Thursday, September 17, 2009

Industry self regulation

Here are various people's takes on the new "Smart Choices" front-of-the-box nutritional information program that launched last year...

The Smart Choices website

New York Times

Progressive Grocer -- A side

Progressive Grocer -- B side

Pretty interesting, huh? What do you think about this program?

5 comments:

Sare said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sare said...

I was actually at the grocery store the other day getting popcicles and there was one of those check marks on a box of fudge pops! At first I was excited, but now I'm just really questioning the credibility of these "Smart Choice" people...

Unknown said...

Awesome ploy!!! I can't blame companies for jumping on the band wagon with this, it appears on enough brand labels to really have a convincing effect on consumers. This reminds me A LOT of marketers joining in the "green products" push with products that are no more environmentally friendly than the next.

Ryan Tangedal said...

I think its just another way for a "healthy" company to try and make some money. Nice try on trying to make these products to be assumed healthy but a reasonable person with any common sense would know they aren't. Makes me disappointed in the "Smart Choice" people.

BECKS said...

I think this is a pretty rediculous marketing scheme. The companies involved are obviously not truly concerned with the health of america, more that they feel somewhat better about choosing the same unhealthy foods. Fruit loops and chocolate teddy grahams are by no means foods that should be encouraged to promote health in an unhealthy society. Saying that they are healthy ('compared to a donut', compared to cigarettes and red bull) is manipulating the consumer, because they know the customer is easily manipulated. I'm not sure if I feel more that companies shouldn't stoop to this level, or that consumers shouldn't be so easily brainwashed to not be able to think logically, rather than let marketers use a green check mark to take over their ability to think as a consumer. Good tactic on their part though, as long as they're not concerned about credibility, or the actual aim of this project.