Don't let food fool you

How many of you eat the same cereal you did when you were ten? Do you remember why you originally tried to convince Mom or Dad to buy that cereal? Your reasons probably included the following: it was sugary, it tasted good -- and it came with a special prize in the bottom of the box.

Such food marketing has become a popular way of changing what people purchase at their local grocery store. In addition to the kid-friendly "toy-at-the-bottom-of-the-box" ploy, food companies have developed tactics that may fool even the most savvy food consumers.

Aside from the obvious methods of including prizes or marketing foods through favorite TV and movie characters, food marketers use specific colors, phrases, names and even aisle locations to attract your attention so that you'll buy their items.

First, colors: did you ever notice that, during the "fat-free" phase of recent years, everything has been packaged or written in the color green? It is generally understood that colors have differing effects on your mood and sensations. Green -- a natural, earthy color -- is often associated with increasing hunger.

In addition to color, marketing companies use catchy designs on items such as cereals and snack foods to grab your attention and influence your purchase. Little do most consumers know that thousands of dollars and hours of time are spent testing and re-testing packaging strategies.

Phrasing in food marketing has received a great deal of attention in recent years. There are specific guidelines that limit what can and cannot be said about certain food items, but many food companies have worked their way around these barriers to create tricky packaging and lingo on their products.

"The average consumer spends only seven seconds making each individual food choice in the supermarket," said professor Susan Roberts, Ph.D from the School of Nutrition. "In that time, with the current labeling, all you can do is read the name and look at the pictures on the front."

With this knowledge, food-marketing companies take advantage of you as the consumer. They often cover their packaging with misleadingly mouth-watering pictures and descriptions that do not accurately describe the food contained within. For example, Quaker Oats' Peaches & Cream Instant Oatmeal contains no peaches, just bits of artificially colored dehydrated apples.

In addition, the popular "Veggie Chips" found all over grocery stores and health use misleading wording to make consumers think that they are eating a product that is "better for them" than regular potato chips. These chips, depending on the manufacturer, are often just potato chips with added spinach or carrot powder. They may also be made of other starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes, beets, and yams -- sliced and fried the same way regular potato chips are.

The problem with these chips is the same as that with the regular old Lay's Potato Chips: the processing, frying, oil, and salt make the "vegetable" no longer a healthy food choice.

"That kind of labeling cheats consumers," Executive Director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest Michael Jacobson, Ph.D. said.

Further deception takes place with labeling. Most items labeled "low-fat" actually have as many (if not more) calories, and often more sodium, than their full-fat counterparts. It is well known that calories, not fat grams, add to your waistline, and some fat content contributes to making you feel full and satisfied. In many cases, then, snacks of the full-fat variety may actually be the better choice.

Now that you realize some of the problems with the packaging of your food items, you need to realize what the grocery store does to "trick" you into buying what they want you to buy. This often comes down to price. The most expensive (and often less-healthy) food items are strategically placed at the eye-level of the average consumer, forcing you to look up or down to see less expensive food items.

Think about it -- as you walk down your local grocery store aisles, what cereals are at the five-foot-six eye-level? Typically not the Shredded Wheat, regular Cheerios or plain oatmeal, but instead, Kellogg's Corn Pops, Fruit Loops, or sugary flavored instant oatmeal varieties.

Also, beware if you are a "special" cardholder for many grocery stores. Weekly "important shopper discounts" offer a higher percentage of sugary cereals, high-sodium instant rice packages, and highly processed frozen meals than they do fresh, healthier produce items.

The next time you head to the grocery store, go through the doors armed with this information. Plan to spend a little more time than usual at the store making sure that you don't get fooled by marketing tricks. That way, you'll leave with a smaller bill and bags of healthier, more wholesome food.