MONTREAL (PasseportSanté.net), December 4, 2003 – While the ever-growing sedentary lifestyle of the population is frequently singled out to explain the rampant obesity epidemic which is sweeping the world, the marketing techniques deployed by the agri-food industry , would have an equally important effect, although it often goes unnoticed.
“The sedentary lifestyle rate has remained virtually unchanged for ten years,” explained DD Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at New York University, during the 7es Annual public health days. Yet during the same period, the number of obese people has more than doubled in the United States. We can therefore conclude that people are consuming more calories than before. “
DD Nestle estimates that the US food industry today produces for each consumer just under 4,000 calories per day – double what the average person needs.
And the industry will stop at nothing to convince consumers to swallow all those extra calories. Last year, for example, the advertising budgets of McDonald’s, Pepsi and Burger King reached 1.3 billion, 1.1 billion and 650 million US dollars, respectively. By comparison, the best-funded US government campaign in history to promote healthy eating had a budget of $ 2 million.
These figures are even more alarming when we know that they do not include the advertising coupons that are distributed, the sponsorship campaigns or the promotional items that are offered.
“A quarter of the advertisements we see in a year relate to food,” explained Lyne Mongeau, scientific advisor at the Institut national de santé publique du Québec. But 75% of the products advertised are not part of Canada’s Food Guide. “
In abundance
Food is also more abundant and cheaper than ever in North America. Thus, it is estimated that around 10,000 new food products are launched on the market each year. In 1990, Christie brought six varieties of its popular Oreo cookies to the market; last year there were 27. In 30 years, in the United States, the number of products offered in the “candy” category has increased from 250 to 2,500.
As for the cost, North Americans spend about 10% of their annual income on food, the lowest percentage on the planet. In 2001, in Canada, consumers spent 38% of their food budget on catering products, consuming meals much higher in sugar, fat and salt than those prepared at home.
The urgency of the situation is however increasingly evident. In Quebec, from 1972 to 1992 (the most recent year for which figures are available), the percentage of men suffering from overweight (those with a body mass index greater than 25) increased from 47% at58%; for women, this figure jumped from 34% to 41%.
Advertising campaigns frequently target young people, where their impact is starting to be felt. A study conducted from 1993 to 1997 by Dr. Gilles Paradis, of McGill University, in fifteen schools in the Montreal region found that each year, 1% more students are overweight. Dr. Paradis further claims that up to 63% of school-aged children who suffer from obesity will grow up to be obese adults.
Jean-Benoit Legault – PasseportSanté.net
