New Study Slams Food Marketing to Children

[hjshorter]

In any case, it is interesting to note that smugness and derision seem to know no bounds.

Yes, the thread seems to have plenty of that, along with snark (despite the disclaimer).

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Ouch! I'm wounded! Seriously, I am sure you meant to PM this to one another, instead of posting it for my really curious eyes to see.

No, I posted that exactly where I wanted it.

As for the "Whole Grain" bit, from what I understand from reading the labels, they have started making some versions of their cereals with whole wheat, or oats, or whatever, to up the fiber content. The sugar hasn't been reduced as far as I could tell, and confusingly the old version are still available with virtually the same box design. Not misleading at all.

And I couldn't agree more with this, and the rest of Carrot Top's previous post:

Personally, I've found that each time I've snickered at what someone else thinks is a problem that I may have felt superior to, from just being human and part of the human condition that pushes one at times into being so damn sure that one is *right* about things - and that everyone else should just "get it together" - somehow the universe comes along with a lesson to teach me about the reasons why sometimes not everyone is equally strong or smart or whatever it is that one thinks one is. These lessons are the sort that enter directly into life are not fun to learn. They are, however, humbling.

Edited December 17, 2005 by hjshorter (log)

[FabulousFoodBabe]

No, I posted that exactly where I wanted it. 

Wow. Okay, whatever. Seems like nerves have been hit -- I recommend a little OTC pain reliever and a massage.

But, the discussion is now personal instead of on topic, and when people start getting pointed and wishing for comeuppances and public humiliations/humblings, well, that does not nourish me.

[MarketStEl]

In the case under consideration in this thread, however, if there is no clear evidence that advertising to children actually causes changes in kid's eating habits, it seems questionable to restrict that. We know that the corporations buying the ads think those ads will cause people to buy their products, but that belief or hope on the part of the corporations and the ad agencies they hire constitutes tenuous evidence for the ads' actual effectiveness.

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As legendary Philadelphia merchant prince John Wanamaker once put it:

"I know I waste half the money I spend on advertising. The trouble is, I don't know which half!"

[MarketStEl]

As for the "Whole Grain" bit, from what I understand from reading the labels, they have started making some versions of their cereals with whole wheat, or oats, or whatever, to up the fiber content.  The sugar hasn't been reduced as far as I could tell, and confusingly the old version are still available with virtually the same box design.  Not misleading at all.

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According to some nutritionists, whole grains--as the name implies, grains that are milled hulls and all, as opposed to refined flours, which are made from grain that has been hulled first--are also better because the carbohydrates in them are complex, not simple, and thus do not produce a sudden sugar spike in your bloodstream the way simple carbs do.

Whole grain foods definitely have a heartier flavor than foods made from white flour.

--Sandy, whole-wheat bread fan ever since his first slice of Roman Meal at age 12

[Patrick S]

Yeast is a one-celled fungus that converts sugar and starch into carbon dioxide bubbles and alcohol.  This has made it a useful ally in the production of bread, beer, and wine.  There are many varieties of yeast.  Bread is made with baker's yeast, which creates lots of bubbles that become trapped in the dough, making the bread rise so it's light and airy when baked.  A small amount of alcohol is also produced, but this burns off as the bread bakes.

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Your source is wrong. A "trace amount" of alcohol remains in the bread.

Don't take my word for it though. Check out Logan and Distefano (1998), who reported that "A variety of breads and soft drinks were tested and found to contain low concentrations of alcohol." In fact, if you do a little Googling, you'll find plenty of evidence that breath-alcohol tests give a positive results following consumption of bread. You can also check out Goldberger et al (1996), who reported "the detection of trace amounts of ethanol in soft drinks and other flavored beverages." They go on to report:

Although we were initially surprised that many beverages contain ethanol, a review of the scientific literature revealed that ethanol is commonly used in the formulation of beverages as a carrier for volatile and natural flavoring materials. Artificial flavoring may also contain ethanol. In situ fermentation is an unlikely source of ethanol because beverages and their ingredients are highly purified and sterilized (1–2). The concentration of ethanol in the beverages tested was very low, less than 1/40th the concentration commonly present in beer (3–5%). According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, beverages containing less than 0.5% ethanol are considered nonalcoholic. If the ethanol  content of a beverage is greater than 0.5%, it is considered an alcoholic beverage and must bear the government warning statement. In addition, if ethanol is added as an ingredient, it must be listed in the ingredient declaration. Finally, if the ethanol is present in insignificant quantities as an incidental additive, it may be exempt from labeling requirements (3).

Obviously, if consumed, the alcoholic content of an ethanol-positive beverage would not be physiologically significant. The amount of ethanol consumed from one can would be equivalent to about one sip of beer, and the corresponding peak blood ethanol concentration attained would not exceed 0.001% w/v. In addition, operators of breath-alcohol testing devices must be cautioned regarding the innocent consumption of “nonalcoholic” beverages, such as flavored water, immediately prior to a breath test. Finally, since intentional substitution of urine specimens is often not detected by the collection site and/or the laboratory, it is possible that substitution with a beverage containing ethanol may result in a positive ethanol result.

Goldberger et al, 1996. Unsuspected Ethanol Ingestion Through Soft Drinks and Flavored Beverages. Journal of Analytical Toxicology 20, pp. 332-333.

Logan and Distefano, 1998. Ethanol Content of Various Foods and Soft Drinks and Their Potential for Interference with a Breath-Alcohol Test. Journal of Analytical Toxicology 22, pp. 181–183.

[Patrick S]

Also, even though its already been mentioned, I want to point out again that all ripe fruit contains alcohol, from natural yeasts metabolizing fruit sugars. In ripe and overripe fruit, the concentrations can be as high as 1-3%, in which case we are not talking about "trace amounts" anymore.