Grocery Manufacturers Association Says "Fed Up" Documentary is Misleading
The new documentary Fed Up has caused quite a stir amongst those in the Grocery Manufacturers Association. The association has recently pointed out a few of the misleading facts that the film uses to present an inaccurate narrative that fails to find a practical solution to obesity.
“Unfortunately, Fed Up provides an inaccurate view of the packaged food industry,” said President and CEO Pamela G. Bailey. “Rather than identifying successful policies or ongoing efforts to find real and practical solutions to obesity, it adopts a short-sighted, confrontational, and misleading approach by cherry-picking facts to fit a narrative, getting the facts wrong, and simply ignoring the progress that has been made over the last decade in providing families with healthier options at home and at school.”
GMA reports that food manufacturers have taken significant proactive steps to provide consumers with the right information and options to allow them to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. These efforts have resulted in a reduction of childhood obesity by as much as 43%, according to CDC studies, the GMA statement says. Other reasons include:
• Full-calorie soft drinks were voluntarily removed from schools and total calories available from beverages in schools have been cut by 90% in the last decade
• The food industry supported the 2010 Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act, which directed the USDA to implement new school nutrition standards to ensure school lunches are nutritious and well balanced.
• Since 2002, food and beverage companies have contributed more than $130 million in grants to nutrition and health-related programs in hundreds of communities across the U.S.
• Working through the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI), GMA has voluntarily adopted strict nutrition criteria so that 100% of CFBAI participants’ ads seen on children’s programming now promote healthier diet choices and better-for-you products.
• GMA has also helped parents make informed decisions when they shop by putting key nutrition information on food and beverage packages through its Facts Up Front program
• In 2009, food and beverage CEOs formed the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation to marshal all available resources in an effort to reduce obesity, especially childhood obesity. Through the HWCF, the food industry successfully removed 6.4 trillion calories from the U.S. marketplace since 2007
“We will continue working across the food industry and with all stakeholders to provide America’s families with food products that are safe, nutritious, affordable, time-saving, and well-balanced,” said Bailey.
For a detailed fact-check of the inaccuracies portrayed in Fed Up, check out the website linked below.
The documentary will premiere on Friday, May 9th. While it’s upsetting to hear that this film display glaring inaccuracies, I would have to see the film for myself before forming my own opinion about its so-called misleading narrative.
Grocery Manufacturers Association
