False Advertising in the Grocery Store

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the ADA has participated in include a Happy Meal partnership with McDonald’s and the company’s nutritional fact sheets, each sponsored by a different corporation.” (Preston) An example of information provided on these fact sheets that was transparently influenced by the corporation can be seen on one for chocolate, sponsored by Mars in 2000: “Chocolate is no longer a concern for those wary of saturated fat and… in fact, chocolate can be part of a heart-healthy eating plan.” (Preston) While dark chocolate can be part of a heart healthy diet in moderation, this fact sheet indicates that any chocolate candy is a fine heart healthy snack.

The use of labels from the AHA and similar programs lead consumers to confusion about what they should be eating. However, these aren’t the only confusing things on our food packaging. All too frequently, corporations are using words that hold no actual meaning to lure consumers into buying their products. In fact, “a study published in the Journal of Advertising showed that “less-specific general nutrition claims and "healthy" claims accounted for 7.7% and 8.0% of claims” made in ads by food corporations. Corporations are happy to use terms such as “healthy” “natural” and “wholesome” because these terms do not actually require the product to adhere to any specific nutritional standards.” (Hastak, M., & Mazis, M. B.)While the typical consumer may substitute words such as natural and organic on a food label, there is a big difference between the two terms. The same study found that the public was not wise to the differences between “health claims and structure/function claims, adding that subtle differences in wording that may not be readily apparent to the average consumer.”( Hastak, M., & Mazis, M. B.) An example of this can be seem in “a number of milk ads mentioned prevention of osteoporosis (a health claim), whereas other ads mentioned strong bones (a structure/function claim)”. (Hastak, M., & Mazis, M. B.) The truth is that the typical consumer doesn’t know what most marketing terms actually mean and companies are taking advantage of those looking for a healthier option.

One argument from advertisers against these statements may be that consumers need to take the time to research the foods they eat and feed to their families. They may argue that it is ultimately the consumer’s responsibility to be knowledgeable of the foods they purchase. This argument is not very sound because the false advertisements on these products are still detrimental especially because these corporations are taking advantage of the consumers by advertising and using labels that are absolutely false. They knowingly use these labels to lure the average consumer in to purchase their product. It is irresponsible of these businesses to make these false claims.

It is up to government officials to set the standard and not allow for consumers to be duped by these greedy corporations. It is dangerous and can lead to other health problems for society. These companies should be found liable and more so the corporations that develop these labels that lead people to believe that these products are healthy and good for you. We have a very busy society that doesn’t take the time to research these foods that are purchased so we are led to believe that we can trust what we read on the super market shelves. These companies should be found liable and be forced to make products that are healthy for consumers and if they are not then they should not be allowed by law to label them as such.

References

Burros, Marian (October 27, 2007). "Endorsements Raise Money and Questions." New York Times, Retrieved April 10, 2015

False Advertising. (2014). Business Torts Reporter, 26(8), 219-221.

Hastak, M., & Mazis, M. B. (2011). Deception by Implication: A Typology of Truthful but Misleading Advertising and Labeling Claims.Journal Of Public Policy & Marketing, 30(2), 157-167. doi:10.1509/jppm.30.2.157

Preston, I. L. (1976). A Comment on "Defining Misleading Advertising" and "Deception in Advertising". Journal Of Marketing, 40(3), 54-57.