Companies That Profit from Unhealthy Food Say Keep Eating Junk, Just Exercise More

By Jill Richardson
New rule (as Bill Maher would say): If you make billions of dollars a year selling unhealthy food, you don't get to tell us to work out.

It was one thing when Cookie Monster began telling kids to eat vegetables. Cookie Monster doesn't earn a living by selling cookies, and vegetables are a fantastic alternative to cookies.

But it was a totally different story when  Ronald McDonald went all Richard Simmons on us, visiting schools to tell kids to work out.

Exercise is a great idea, but it's not diet advice. Yet this is a frequent tactic of many of the corporations that rake in profits by selling us junk.

Take Coca-Cola's shameless  new fitness campaign. "Are you sitting on a solution?" asks a photo on the company's website, depicting two people cuddled up, sitting on a beach. The thing is, they're drinking the problem: Coca-Cola.

Let me translate Coke's new campaign into plain English: "Don't blame us for America's public health crisis." The company is also asking you to not notice that while the  American Heart Association recommends no more than six teaspoons of sugar per day for women (nine for men),  a single can of Coca-Cola has nearly 10 teaspoons of the sweet stuff.

Or maybe this is what the ad campaign is really saying: "Please ignore the fact that, over the years, we've sold our flagship product in larger and larger containers. Just exercise a bit more - here, we'll even help with some tips - and then you won't notice that our product is terrible for you. Keep drinking Coke, and don't regulate us."      

Food Companies will go Non-GMO if CA Labeling Law Passes

By Ken Roseboro
Ingredient suppliers say it would take two years for supply to meet non-GMO demand

Major food manufacturers are likely to switch to using non-GMO ingredients in their products sold nationwide if California's initiative to label GM foods-Proposition 37-passes this fall, according to food industry experts.

Food manufacturers fear that a label saying Genetically Engineered on their products would scare off consumers. When GM food labeling became law in Europe food manufacturers stopped buying GM ingredients to avoid the GM label.

California's big impact

California, which is the world's eighth largest economy and consumes 12% of the food eaten in the US, is such a major market that it could lead companies to switch to non-GMO nationwide.

"A strong GMO labeling law passed in California would certainly influence all manufacturers of nationally distributed foods to try to go total non-GMO," says Clyde Boismenue, owner and general manager of Basic Foods Company.

"If labeling passes in California, most food producers will look at changing production on a regional and possibly on a national level," says Steve Peirce, president of RIBUS, a manufacturer of non-GMO and organic rice ingredients. "I don't think you can just change production for one state unless you are a small producer."

15 Food Companies That Serve You 'Wood'

By Miriam Reimer
NEW YORK -- Are you getting what you pay for on your plate?

The recent class-action lawsuit brought against Taco Bell raised questions about the quality of food many Americans eat each day.

Chief among those concerns is the use of cellulose (read: wood pulp), an extender whose use in a roster of food products, from crackers and ice creams to puddings and baked goods, is now being exposed. What you're actually paying for -- and consuming -- may be surprising.

Cellulose is virgin wood pulp that has been processed and manufactured to different lengths for functionality, though use of it and its variant forms (cellulose gum, powdered cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, etc.) is deemed safe for human consumption, according to the FDA, which regulates most food industry products. The government agency sets no limit on the amount of cellulose that can be used in food products meant for human consumption. The USDA, which regulates meats, has set a limit of 3.5% on the use of cellulose, since fiber in meat products cannot be recognized nutritionally.

"As commodity prices continue to rally and the cost of imported materials impacts earnings, we expect to see increasing use of surrogate products within food items. Cellulose is certainly in higher demand and we expect this to continue," Michael A. Yoshikami, chief investment strategist at YCMNet Advisors, told TheStreet.

Manufacturers use cellulose in food as an extender, providing structure and reducing breakage, said Dan Inman, director of research and development at J. Rettenmaier USA, a company that supplies "organic" cellulose fibers for use in a variety of processed foods and meats meant for human and pet consumption, as well as for plastics, cleaning detergents, welding electrodes, pet litter, automotive brake pads, glue and reinforcing compounds, construction materials, roof coating, asphalt and even emulsion paints, among many other products.