WeberTheMatrix1



The collage above resembles the complexity associated with consumerism, more specifically relating to food consumption, and the influences that affect our buying habits. This matrix project seeks to address this issue by drawing out the problems intertwined within it: - Cost of Healthy Food Greater Than Unhealthy Food Cost - Value Marketing - Governmental Subsidies - Lack of Price Difference Between Product Sizes - Power of Corporations

**__Introduction to Problem__** In our society, our lives consist of producing goods and consuming goods. As consumers we have become so used to buying, that we don’t stop to think about who or what influences us to make these purchases and in the large quantities that we do. With our hectic and cost constrained life styles, we seek to have decisions made for us whether they are good for us or not. This is where the large companies are willing to step in and help us whether we are aware of it or not while the government is willing to sit back and allow it to happen.

** Is getting the most for our money really worth it? **

**__Issues within this Problem__** We all are aware that having a healthy balanced diet is beneficial to keeping our bodies healthy, however the choice to live this type of lifestyle is not as easy as it sounds. In our society, the more educated and wealthier people are the ones who can actually afford to purchase healthier foods. In a study performed at the University of Washington, researchers concluded that “diet quality improved sharply for every additional dollar spent” [2] ( Monsivais and Drewnowski 2009).

This very well explains the difficulty in lower income people being able to afford to have a healthy lifestyle. This sharply contrasts poorer countries where only the rich can afford to be fat. Another article published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition also showed that “less energy dense diets of low income women in California are associated with the higher energy adjusted diet costs”. [9] (AJCN 2009)

The increasing cost of healthy foods is being escalated due to congress’s choice to subsidize foods we are supposed to eat less of. [6] ( Mclain and Drewnowski 2010) We can no longer “pretend that all Americans have an infinite variety of food choices before them, because some groups of our society clearly do not." [2] ( Monsivais and Drewnowski 2009) . [see charts below]



Chart showing no correlation between type of food and proportion needed compared to food subsidies by type [1] ( NYT 2010)



Chart of showing decrease in junk food cost and increase in healthy food cost [1] ( NYT 2010)

As the price of healthy food increases, consumers are looking to get the most for their money. This is a good sign for large corporations and companies such as Fast Food chains, convenience stores, and bulk food stores who have been able to use value marketing, which is providing more product for less money, to lure customers. This may seem like a win-win situation, however, it is a “penny-wise but pound-foolish” choice for food customers. While larger sizes or combos will increase price slightly, it substantially increases unnecessary side effects such as packaging waste, calorie and fat content.

Below are examples showing the price comparison between healthy and unhealthy food acknowledging the encouragement of consumers to make these purchases: a. In a study performed over two years, [3] (NYT 2007) i. low-calorie foods increased 19.5 percent ii. high-calorie foods dropped in price by 1.8 percent b. A 2,000-calorie diet would cost [3] (NYT 2007) i. $3.52 a day if it consisted of junk food ii. $36.32 a day for a diet of nutrient rich foods c. All large drinks $1 at McDonalds i. Good for only soft drinks and sweet tea ii. Why get a small when you could get a large for the same price? d. Cold-Stone Creamery has three sizes: "Like It" 5 oz, "Love It" 8 oz, and "Gotta Have It" 12 oz. i. The cost difference between each size is approximately 35 cents

**__Consequences of This problem __** Although these large companies are benefiting from increased consumerism, people’s health are being put at risk as well as the making it impossible to have sustainable food production. The combination of expensive healthy food and value marketing creates a cycle that encourages the consumers to spend money on the industrialized production of food, which the film Food, Inc. points out as being inhumane, and environmentally unsustainable. The current dependence on getting more bang for our buck only creates is only creating more of a demand for more variety and cheaper products.

The increased consumption of products, especially fast food, increases the need and use of packaging. Every year more than 1.8 million tons of fast food packaging is generated in the U.S. [4] ( Dogwood Alliance 2008)

**__Stakeholders __**
 * Consumers in-general || Higher Income Families || Organic Food suppliers ||
 * Government || Food Industry Corporations || Children ||
 * Lower Income Families || Fast Food Industry || Health Researchers ||
 * Marketing Agencies || Advertising Agencies || Corporation employees ||
 * Doctors and Health Care || Animals || Environment ||

**__ How the problem could be fixed __** 1. “The government has attempted to implement “sin taxes” which are small tax increases for items such as sugary drinks and soda to discourage the purchase. However, they have been very ineffective at encouraging healthier eating habits. [5] (NYT 2009)

A possible solution is not to punish for making decisions to buy unhealthy food, but provide incentives to make healthy food purchases. I suggest that the government looks into providing incentives and coupons to families for the purchasing of healthier food at markets. This type of incentive would be similar to the cash for clunkers car program to increase the fuel efficiency of vehicles. This program worked at all dealerships for all brands.

2. A University of Washington researcher has suggested the implementation of dietary guidelines that take food prices into account providing better options for Americans to follow.

“What the public needs is better dietary guidance about affordable nutrient-rich foods within each food group, they said. "Rather than promote high-cost foods to low-income people, let's focus on what appealing, affordable, popular foods are out there." [2] ( Monsivais and Drewnowski 2009).

3. Corporate Accountability International is an organization that has persuaded companies like Nestle and General Electric to stop abusive practices and now is taking on the fast food industry. [7] (CAI 2009)

4. “Today the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Land Use Committee voted 3-0 in favor of an ordinance to limit toy giveaways in children’s meals that have excessive calories, sodium and fat. If the measure passes a vote of the full Board in the coming weeks, San Francisco will become the first city in the nation to take such action.” [8] (CAI 2010)

5. The result of from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition mention earlier concluded that it was more costly for low-income women to purchase a higher quality diet. The article mentioned that “implications for the food assistance and education programs of the US Department of Agriculture. Policy interventions may be required to allow low-income families in the United States to improve the quality of their diets given their food budget constraints.” [9] (AJCN 2009)

6. Produce more films similar to Wall-E that tackle large sustainability issues in a light manner allowing viewers to either accept or ignore the message.

Food Inc. -Documentary []
 * Supporting Links**

Fast Food Nation –Documentary Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal –Book []

Wall-E – Disney Pixar Movie []

Articles of Faith: Consumerism is a greedy society's religion []

[|How consumerism hurts consumers - MSN Money] []

Challenging the Culture of Affluence []

Consumer Values and Attitude Toward Cause-Related Marketing []

[1] Rampell, Catherine. “Why a Big Mac Costs Less Than a Salad” //The New York Times: Economix //. 9 March 2010. http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/why-a-big-mac-costs-less-than-a-salad/
 * Sources**

[2] Monsivais, Pablo and Drewnowski, Adam. “Lower-Energy-Density Diets Are Associated with Higher Monetary Costs per Kilocalorie and Are Consumed by Women of Higher Socioeconomic Status” //Journal of the American Dietetic Association //. V109, Issue 7. May 2009.

 [3] Parker-Pope, Tara. “A High Price for Healthy Food” //The New York Times: Well //. 5 December 2007. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/a-high-price-for-healthy-food/

[4] Dogwood Alliance. “2008 Fast Food Industry Packaging Report”. Asheville,NC. 2008. http://www.nofreerefills.org/files/NoFreeRefillsReport.pdf

[5] “Do ‘Fat Taxes’ Work?” The New York Times: Economix. 30 July 2009. http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/do-fat-taxes-work/

[6] Mclain, Julia and Drewnowski, Adam. “The rising disparity in the price of healthful foods: 2004-2008” //Food Policy //. <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">[|Volume 35, Issue 6] <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">, Pg 514-520. 2010 December.

<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">[7 ] <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Guroff, Nick and Fox, Steve. “ //<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Fast Food Giants Urged to Value [the] Meal //<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">” Corporate Accountability International. 11 March 2009. <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">[]

<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">[8] Rossi, Christina. “ //<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Removing toys from unhealthy meals, passes first test in SF //<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">” Corporate Accountability International. 4 October 2010.

[9] University of California and University of Washington. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition “Vol. 89, No. 4, 1220-1226, April 2009

<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">http://uwnews.org/article.asp?articleID=49369 [] http://uwnews.org/article.asp?articleID=59505 <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/89/4/1220
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