Pledge By Food Industry To Trim Calories From Products Has Two Big Flaws

May 19, 2010: 03:58 AM EST

The recent pledge by big food companies to trim 1.5 trillion calories from products by 2015 may keep the regulatory wolf at bay, but it isn't going to make Americans healthier or slimmer, writes Melanie Warner. One problem is that cutting calories in a food does not necessarily make it healthier. “Just because you’re eating a Pop-Tart that now has fewer calories doesn’t mean that it’s better for you.” It still lacks essential nutrients. Another problem is that big restaurant companies did not join the initiative, and they are much bigger contributors to the obesity problem than food companies. Americans, after all, spend half of their food dollars at restaurants, especially the fast-food variety. Without participation by the restaurant industry, efforts to fight obesity “are going to fall flat.”

Melanie Warner, "Food Industry's Calorie Reduction Pledge: Smart Marketing, but Dumb Nutrition", BNET, May 19, 2010, © CBS Interactive Inc.

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Pledge By Food Industry To Trim Calories From Products Has Two Big Flaws

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