Campbell's says their cans will be BPA free by 2017... gee I thought they already were.

In 2012 Campbell's promised to eliminate BPA from its can linings.  I didn't realize it would take five+ years.  I guess the linings other companies are using in Europe weren't good enough for them.

They say the new linings which use acrylic or polyester linings will be safer.  I'm not sure that I believe that.  Why would one petroleum based product be better than another?  In fact, they could be worse, but we don't know it yet.

Truthfully I took Michael Pollan's advice back in 2007 and eliminated all processed foods from my diet.  And I won't be going back.

But my bigger question is whether it makes sense for companies to even release information that involves making their products healthier and safer.  Are they just drawing attention to a problem that most consumers were unaware of?  There seems to be a spate of announcements like this coming out lately.  And, they all make me wonder what they aren't telling me.

So perhaps the best approach is the one that Kraft recently took with their Mac & Cheese.  They reformulated the product to replace artificial dyes, waited several months, sold 50 million boxes, and then shared the news. 

Here's the commercial...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-kul627Y3g

Very interesting.  And I think it will be far more effective then telling me what's wrong with your product and then waiting 5 years to fix it.  What do you think?

Lukovitz, K. (2016, March 29)  Campbell Says Its Packages Will Be BPA-Free By Mid-2017.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved April 8, 2016, from

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/272300/campbell-says-its-packages-will-be-bpa-free-by-mid.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=91617

Kell, J. (2016, March 7)  Kraft Mac & Cheese Changed Its Recipe And Nobody Got Mad.  fortune.com.  Retrieved April 8, 2016, from

http://fortune.com/2016/03/07/kraft-mac-cheese-changed/

Michael Pollan must be thrilled.

Perdue has launched its first consumer campaign for its anti-biotic free Harvestland line with the theme,  "Eat Like Your Ancestors."  I couldn't help but think of a line from Michael Pollan's "Unhappy Meals" article, which ran in The New York Times in 2007 --  "Don't eat anything that your great-great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food." (Pollan, 2007)

The campaign includes a microsite where consumers can find recipes from three time periods and six different regions and upload their own creations.  Digital and mobile ads to drive people to the site will run on sites including Walmart's All You magazine and magazine/brand sites owned by Hearst and Meredith corporations.  Print ads will run in All You and People magazine, and Out-of-Home will run in several select markets. (Lukovitz, 2014)

So what do you think?  Will this strategy sell more chicken?

Pollan, M. (2007, January 28)  Unhappy Meals.  New York Times. Magazine, p.38

Lukovitz, K. (2014, March 3)  Perdue's Harvestland in First Consumer Campaign.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved March 5, 2014, from http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/220619/perdues-harvestland-in-first-consumer-campaign.html?edition=70457

Would you use more spices if you knew how healthy they were?

In 2007, The New York Times magazine section featured an article by Michael Pollan, entitled Unhappy Meals.  It was a game changer for me. 

I was particularly blown away by this list of the antioxidants that are found in garden-variety thyme -- 4-Terpineol, alanine, anethole, apigenin, ascorbic acid, beta carotene, caffeic acid, camphene, carvacrol, chlorogenic acid, chrysoeriol, eriodictyol, eugenol, ferulic acid, gallic acid, gamma-terpinene isochlorogenic acid, isoeugenol, isothymonin, kaempferol, labiatic acid, lauric acid, linalyl acetate, luteolin, methionine, myrcene, myristic acid, naringenin, oleanolic acid, p-coumoric acid, p-hydroxy-benzoic acid, palmitic acid, rosmarinic acid, selenium, tannin, thymol, tryptophan, ursolic acid, vanillic acid.  One can only imagine that there is a similar list for every herb and spice nature produces. (Pollan, 2007)

I decided to go all in and eliminate processed foods from my diet and began cooking from scratch, often using fresh herbs and spices in my vegetable sauces.  But even if you don’t want to go to that extreme, you can still sprinkle some oregano and garlic on a slice of pizza and be healthier.

McCormick the spice and seasonings category leader thinks you should do just that.  And after 123 years of focusing on the ability of spices to add flavor (yes, they do that too) they are now pointing out a myriad of ways you can use spices to up the health factor of whatever foods you currently eat.  (Schultz, 2012)

That sure sounds like a successful strategy to me.  What do you think?  Will you add some pepper to your scrambled eggs?

Pollan, M. (2007, January 28).  Unhappy Meals.  New York Times.  Section 6, Column 1, Magazine, Page 38

Schultz, E.J. (2012, January 22).  Spice Maker McCormick Sprinkles Health Messages Into Marketing.  adage.com.  Retrieved January 25, 2012, from
http://adage.com/article/news/mccormick-sprinkles-health-message-marketing/232274/?utm_source=daily_email&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=adage