Research Food Marketing: Growing Confusion Growing Obesity

reply expanding on the link between marketing - confusion- growing obesity rates and obvious need for education 
Billions of dollars are spent yearly on the marketing of snack products. Kraft who owns Oreo Cookies, Chips Ahoy, Ritz and Wheat Thin crackers spend a combined 37 million dollars yearly just for these four snack items. Cheez-it crackers, owned by Sunshine/Kelloggs spends 24 Million dollars just to market these tiny cheese crackers. Snacking between meals has become a very common practice. In the 1980's, snacks included homemade cookies, dairy desserts like ice cream, salty snacks like pretzels, milk, fruit, or bread. Since then, according to Marian Nestle, the average number of snacks is up by 14 percent and snack calories account for 23 percent of total calorie intake for the day.
Food companies are capitalizing on the fact that the Americans love to snack, but are also concerned about their health. Unfortunately because of conflicting nutrition advice, mostly received by the media, and ambiguous dietary regulations utilized to educate massive amounts of people, Food companies can also capitalize on public confusion in their marketing. One such example of this is “Smart Spots” or “smart choices” marketing strategy. This one is by PepsiCo. Seen awhile back . Smart Spot labels were identified by green circles with a white checkmark saying “smart choices made easy”. Products proudly wearing this label included baked Doritos, Baked Cheetos, and Gatorade. During a long work day, around 2-3 pm when the blood sugar drops from the large lunch that was eaten hours earlier (or skipped altogether), most people go to the vending machine and that green dot sticks out – almost taunting the individual to make a “smart” decision.
With a larger number of growing wastelines and chronic diseases, why would food companies continually market foods with no nutritional value" Why can't there be some regulations on what foods get the money for marketing? One of the answers could be the economomics of business. Publicly traded food companies like Kraft, have to demonstrate growth every quarter. So it's not enough that they continually sell 524 million dollars worth of Oreo's each year, they have to find ways to sell more all the time. One of the first rules of business is that companies first duty is to maximize shareholder value. In order to do that, companies not only develop new products, but they modify the foods that are already top sellers to appear healthier. Using healthy food trends, picking on Oreos again, there have been low fat, trans fat free, sugar free, and low carb versions. Anyone who is not an expert about health foods is going to use these types of labeling as justification for purchasing the product. Using the millions of dollars allocated for marketing, food companies will come up with just about anything to drive sales.
We as practitioners vs Big Food is like David vs. Goliath. The food industry will always market junk food as a snack option just as your patients will always snack. 
Next time you go grocery shopping, walk down the snack food aisle. Your discussion posting this week should include a description of your experience. Please include the following: First, think about the foods from a marketing perspective, as a producer if you will. Take a look at the products marketed at eye level. Food companies spend more money to put their product at the eye level of the shopper. Next take a look at the foods on the bottom or very top shelf. Do the products appear superior to the products sold on the bottom shelf? What kind of food products are at this level? What kinds of advertising methods stuck out to you? For example, was it the package that was attractive? The graphics or the colors? Possibly the health claims?
Now put yourself into the shoes of your patients. What kinds feelings or thoughts do you think occur to them when they are shopping? How did your experience change when you go down the aisle as a consumer rather than a producer?