Food industry pressed to market healthier food

Food & Drink Weekly, Dec 12, 2005

Government health officials attending a conference last week urged the food industry to develop and market healthier foods for a U.S. public that is increasingly overweight. The focus on food's role in preventing chronic diseases and stemming rising rates of obesity in the U.S. came during the Future of Food conference, which was put on by the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

William Dietz with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said companies would be successful in helping Americans lose weight by selling less food at a higher price. "The industry successful in getting people to lose weight is selling less food for more," Dietz said. FDA official Scott Gottlieb also pressed manufacturers to create foods fortified with more nutrients. FDA, the federal agency in charge of food marketing, currently is taking public comment on how to develop a guide for companies that want to put scientific-evidence-based health claims on their products, he said.

However, food companies likely will not respond to the obesity issue by cutting back on available products, said GMA spokeswoman Stephanie Childs. "I don't think you're going to see anyone agreeing to limit consumer choice. What we have to deliver on is consumer demand, and consumer demand for healthful products is increasing," she said, citing the most recent data from Information Resources Inc. The market-research firm last month said healthier, convenience snacks have seen strong growth for the 52 weeks ended Sept. 11, 2005.