Mom Does Not Always Know Best

(cross-posted from La Marguerite Blog)

We've all witnessed that scene. A mom, obviously not rich, waiting in line with her brood, at the checkout counter, her shopping cart overflowing with bottled water and sodas. Inspired by that image, I decided to take a look at some hard Nielsen data on U.S grocery sales, and came across some rather stunning numbers:

Add it all up, and you've got the majority of households spending between a fourth and a third of their grocery budget on junk, and empty calories. That's a lot of money that could be used on other more nutritious groceries such as milk, fruit, vegetable, meat, and other non processed food. It's also wasted precious dollars in increasingly dire economic times.

There are plenty of reasons why women - the primary grocery shoppers - persist with such deplorable spending habits. Ten, according to a recent report from US News & World Report, '10 Things the Food Industry Doesn't Want You to Know':

1. Junk food makers spend billions advertising unhealthy foods to kids
2. The studies that food producers support tend to minimize health concerns associated with their products
3. Junk food makers donate large sums of money to professional nutrition associations
4. More processing means more profits, but typically makes the food less healthy
5. Less-processed foods are generally more satiating than their highly processed counterparts
6. Many supposedly healthy replacement foods are hardly healthier than the foods they replace
7. A health claim on the label doesn't necessarily make a food healthy
8. Food industry pressure has made nutritional guidelines confusing
9. The food industry funds front groups that fight antiobesity public health initiatives
10. The food industry works aggressively to discredit its critics

Will the stores take the relay and act as advocates for the shoppers? According to another study, this one from Bishop Consulting, 'In-Store Nutritionists Will Be as Commonplace as Pharmacists within Ten Years', some encouraging trends are taking place in grocery retail, along with initiatives from some manufacturers. 

Comments

[GoVeg]

The only health food is fresh, organic fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds. The rest is junk food.

[Checquoline]

New England eats the healthiest of the nation. Farmer's co-ops, Trader Joes and Whole foods are the most popular stores. Wal Mart does not sell groceries here except for the usual unhealthy snacks. Fast food is still a problem although most parents try to avoid it as much as possible. I also think there are more vegetarians here than elsewhere. Pop corn, made at home, not microwave, is still the healthiest snack and also cheapest.

[paul m]

not to mention all the impulsive trips to the mall when your feeling down!

[lamarguerite]

MCMilker, just so you know, I have been spending most of my time lately, thinking of ways to work with retailers on that issue. I will keep you posted on my progress.

LitDr2B, of course this is a problem that goes across all demographics. With the poor, however, it is even more unfair, as they are being 'forced' to waste some of their precious dollars on literally empty calories. Bottled water being the most obvious. There needs to be a movement to empower citizens to take charge of their lives, and their pocketbook. The more this issue gets talked about, the more awareness.

[LitDr2B]

It's not just the "not rich," either. I live in a very affluent and exclusive suburb in Northern California, and you should see what the upscale, affluent types here are feeding their kids. It really is horrendous. Bringing Krispy Kreme doughnuts for an after-soccer-game snack? And washing it down with Capri-Sun? Come on, folks.

[MCMilker]

Great post Marguerite!

Living on the West Coast, I'm sometimes started by national numbers. Great information on how manufacturers work to increase the bottom line - but take nutrtion out of foods and then spend marketing dollars to promote it.

But another aspect of "whose in charge?" comes down to responsibility by Retailers. The availability of healthy food is limited. I know we buy little at our chain grocery store, as true healthy choices are often not available.

More and More - it's not the manufacturers dictating what's on store shelves by showing how much they spend on advertising...it's retailers who spend many more millions on their own advertising who decide what to offer on their shelves.

So...next time you want to complain - write to Safeway or Winn-Dixie or Wal-Mart not Kraft! (or maybe AND Kraft)

[Marguerite Manteau-Rao - Huffpost Blogger]

Yes, Nadine, it is a steep hill to climb. Lots of it has to do with education, to counter the power of advertising. Also, give the economic downturn a little more time, and you will most likely start seeing some shifts. It has already happened with people eating more at home. Next, may be cutting out some inessentials such as cookies and snacks, or bottled water. There was a Unilever study that came out this year that shows some attitudinal shifts in that direction.

[nadinesellers]

The Nielsen ratings demonstrate what i have observed here in the Midwest and elsewhere as well.
No matter how much information gets spread about nutrition, most shoppers will not buy the best for their family, but rather the most convenient, the quickest, the latest and the prettiest. Appeal varies by color, packaging and social trends
.
Food waste has not subsided with the economic downturn, choices have been limited. Ready snacks and frozen goodies are still piled high on most mom's carts. Plastic reigns untouched. Chartreuse and Puce, Orange day-glow and High yellow catch the eye of the children who tyranize the budget.

Television dictates, children anticipate; and harried, worried mothers actuate the purchase, often against their will or best judgment. I hear the bickering; the classic battle of it's good for you and i want this.
Who is in charge here? Who has given up the sensible reins for the slim purse strings?