Food marketers are going 'PC': portion-control packaging is on the rise as the U.S. obesity rate grows and food marketers face increasing pressure to do something about it.

Brand Packaging, September, 2005 by Tingas, Pauline

When it comes to our food, Americans apparently have no more concept of portion control than they do self control--obesity has become a U.S. epidemic. Critics say it's because our "super size" culture has distorted what we perceive as a normal portion. Consider that 20 years ago the average soda was packaged in a 6.5-ounce bottle, while, today, it is more likely to top out at 20 ounces or more.

"The dilemma is that we've lost a sense of proportion," says Dr. John Stanton, a food marketing professor at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. "One way food companies can be a great help is to help [consumers] come back from 20 or 30 years of eating larger portions." And they are. In the last year, makers of snacks, confections and other food...

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