and each one can appeal to either the animal lover, the environment lover, the health nut, or the humanist. This is meant to coerce us into reading this extensive study on why the way WE eat affects the entire well being of mankind. 
The company may be doing its part to help save the world (which I am all for, don't get me wrong), but they are unfortunately not quite as good of marketers as the hegemonic forces like Cadbury-Shweppes, who fooled us with the "All-Natural" label for years. If this company truly wants to fight the power of High Fructose Corn Syrup and the junk food diet our children thrive on, they will have to do a little more (and write a little less on their reports) to reach outside the small number of people who actually read the science behind "eating green".

1 comment:

  1. I agree with you about the whole label-scams that marketers use to sell products, especially where food is concerned. That old adage "you can't believe everything you read" is more relevant today than ever. We just can't trust the content included in labels anymore. The whole "organic" vs. "processed" food debate is another example. There is no difference in organic vs. non-organic produce, except how it's marketed.

    ReplyDelete