Snacks and Labels, Junk and Nature

girl eating

In December, Bruce Horovitz reported on a rather interesting event, the announcement by Frito-Lay that the corporation will start making half of its snacks from all-natural ingredients. (Frito-Lay, incidentally, is part of PepsiCo, so you know what kind of natural, healthy credentials we’re talking about.) According to Ann Mukherjee, the chief marketing officer, there will […]

Why Americans Don't Want to Hear About Food Addiction

Mean Girlfriend

In some circles, putting forward the idea that food can be an addictive substance will win a person the reputation of a serious crackpot. This is often the fate of innovators who have more than average awareness, and who see a bit more deeply into society’s problems. We have discussed the food dependence-addiction paradigm here […]

Would Junk Food Tax Curb Childhood Obesity?

Coloring Fun

Extreme measures are needed to deal with the childhood obesity epidemic, there’s no doubt about it, but is taxation a step that would help? For purposes of this discussion, let’s define junk food as whatever the kids find most difficult to resist — their abused substance of choice — if phrased in the addiction model. […]