HFCS Ad Analysis: Dieticians Dissed, Media Literacy Mandatory

When I sounded off in HFCS Corn Wars about the ‘artificial sweetness’ of the ubiquitous HFCS ads, I promised I’d have our own nutrition correspondent, Rebecca Scritchfield weigh in with her professional analysis, but first…you MUST see BlogHer Gena Haskett’s insightful piece on the way we should consume advertising.

It’s straightforward, erudite, balanced, and oh, so wise…Couldn’t have said it better myself! And the readers commenting are equally sharp. Take a peek.

I also want to shine the media literacy spotlight on the pithy conversational exchange between “Satoru, CrabbyMan and SkokieGuy” (sounds like anime!) on The Consumerist. Some of it is hilarious, and all of it is a reminder that whether we consume media or munchies it is all filtered through “the experts” in need of deconstructing studies themselves! (Who’s funding the data, how big is the sample size, etc.)

There are some brillliant snippets of Web 2.0 media literacy worthy of ‘point/counterpoint’ deconstruction that I’d like to share.

While I’m at it, I’d like to point you to the King Corn site and documentary, which I bought at the Champions for Change state health conference and will be screening in house party format, in addition to Two Angry Moms and others in our Shaping Youth fall film fest for parent-youth education!

As the pbs independent lens features and Rotten Tomatoes reviews, King Corn is about “two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation,”  and let me tell you, it’s an eye-opener.

(HINT! Right now you should be thinking, ‘says who? Amy Jussel? Shaping Youth? What’s your vested interest? Why should I care what you think?)

That’s right, folks…As you’ll see in my own media literacy phraseology, I fall into the ‘stakeholders’ tier. Remember, that’s where my opinions belong…no more, no less.

Here’s the movie blurb and trailer: (below)

Washington Post critic Ann Hornaday said, “It should be required viewing before going into a supermarket, McDonald’s or your very own refrigerator.”

(Again, right now you should be saying, ‘hmn, interesting that she pulled a positive review, are there any negative ones?)

Check out the tonalities and persuasive techniques here: First, ‘SkokieGuy’ lands his argument in matter of fact simplicity, with links supporting his convictions for the ‘whys’ HFCS is a menace in our food supply:

SkokieGuy at 11:54 AM on 09/08/08 on The Consumerist

“Our government has price controls on domestic sugar (to keep prices high) and places caps on imported sugar. This forced food manufacturers to look for lower cost substitutes, which just happen to be grown right here in the USA.[www.cato.org] …Because the body does not respond chemical to HFCS in the same was as sugar and related substances, there is increasing data to suggest that HFCS is a significant factor in the rise in obesity and diabetes rates in our country.[www.wnbc.com]”

Crabbyman6 at 12:16 PM on 09/08/08  Chimes in:

…Just read a good article on this. Basically HFCS doesn’t trigger insulin and leptin release because the enzyme is designed for glucose not fructose, so you don’t fee sated and therefore will eat more food while intaking the same amount of sugar calories because you haven’t triggered the cascade. [www.naturalnews.com]

Satoru at 12:28 PM on 09/08/08  Lobs a credibility inquiry with a tone of superiority:

“@crabbyman6: Posting something from ‘naturalnews.com’ does not really lend much credibility to your argument. Please note that if you actually read the studies quoted in the article you will see: [www.ajcn.org] Conclusion: There was no evidence that commercial cola beverages sweetened with either sucrose or HFCS have significantly different effects on hunger, satiety, or short-term energy intakes…”

SkokieGuy at 12:51 PM on 09/08/08 Dismisses the study on multiple levels:

“@satoru: Well let’s look at the study you provide:  [www.ajcn.org] (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)

First of all, it included a vast sampling of 37 people, which when split into 5 groups, resulting in 7.4 (!) people per group. Not a significant sampling, huh?

Second, the data was mostly self-reported (“perceived sweetness, hunger and satiety profiles, or energy intakes at lunch”). No analysis of insulin, leptin or other biochemical markers was included.

Third, the study was (surprise) supported by a grant from the American Beverage Association, by the Corn Refiners Association, and by fellowship T32 DE07132 from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (to PM).

Alternate health sites (like naturalnews.com) exist because most mainstream avenues for receiving health information and our government regulatory bodies have been corrupted by industry influences and can’t be trusted.”

Yowza. Could I put in a plea for this SkokieGuy to join Shaping Youth’s consortium of media mental floss to get people to see things clearer when it comes to the ‘big picture’ of undercurrents, motivations, and persuasive techniques working at cross-purposes in kids’ health?

He’s definitely got some ‘dig deeper’ investigative chops…

To wrap up, as a gazillion comments spill forth ranging from the “phallic distraction of the popsicle” in the HFCS ad to the absurdity of taking a ‘holier than thou’ approach on either side of the HFCS debate, SkokieGuy pops back in with level-headed balance advocating for clarity and choice:

SkokieGuy at 01:05 PM on 09/08/08 Adds a reminder and a challenge:

“And let us not forget that virtually all corn grown in the USA is genetically modfied. Since no labelling is required, we are ingesting a staggering amount of GMO products, via the HFCS that is in virtually all prepared foods.

My take on our food supply, be it HFCS, irradiating food, GMO organisms, cloned milk or beef, is that the government allow consumers to make their own decisions and require labelling, so we can make a choice about what we consume.

I remain amused and disturbed that a significant number of consumerist readers seem to advocate against consumer choice.”

This is why I LOVE Web 2.0 sparking lively discourse in the Wellsphere of conversation about health and well-being. These critical thinking skills are worthy of parent-child integration on ANY topic… food, fashion, or consumption of the trend du’ jour…

It’s about media literacy over limitation, logic over lingo…and ADDING to the age of conversation to build on our collective knowledge!

So getting back to Gena Haskett’s excellent post, let’s review the HFCS ads using Media Literacy 101: (See our handy dandy tipsheet by yours truly, Amy Jussel & Frank Baker of Media Literacy Clearinghouse in the Common Sense Media resources marked Talking to Kids About Junk Food Advertising)

1.) Start With Your Pertinent Questions and Identify Your Primary Sources

Gena started with what ran through her own mind viewing the HFCS commercials:

• ·    Is it a natural product? Is eating HFCS harmful?
• ·    Why are they doing this now? HFCS has been on the market since the 1970s.
• ·    How do I eat HFCS products in moderation?

2.) Search Reliable, Authoritative Secondary Sources

In this case, Gena moved beyond the primary site to seek info to evaluate, support or refute the claims and statements, like nutritionists, dietitians, scientists and such. Here’s her handful of data nuggets:

• ·    Katherine Zeratsky R.D. from the Mayo Clinic
• ·    Medically Speaking from the University of Maryland Medical Center mp3 audio interview with Mary Beth Soldus
• ·    Karen Collin on Sugar, corn syrup, or calories?
• ·    Radhia Gleis Certified Clinical Nutritionist video called Conspiracy for Fat American and High Fructose Corn Syrup
• ·    American Medical Association — The Health Effects of High Fructose Syrup

3.) Follow Up With Stakeholders, Varying Opinions on the Topic

Gena calls this the “everybody into the pool” approach, which I love. It connotes everything from sophisticated levels of blogosphere banter to a lone voice raising a hand with a poignant personal story. (diabetics, food allergies, low carb crusaders, etc.)

Here are her examples of stakeholders, and a few of my own…

“I am reading an article from Lazslo Pentek, a Beekeeper who has an opinion about HFCS. Ed Brayton over at Scienceblogs on Government Subsidized Obesity, Debra at The Ethicurean on this specific ad campaign, The Organic Consumers Association article on Corn, Used and Abused.

I’m checking in with food bloggers like The Slow Cook who has thoughts about the FDA switch of allowing HFCS to be called natural when it initially said it was not.  Wannabegreen did a count of the number of  HFCS items in the cupboard. Karina’s Kitchen writes about Sugar Blues and alternatives to Sugar. Marion Nestle on-going posts on high fructose corn syrup.”

I’ll add The Accidental Hedonist into this (and her new post, “It’s Water! Now With HFCS!”) as well as the Expatriate’s Kitchen which has an absolutely DON’T MISS Childhood Nutrition Series and of course, our own nutritionist/healthcare blogger, Rebecca, below.

Again, I’m not expecting this level of thoroughness with every ad schpiel deconstruction…but BlogHer’s Gena Haskett (see her multiple blogs here) is near and dear to my heart in the media maven/research realm of unearthing data and overturning rocks to question assumptions and think for yourself!

Her evidentiary quest fits well with ours here at Shaping Youth, so Gena, come guest blog ANY ol’ time, eh? We’d sure love to have you!

Point is: EVERY parent-child-educator needs these media intake skills to be able to snap their brain into critical thinking regardless of the topic…current affairs, elections, food, fun, teen choices, dilemmas, peer pressure, you name it!

It all comes down to evaluation of choices and concious decision making.

I’m sure our friends at Decision Education Foundation will clearly agree…Now, here’s Rebecca Scritchfield’s dietary take on the HFCS debate as a healthcare blogger, sports nutritionist and yes, an ‘expert.’ The commentary accompanying the post on her site is worthy, with dieticians weighing in on the dialogue, and a ‘Balanced Health & Nutrition’ approach.