Food-writer Michael Pollan advises consumers to take nutrition information “with a grain of salt”
BY BRIDGET MACDONALD - MEDILL NEWS SERVICE
More than 400 people flocked to Chicago’s Harold Washington Library Center Monday evening, hungry for kernels of wisdom from watchdog food writer Michael Pollan, author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto.”
In the program, a conversation with Chicago journalist Bill Kurtis for Chicago Matters, Pollan advised consumers to take nutrition claims on food packaging “with a grain of salt.” According to Pollan, 90 percent of advertising dollars in the food industry are spent on marketing processed foods.
Since 1977, when the Senate’s select committee on nutrition decided for the first time to set overarching nutrition goals for the country, Pollan said government and industry leaders have been negotiating dietary guidelines that determine how we eat. The result has been the advent of “nutritionism”, the evaluation of food in terms of nutrient parts rather than as just, say, a bunch of broccoli in its own right.
Pollan explained that ironically our overall health has not improved, citing increasing rates of obesity and diabetes; yet food companies have reaped the rewards. While it is difficult to change the image of a whole food, he said, processed foods are easily re-engineered to reflect the latest health trends.
Marveling at the shrewdness of the industry, Pollan said food companies have even honed in on his writing for tips on how to remarket products. Among the suggestions in his latest book for helping conscious consumers navigate grocery store aisles is the recommendation to avoid products that contain more than five ingredients.
But he pointed out that Häagen-Dazs recently launched a new line of ice cream called “five,” which contain only five ingredients. “It’s still ice cream!” Pollan said.
In response to the ever-evolving marketing tactics, he offered a new foolproof caveat for shoppers: “Avoid any foods you’ve ever seen advertised.”
Although Pollan’s criticisms weighed heavily on food companies, he called on consumers, educators and policy makers to help reform the American food system, proposing greater financial support for regional farmers, and an overhaul of the national school lunch program as avenues for bringing about key changes in our eating culture.
“When you give kids chicken nuggets and tater tots and ten minutes to eat, you are building the next generation of fast food consumers,” Pollan said.
Tags: agriculture, Chicago Matters, Michael Pollan, nutrition
