Nearly everyone agrees that draining the swamp that is Washington DC is a good idea. Little that appears to be steps in that direction have been had from the top down. Maybe Nestlé is on to something.
In October, 2017, Nestlé, the food giant, withdrew from the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA). The departure happens at the end of the year 2017. A giant like Nestlé would be cause for worry, but add to that list the likes of Campbell’s soup leaving at the end of the year and anyone paying attention should be worried.
Helena Bottemiller Evich and Catherine Boudreau write in the November 26, 2017 “Politico” article, “The Big Washington Food Fight” that “iconic brands are stagnating as millennials and moms seek healthier and more transparent products.” That reads to suggest the decades of less than clear ingredients lists, the renaming of foods to confuse and disguise are coming to and end. We can only hope so. Campbell Soup “announced it was leaving GMA, in part because the association fought bitterly against mandatory labeling for foods with genetically modified ingredients” (“Food Fight”).
Much is not as it once was. The proliferation of pocket computers and an increasingly sophisticated clientele keen on technology are using those tools to search the internet in the aisles to determine just what are those ingredients I can’t pronounce, can’t pick and are never out of season. I write this as one of those very people. Food apps, I use FoodUCate, have come a long way in aiding shoppers find foods which pass muster. One such app gives goods a grade. I use that with my kids and if the questionable food does not rate at least a B+, it goes back on the shelf. Continue reading “Food Fight, Congressional Style”
