Confessions of a former Big Food executive……

Posted on November 9, 2011 by bethfinnigan

…….an intersting post from a man with first hand experience working in the world of multinational food companies.  He sheds light on the profit driven motives and the  can’t convince ‘em, then confuse ‘em  methodology used to market their processed food products.  The best defense to the “high cost of cheap food”:  Take a stand for real food – know what you’re buying, what you’re supporting and what you’re eating – and vote with your dollars.

There is no free lunch. Over the long-term, you always get what you pay for. Cheap food is very expensive once you add up the true costs — like the taxes you pay to subsidize Big Food companies, health consequences like obesity or diabetes, the devastating harm to our environment, and the inhumane treatment of animals raised within the industrialized food system.

Read the post: http://www.grist.org/food/2011-11-02-confessions-of-a-big-food-executive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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the high cost of cheap

Posted on October 17, 2011 by bethfinnigan

The greatest challenge in healthy vending is how people react to the slightly higher pricing.  The real issue here is the value of what you are actually buying.  Cheap food is usually cheap for a reason — cheap ingredients. Healthy snacks provide your body with the food it needs and recognizes — rather than empty calories and ingredients not found on any daily requirement list.

Take for example a MilkyWay; yummy right? But what’s it got nutritionally?  Not much:  270 calories, 11g of fat, 1g of fiber, 2g of protein and 6% of calcium. Ok, now look at a Clif Bar — equally as yummy, but 240 calories, 6g of fat, 5g of fiber, whopping 11g of protein!, 25% of calcium & iron, 10% vitamin D, magnesium, and much more. The $1.50 Clif Bar is by far the better value.

And lets talk about the cost to our health of constantly eating empty, sugary calories.  We all know that obesity rates are at an all time high.  Doctors are seeing skyrocketing obesity rates in both adults and children yet they are literally starving nutritionally.  We all have to reevaluate the food choices we make. Consider not only the sticker price, but the value of our choices and our long term health.

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High Fructose Corn Syrup

Posted on October 8, 2011 by bethfinnigan

what is this stuff anyway?

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFC S) is a sugar manufactured by altering corn’s naturally occurring starch molecules.  The result of this process renders the fructose molecules in HFCS “free and unbound”.  In essence, no digestion is required – it heads right to your blood stream and liver.  Lovely.

and why is that a problem?

For starters, obesity rates have soared in the four decades since manufacturers began loading everything from soft drinks to ketchup with this fake syrup.  Its cheap (on its intake anyway) and its super sweet.  Cane sugar – clearly not the best thing we eat, however, its real and has to has to go through the channels of digestion.  Manufacturers using HFCS were able to balloon the average size of soda from 8 to 20 ounces with little financial cost.  Cheap, sweet and dangerous.  Obese children are at an increased risk of a long list of chronic health problems such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis and some cancers.  None of this comes as much of a shock. But here’s something that most people probably would find surprising: Despite the fact that they generally eat more than enough food, overweight children also can suffer from malnutrition.  In other words, they are eating foods that are nutritionally deficient – food your body cannot use.

Read your labels and vote with your dollars.

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Welcome!

Posted on October 4, 2011 by bethfinnigan

Welcome to EcoVending NH!

Please excuse the appearance as we are setting up our website.  Feel free to browse our content and contact us with any questions that you may have!

Thank you for your patience!

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