Fast Food and the Obesity Problem
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/04/business/media/04ADCO.html
December 4, 2002
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Fast Food and the Obesity Problem
By NAT IVES
EALTH advocates and lawyers are increasingly trying to blame food
companies for the country's growing obesity problem, borrowing
tactics that anti-smoking advocates have used successfully against tobacco
companies and their addictive products.
While marketers and others may scoff at lawsuits like the one two New
York teenagers filed against McDonald's, accusing it of failing to provide
necessary information about health risks associated with its meals, some
analysts and brand experts assert that food companies have ignored the
developments at their peril.
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Fast Food and the Obesity Problem
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"It is very possible that tighter advertising restrictions will eventually
follow from the gathering pace of concern surrounding the spread of the
obesity epidemic," a report from UBS Warburg, the investment bank, said
last week . "There will probably be more lawsuits and pressure from
consumer groups to change practices."
News & Features
To head off any repercussions, many brand experts are urging the food
industry to act before it is permanently tagged "Big Food" in the public
eye. The suggested actions include posting more nutrition information
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12/4/02 8:17 AM
Fast Food and the Obesity Problem
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/04/business/media/04ADCO.html
more prominently, offering smaller portions, developing healthier menus
and generally expressing more concern over obesity.
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"They have a tremendous problem," said Alan Siegel, chairman at
Siegelgale, a brand consulting company in New York.
The medical community has increasingly focused on obesity, Mr. Siegal
said. "The natural link, in the media, has been to the high-profile fast-food
companies, which are now being depicted as villains."
Although dieting fads and body worship have long been staples of pop
culture, obesity as a health concern received new attention last December,
when the surgeon general reported that obesity among children had doubled
since 1980. Among teenagers, obesity has tripled.
In July, the first lawsuit citing fast-food companies for obesity problems
was filed by Caesar Barber, a 56-year-old New Yorker with a history of
heart attacks, diabetes and high blood pressure. The lawsuit accused
McDonald's, with a history of heart attacks, diabetes and high blood
pressure. The lawsuit accused McDonald's, the Burger King unit of Diageo,
the KFC unit of Yum Brands and Wendy's International of deceptive
marketing. The lawsuit has been delayed, but a second one was filed in
August, this one on behalf of the parents of two teenage girls, who each
weigh 200 pounds or more.
As in the tobacco wars, the fight is partly driven by lawyers like John F.
Banzhaf, a professor at George Washington University Law School and an
experienced litigant against tobacco companies. He asserts that incomplete
disclosure of health risks is unacceptable corporate behavior, and his
position seems to be gaining ground more quickly than occurred in the
battle against tobacco companies; he and his allies filed more than 700
tobacco lawsuits before one reached court, he said.
The parallels go only so far. Unlike tobacco, fast food and high-calorie
snacks are not addictive. But any echoes of the battles over tobacco must
be taken seriously, brand consultants said.
McDonald's asserted last month that the lawsuit against it should be
dismissed. A spokesman for McDonald's, Walt Riker, said yesterday,
"McDonald's is doing what we've done for decades: offer a menu of quality
food and real variety to all of our customers, backed by detailed nutrition
information about our products."
Even before the lawsuits, some food companies were moving to address
obesity. McDonald's, for example, has pledged to cut the trans-fatty acids
in its French fries by almost half by early 2003. PepsiCo, which owns
Frito-Lay, introduced low-fat Doritos this fall and plans to begin selling
reduced-fat Cheetos, a product intended to address schools' concerns about
selling fatty snacks to children, said Richard Detwiler, a spokesman for the
company, which is based in Purchase, N.Y.
At the same time, the Center for Consumer Freedom, a group representing
restaurants and food companies, asserts that blaming food companies for
obesity is a mistake.
John Doyle, a spokesman for the center in Washington, said obesity is
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being exploited and exaggerated by groups that want the government to
become a nanny for its citizens. "The rest of this," he said, "is a bunch of
special interests jumping on the bandwagon," like animal-rights and
anticorporate groups.
Momentum, in the end, may matter as much as the merits.
Jason Streets, a research analyst at Warburg, said the lawsuit against
McDonald's might be a long shot, but it symbolized changing attitudes
toward food companies.
Mr. Siegel agreed, saying the lawsuit, once laughed at, is now being taken
seriously. But for food companies, addressing the problems of obesity or
public relations may not hinge on changing advertising strategies, he said.
Companies must reposition their brands, he said, to represent healthier
choices, smaller portions, or more transparent health information. And in
doing so, the food companies may actually strengthen their businesses.
"They can't duck it," said Steve Lawrence, executive vice president at
Straightline International in New York. He said one company, the Subway
Restaurants' sandwich chain, has aggressively courted health-conscious
consumers.
Consumers say they want healthier food, said Robert Passikoff, president
at Brand Keys, a brand and consumer loyalty consulting company. But
marketers cannot rely on what people say, or on successfully introducing
health-consciousness to brands that never had it before, he said, noting the
bumpy introduction of no-fat products, using Olestra, by Procter &
Gamble.
"You're talking about brands where their equities and their images are fairly
well entrenched," he said. "The best bets, especially for McDonald's, is to
look to its heritage and adapt to the situation, rather than trying to be
something that they're clearly not and never will be."
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Fast Food and the Obesity Problem
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/04/business/media/04ADCO.html
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