Consumers

As we go to print, the supermarket shelves are full of tempting chocolate eggs: not a good time to think rationally about snack foods and obesity. But let's try and ask who is to blame for rising levels of obesity? First, the causes: people get fat not just because of what they eat but also because of their lifestyles, notably lack of exercise, TV dinners and the like. Any solution has to tackle all the factors, not just blame the producers of certain foods. But, on the food side of the equation, aren't snack food companies guilty of distorting our eating habits by promoting unbalanced diets? Actually the evidence points the other way: Mintel research (June 2002) shows the snack sector is in the doldrums, projected to grow at only 2% a year in the UK. Sugar and chocolate confectionery does form half the market but "seems to be losing momentum… and fruit has become a serious contender for pole position".

The marketing initiatives we report above should be seen more as a defence of market share and maintaining brand loyalty than as an aggressive attempt to sell more. On the health side, isn't it insidious marketing to target the young and make spurious links with sport? In fact, we'd argue that responsible marketing needs to make precisely that link, highlighting the potential damage to health if consumed to excess. Far from banning a link between schools and food firms, don't we need to harness the power of marketing to educate consumers? The question is not whether companies and their marketing departments should be involved, but how to do so responsibly. And here, the private sector will need to learn fast and build alliances with concerned stakeholders. As our profile of [b]McDonald's in this issue shows (p.28-32), offering fresh fruit portions as a snack food is just the beginning