For Immediate Release: October 19, 2000
Contact: Maggie Sheen,or Glen Weldon 202/328-7744
Value Marketing Is Making America Fat, Research Institute Says
Nutrition Expert Blasts Food Industry's "More for Less" Sales Strategies
WASHINGTON, DC -- The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is asking Americans to buck a food industry trend that is contributing to the nation's obesity epidemic. "Value marketing" appeals to the consumer's desire for bargains by offering more product for less money. Speaking today at the American Dietetic Association Conference in Denver, AICR Director of Nutrition Education Melanie Polk, RD, said that this marketing strategy is having a measurable and unfortunate long-term effect on national health.
As "family-sized" packaging began appearing in supermarket aisles, "supersizes," "value meals," and other oversized portions became commonplace in the nation's eating establishments. AICR's Polk wants Americans to understand that this kind of targeting by food manufacturers, food retailers and restaurants comes with certain health risks.
"Americans have to keep in mind that getting more food for less money has an inescapable -- and often overlooked -- downside," she said. "It simply shifts the pressure from our wallets to our waistbands."
Today, more Americans than ever -- 55 percent, according to the National Institutes of Health -- are clinically overweight, while one in every four is obese (severely overweight.) In fact, figures released this month from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the nation's obesity rose 6 percent between 1998 and 1999 alone. Together, these numbers indicate that for the first time in history, most of the American population is at increased risk for obesity-related diseases like certain cancers, coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, gallbladder disease and osteoarthritis. But does the growth in portion sizes factor largely in the American obesity crisis? According to a survey commissioned by AICR earlier this year, the answer is yes.
When it comes to weight management, the overwhelming majority of Americans underestimate the importance of portion control. Three out of four respondents to the AICR survey said that eating certain types of food while avoiding others was more important for weight management than simply eating less food.
The survey also found that 26 percent of Americans base the amount of food they consume on how much food they are served. Interestingly, this passive approach to portions (once known as the "Clean-Plate Club") is more prevalent among overweight Americans than those who say they are at their ideal weight.
Food Industry Makes the Case for Value Marketing
But when it comes to bigger portions, representatives of the food industry say they are only responding to consumer demand, not creating it.
"Last I checked, it's the consumer who's shoveling all that food into his mouth, not the food industry," said Dr. John L. Stanton, Professor of Food Marketing at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. "I don't think there's any question that portion sizes are getting bigger, but it doesn't make sense to hold restaurants or food manufacturers to blame for giving their customers exactly what those customers say they want. That's called customer service."
Dr. Stanton, an industry consultant, lecturer, and co-author of Twenty-One Trends in Food Marketing, cited consumer surveys conducted by food marketers in which respondents consistently rate "value" as one of the most important considerations when buying food at home or in restaurants. From an industry perspective, Stanton said, it comes down to simple economics -- the cheapest way to give customers extra value is to increase portion sizes.
"If you're a restaurant owner, for example, you can give your customers value in one of two ways," he explained. "You can either cut your prices, or you can put more food on your plates. And when it comes down to a choice between cutting your prices by a dollar, or giving people about thirty cents worth of extra food, it's pretty much a no-brainer."
The problem, said AICR's Polk, is that Americans are eating all that extra food. US Department of Agriculture statistics show that American total daily caloric intake has risen from 1,854 kcal to 2,002 kcal over the last 20 years. That significant increase -- 148 calories per day --theoretically works out to an extra 15 pounds every year. Thus, Polk said, what's good for the food industry may be bad for American health. As food profits increase, so do the numbers on the nation's bathroom scales. The billions of dollars spent each year to promote food products only intensifies the problem. According to the USDA, more advertising dollars are spent each year by the US food industry than by any other source. Conservative estimates place the figures at $11 billion for advertising and another $22 billion on trade shows, incentives and other consumer promotions.
AICR Offers Practical Advice to Combat Value Marketing "Value marketing has confused Americans about what a normal and appropriate portion of food should look like," said Polk. "With every oversized fast food meal or 64-ounce soft drink we see, we lose perspective." She stressed that food portions aren't one-size-fits-all. The amount of food a person consumes should reflect that person's highly individual needs. According to an AICR brochure called The New American Plate, one way to regain perspective on portions is to spend a few minutes with a measuring cup. The Institute says that simply by "eyeballing" the USDA standardized serving sizes of some favorite foods, people can easily develop an important and empowering sense of appropriate portions.
Specifically, the brochure advises readers to fill a measuring cup or spoon with a single serving of an oft-eaten food (the precise amount is found on the "Nutrition Facts" label) and empty it out onto a clean plate or bowl. Simply by doing this once or twice, AICR says, individuals get a mental snapshot of what a single serving of that food really looks like. Many will be surprised to learn, Polk said, that the bowl of cereal they eat every morning contains twice or even three times the servings (and fat, and calories, and sugar) than they realize. Armed with this knowledge, a person can gradually make appropriate adjustments in mealtime portion sizes. This is one way to buck the "bigger is better" trend now ruling the American marketplace.
Advice for Dining Out Although this advice is helpful when creating meals at home, studies show more Americans are eating out than ever before. In the AICR survey, nearly half of respondents said they ate out or ordered take-out more than twice a week. A surprising 14 percent of Americans said they do so five or more times a week. So AICR has also drawn up some simple advice for dealing with enormous restaurant and fast-food portions. "Say small, say half, and share," said Polk. "If you're given the option, order the small. It may not seem cost-effective, but it's enough food to satisfy most people.
In the long run, the calories you save will more than make up for the extra pennies you spend." Choosing the regular burger instead of the quarter-pound size saves about 160 calories. Ordering a cup of cream of mushroom soup instead of a bowl cuts the calories by half -- a whopping 180 calories. Stopping after just one cup of pasta on a three-cup platter saves almost 300 calories. "At table-service restaurants, ask the server to put half of your entree in a doggie bag before bringing it to your table. This strategy, of course, is very cost-effective -- it provides two full meals for the price of one." Finally, Polk said, sharing entrees and desserts (if ordered) is a fun and economical way to keep both cost and calories down.
Demand Less for Less Polk predicted that things aren't going to get any better for weight-conscious Americans anytime soon. "Food makers, marketers and restaurants are going to continue to compete for the American dollar. That means that portion sizes are going to continue to get bigger, and, unless we take action, so will we. At this point, the only way to inject a little sanity back into the discussion is for consumers to stand up and demand it."
Polk believes that if enough people call for it, restaurants could be cajoled into offering reasonable portions. "Tell them you don't want more for less. Tell them you want less for less -- less food for even less money. You want to sit down and enjoy an amount of food that you can finish without feeling stuffed, at a fair and reasonable price."
AICR's New American Plate brochure contains additional advice about gauging healthy and appropriate portions, along with recipe ideas for achieving a cancer-fighting proportion of plant-based foods in every meal. A free copy of the brochure is available by calling 1-800-843-8114, ext. 30, Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern Time. The brochure can also be ordered via the Institute's website: www.aicr.org
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The American Institute for Cancer Research is the nation's third largest cancer charity and focuses exclusively on the link between diet and cancer. The Institute provides a wide range of consumer education programs that have helped millions of Americans learn to make dietary changes for lower cancer risk. AICR also supports innovative research in cancer prevention and treatment at universities, hospitals and research centers across the U.S. The Institute has provided over $50 million in funding for research in diet, nutrition and cancer. Visit the Institute online at www.aicr.org
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