“We don’t need more public health policy or regulation, people just need to be responsible for their own health decisions.”

 

Working in public health, we hear this all too often. The idea that personal responsibility trumps policy shows up in a wide range of public health debates, from smoking, to soda taxes, to junk food marketing, to package sizes.

 

Though of course individuals are largely responsible for their own food choices, that’s not the whole story, as we describe in this short video, “Anatomy of a Supermarket Purchase.” In the video we walk through a few of the ways food companies and supermarkets influence purchasing decisions, often without people even noticing. We hope highlighting the ways food marketers sidestep consumer choice and awareness will support your work to improve food systems.

 

Let us know if you can help share the video:

 

FACEBOOK:

Of course we make the decisions about what to eat and feed our families. But what influences the choices we make? Our new video “Anatomy of a Supermarket Purchase” highlights several strategies food companies use to influence what people buy and eat. Drawing from advances in psychology and companies’ own marketing strategies, our video shows how companies are able to influence the food choices of even the best intentioned and most disciplined people, often so subtly that we don’t even realize it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR2WhElTk6Q

 

TWITTER:

·         See how food companies influence our food choices, often without us even noticing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR2WhElTk6Q

·         Trying to cut back on junk food buys at the supermarket? Check out @CSPI’s new video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR2WhElTk6Q

·         Looking for tips to keep your family eating healthy? Check out this video from @CSPI. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR2WhElTk6Q

·         Of course individuals are responsible for their own food choices, but that’s not the whole story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR2WhElTk6Q

·         Ever walk into a supermarket with good intentions and walk out with a candy bar or soda from checkout? Learn why at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR2WhElTk6Q.

 

Thanks,

Margo Wootan and Jessica Almy

Center for Science in the Public Interest