You can start here if you like. If you have a place you think should be added to the list, email me all the information and if I think it's warranted, I'll gladly add it. No personal ones please (i.e. your bank, etc.) only things that effect people in general.
Sunday June 16th, 2002: HEINZ. Yup, good old Heinz, famous for their ketchup. Seems Heinz has a new product out on the market. You'll love this... chocolate covered french fries! Cinnamon-sugary ones as well and even blue coloured ones!
Now, pardon me but of what value is this product? Except to make our kids fat (fatter) and put money in their pocket. It seems nutritionists out there are not very impressed either.
If you would like to see Heinz's spiffy product intro page it's at: "funky fries" (http://www.nick.com/ads/oreida/)
You can give them your 2 cents worth at: "Contact Oreida" (http://www.oreida.com/contact.jsp).
My two cents worth was the following: Shame on Heinz! With all the overweight children in North America you come out with 'funky fries'! Overweight children are no laughing matter and can lead to overweight adults and severe health problems in adulthood and even in childhood. We are seeing kids with elevated sugar levels (diabetes or adult onset diabetes) as well as blood pressure and high cholesterol these days due to lousy diets and this is the best new product you people can come up with? Why not try to put some real effort into it and give them something that is actually good for them but disguise it as 'funky' without it being a health risk for them.
This is getting interesting, I heard back from Heinz. At least they are prompt but I wasn't too impressed with their letter. Here it is:
Monday June17th, 2002 -
Dear Ms. ....(took out my last name):
Thank you for e-mail to share your concerns regarding Ore-Ida Funky Fries. We're glad you took the time to contact us.
Heinz products have been synonymous with quality and wholesome nutrition since our company was founded on those principles in 1869. Millions of consumers around the world trust the goodness of Heinz products.
Heinz strongly agrees with the position of the National Food Processors Association, which supports the federal government's recommendations on fat consumption, as outlined in Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The guidelines for consumers recommend a balanced and varied diet that also includes foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol and moderate in total fat and sugar. Healthy lifestyles should include exercise.
From our perspective, childhood obesity is an important health issue that can be caused by a variety of contributing factors, including sedentary lifestyles and insufficient exercise, consumer behavior and overconsumption of foods and beverages.
Funky Fries can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet because they deliver beneficial nutrients for children (and adults), as well as fun and flavor. Our product packaging features important nutrition facts for the benefit of consumers.
heinz
To which I responded this evening of June 17th with:
To whom it may concern; (they didn't give me a name of who responded)
I'm afraid you can "sugar coat" it all you like but the bottom line is this. Your child can just be back from swimming and it's dinner time. You give him/her a healthy portion of chicken, vegetables, and following your guidelines a few of your chocolate coated 'funky fries'. Guess what is going to happen?
1) they are going to want more than your 'daily recommended' portion
2) their vegetables will be the last thing eaten if at all.
It's a fact of life. Plus you can say anything has nutritional value but common sense says give them fruit or juice for their 'vitamins' and a healthy baked potato for their potasium and carbs and put a healthy daily recommended portion of butter/margerine on it for their fats.
You can put suggested serving sizes on anything you like. For instance potato chips. But try to give a kid a 'suggested serving' which amounts to about 10 potato chips. How much is your 'recommended serving' for these fries? 100 grams? That is approx. 3 oz. How many fries is that equivelent to? A dozen at best is my guestimate.
Congratulations on your public relations dept. They do a good job but as far as I'm concerned not good enough. "Funky fries" really is a poor product and Heinz needs to go back to the drawing board. You'll make far more points with parents and adults that purchase and even find a new realm of customers by producing a 'junk food' product that is actually good for you and can be eaten in a sizeable portion. They'll be beating a path to the product. Mind you, this kind of product will take an ingenious product development staff and a lot of research and development which in turn means a company needs to actually spend significant time and money to make some money.
I realize it isn't just Heinz that puts these nutritional values on food packages. If I'm not mistaken, in Canada it is the law that those labels are there. But, I'm personally tired of ANY company that tries to 'sugar coat' any and all products through their 'recommened serving' sizes which in most instances amount to a very small portion and that tries to deflect the fact that their food really doesn't have a value that can't be replaced with a 'healthy' portion of another type of food that is on the actual food guide.
If this keeps up I'm going to have to start a bulletin board to post this stuff on. lol
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