Big Sugar-Big Problem

Are tobacco companies responsible for lung cancer?

Are Sugar companies responsible for negative health outcomes?

Are fast food companies involved for obesity?

Are car companies to blame for automobile accidents?

Are expensive gym memberships to blame for not working out?

I believe that they boil down to a personal problem. We cannot sit here and point our fingers at industries who manufacture products or services that lead to negative outcomes.

I do not believe that food and beverage manufacturers have neither an ethical nor a legal responsibility to consumers who experience negative health outcomes from consuming products with added sugar but I do believe that they should be regulated, but not taxed.

I think that this image perfectly describes my thoughts, “You can’t compete with what you eat.” It does not state “You can’t compete with what the manufacturers and marketers do for the poor choices you make” Chelsea Fagan brings up a great point; yes I do understand there are multiple aspects to obesity, and negative health, but no one is forcing us to eat added sugar.

One point that Fagan makes is that obesity is tied to race and class, that “if you are a low-income black woman in America, you are twice as likely as a wealthy white woman to be obese in your lifetime.” But with regards to that, there is a root cause for that reason which is a food desert which are “neighborhoods and communities — disproportionately represented in urban areas like New York City or Chicago — where access to fresh, healthy, affordable food is heavily restricted or non-existent, and where the only “grocery stores” are poorly-stocked convenience shops." In a way I would like to state that it is a choice to eat those foods, but it may be harder to find the foods one needs. In the end I believe that it is a personal choice if they would like to create a healthy lifestyle free of added sugars. 

From a marketing standpoint, it is not their responsibility to care for the health of consumers. Eating a bag of chips is not going to make you have health problems, but if you eat multiple bags each day that is when health problems occur- but the manufacturer is not to blame. Many people look to blame fast food chains for obesity, but Jennifer Poti states that "While reducing fast food is important to improve dietary quality, we [also] need to focus on the rest of the diet.” 

Coca-Cola Great Britain has touched on the issue of marketing, and has made a public statement about what they have chosen to do.

Coca‑Cola has had a long-standing commitment to responsible marketing for many years, and in 2009 we set out explicitly what these commitments mean in practice.
The Responsible Marketing Charter is a set of principles that guide our entire approach to marketing and establish firm rules for what we should and shouldn't do. We use independent auditors to check that we're complying with the principles set out in the charter. 

Some highlights from the Responsible Marketing CharterWe don't market any drinks to children under 12 because we believe parents should choose the drinks that are right for their families. We help parents make informed choices through better consumer informationWe will work with an independent consultancy to constantly monitor TV ad placementWe do not have direct commercial agreements with primary schools and are only in secondary schools by invitationWe will not associate ourselves with cinema films where the core audience is under 12"
 

From a Marketing perspective they have done something respectable. While still letting the public know they are a corporation who cares about their consumers but is out to make a profit. While Coca-Cola acknowledged not marketing to young children, they did not mention anything about changing their marketing strategy that would mention the amount of sugar that is added to their beverages.

When looking at how companies should market their product, it begins at the label. Mars has now ceased the manufacturing of their king size Snicker bar and now puts two bars into one package. Mars also places the calories and serving sizes on the front of the candy, with a more detailed description on the back. The redesign shows ‘Mars’ commitment to health and nutrition 

"By providing clear, concise and understandable information to consumers about what's inside all of our products, we will help them to make informed decisions about the foods they eat."

 Mars now does not have the market their product differently, they have now informed customers on the choices that they make when purchasing the candy bar. I think big sugar” companies are exempt from further responsibility to consumer health by redesigning their labels for easier reading.

I think that due to the economic and class breakdown, and an increase in obesity in certain age groups, it is important for marketers to not scam young adult’s health. One brand that does a great job of improving overall health along with a sugary cereal is FrostedFlakes by Kellogg’s.

When looking at the Frost Flakes website the first thing that catches my eye is the image of a child participating in a sports activity, along with “Flakes for Fuel.” Marketers have done what they can to enable children to be healthy, but also promote their product.

When I was younger, I remember earning my stripes on the Frosted Flakes website, this taught me that I need to be active but eating my favorite cereal can help me do that. What Frosted Flakes has done is the best way to create an image that promotes a healthy lifestyle and their sugary product at the same time.

Brands are not out in the market to be deceptive, they do care about customers and offer nutrition information, it is just up to the customer to search for it. Frito Lay creates a whole section of their website dedicated to the ingredients they use in their products.  Looking at the landing page, it is obvious they care about health, reducing salt, trans fat and getting ingredients from farms.

These 'big sugar' companies are doing their end of the deal and providing the information needed to make healthy decisions. They should not be taxed more, or be scrutinized by not keeping up with the all organic and quonia fads that are trending.  

Overall, brands are here to provide a product and to make a profit. We do not have to like all of the products, and they shouldn't scam consumers. But it is in the consumers hand's to gain knowledge about labels, added ingredients and deceptive- I mean brilliant marketing tactics. Just the way with smoking, it was a personal choice to pick up a pack, just as it is to pick up the bag of four nacho cheese extra crunch Doritos.