Junk food, sugar and additives - The dark side of the food industry | DW Documentary

From the age of 13 I started gorging myself on potato chips, pastries and cookies. I sat in front of the TV and ate more and more. The ads showed all these things that looked really delicious, and I needed to try it all. At school they bullied me a lot because of my weight. I was angry with myself. Why am I gaining so much weight? Why am I so ugly? Why do people think I'm a monster? Why do strangers insult me ​​on the street just because of my appearance? I was angry at myself for having gained so much weight and not being able to lose it.

In the movies, people seemed to have no problem losing weight. But the reality is different. Carole is 34 years old and lives near the Swiss city of Lausanne. Since her teenage years, her diet has been based primarily on sandwiches, snacks, and

sugar

y drinks...

junk

food

. The more I ate, the worse I felt, including my problems with the way people looked at me. And I ate more to feel better. It was a vicious cycle from which he could not escape. And my "doses" continually increased. Of things that were sweeter, saltier or tastier. Little by little I was losing control.

Sugar, salt and fat: three ingredients that make

food

irresistible. Scientists working for manufacturers are constantly trying to find the perfect combination of these tempting ingredients. We speak to a man who knows the

industry

in

side

and out, and he reveals the strategies deployed by the food giants. Those three ingredients are very powerful. Salt, they call it the explosion of flavor, because it is normally on the surface of chips, in sandwiches. It is the first thing that touches the tongue. They also love fats, because that's what they call mouthfeel. The feeling of biting into, you know, a hot, toasted cheese sandwich.

And then probably the most powerful of the three for many people is

sugar

. Simply, by nature, by basic instinct. And that's why the

industry

has designed what they call the happy point, the perfect amount of sugar in products: neither too little nor too much, working to maximize the appeal of their products. The investigative journalist spent years researching his best-selling book on the food industry and the manufacturing of processed foods. I resisted calling his products addictive, because it seemed crazy to compare Oreos to heroin. It just seemed ridiculous. But I have to say that several things completely changed my mind.

And now I am convinced that in some ways these food products are even more problematic for us than tobacco, alcohol and even some types of drugs. It is no longer a secret that these highly processed products are directly linked to the global obesity epidemic. Carole is a patient at the obesity clinic at the University Hospital of Lausanne. Two years ago, her obesity almost killed her. She could barely move or even breathe. She recently underwent gastric bypass surgery, which drastically reduced the size of her stomach. Carole came to the clinic today to see an endocrinologist and a psychiatrist.

She has already lost 35 kilos, but she has many things to relearn, such as the feeling of hunger or satiety. She also has to relearn how to respect herself. She has a long road ahead of her. How have you been? I don't feel like there has been a change or that I have lost weight. In the mirror I don't see any difference. Although I see it in clothes. The shirt I'm wearing was too small for me. And there are some pants that were too small for me that I can wear again, and others that are too big for me now!

The multidisciplinary department of the University Hospital of Lausanne has around 1,500 overweight patients in its records. Carole is one of the 220 people who suffer from obesity. We have seen an explosion in the number of patients suffering from extreme obesity. In recent decades our immediate environment has experienced such profound changes that we now call it obesogenic or toxic. And toxic in terms of calories. Advertising and special promotional offers encourage us to eat more and more food, often of poorer quality. And this compromises our personal freedom. Here in Switzerland, 42% of the population is overweight. One in ten is obese.

There is a link between the emergence of ultra-processed

junk

food, decreased physical activity, and increased screen time. And this set of environmental factors favors the explosion of obesity that we are currently seeing. Research shows increasing evidence of the link between obesity and the consumption of industrially processed foods. Absolutely. Ultra-processed foods tend to have calories in extremely large quantities and do not necessarily make you feel full. And in the context of this obesity explosion, these foods clearly play an important role. It's understandable for a doctor to link unhealthy foods to obesity. But what we shouldn't expect is for the world's largest food manufacturer to admit the same thing.

In 2021, Nestlé came under fire after the Financial Times published details of an internal presentation. The document showed the company acknowledging that most of its products were unhealthy. More than 60% did not meet a “recognized definition of health.” The data did not include coffee, baby formula, or foods for specific medical conditions. The presentation was intended for company managers as a basis for reviewing their corporate strategy. And the response of the multinational. Was it a surprise to know that many more products than expected were below this threshold for unhealthy foods? Once we realized this, we knew we had to do something. discard and which ones we could reformulate.

And is this a policy that you are following because there is a real awareness that many of your foods are unhealthy or because you need to continue selling products to remain number one in the world? We want to be there for consumers and be where they are. With Covid, there has been growing concern about health and immunity, and sugar consumption. We want to accompany people. that journey to eat better and stay healthy. Nestlé has already eliminated several product lines, such as sausages, from its portfolio. But why didn't the Swiss multinational and other food giants change course sooner?

Minneapolis, United States. April 8, 1999. A secret meeting brought together the CEOs of the country's eight largest food companies, including Nestlé USA. On the agenda: its role in one of the most serious public health epidemics ever seen in the United States: rising rates of overweight and obesity. There is growing concern that their products are to blame for weight gain, diabetes and even various types of cancer. And they get together and one of them, a gentleman named Michael Mudd, who is an executive vice pre

side

nt of Kraft, one of the largest companies of all, introduces the crowd, stands up and explains the situation. "We can't pretend that food isn't part of the obesity problem...

No credible expert will attribute the rise in obesity solely to a decline in physical activity. The one thing we shouldn't do is do nothing..." As you can imagine, it was not well received by the heads of the companies and one of the executives of the company stands up and is visibly angry and says, you know, look, there is no way, he says, we are going to mess with the jewelry of the company - referring to its powerful ingredients like salt, sugar and fat - whether that will diminish sales appeal. Corporations saw no reason - or incentive - to change anything.

The meeting ended abruptly, illustrating his lack of interest. Apparently, there was nothing that could stop the obesity epidemic, as shown by the increasing amount of red on this map. Weight gain is increasing rapidly around the world. The

dark

er the shades of red, the higher the obesity rates. Mexico is among the most severely affected countries. More than three-quarters of the adult population here are classified as overweight or obese. Mexico also has one of the worst childhood obesity rates. In the grocery stores here, the shelves are filled with junk food. Obesity is prevalent in all ages of the population...including Rogelio, who primarily eats chips, other snacks, and sugary drinks.

Since I was little I ate this type of food. My mother never told me to eat fruit. She always said: if you like it, eat it. Rogelio is a taxi driver. He spends up to 12 hours a day in his car. He is super rich and helps me continue working. I can continue driving without having to stop to eat. At home it's the same. Cheap, greasy, fast food, washed down with soda. Rogelio has two children: a teenage daughter and a little boy. I'll show you some photos where I was a little fat. Me with my son. Here he weighed about 120 kilos... and in this photo, 126 kilos.

Was all that weight a burden? Yes, he was really suffering. You don't want to go out anymore because you immediately feel out of breath. Honestly, he was just lying around and eating continuously. Since then, I have been trying to lose some weight so I can live longer. The current government has made the battle against obesity a priority. And leading the charge... is Hugo López-Gatell, doctor, trusted advisor to the president and vice minister of health. For at least the last 15 years, about a third of all deaths in Mexico have been caused by poor nutrition. And that is mainly due to excess sugar, calories, fat and salt.

In 1980, just under 7% of Mexico's population was obese. Since then, the figure has quintupled. In that same period, the country has experienced radical changes, due to the opening of the market to international trade. In the 1980s a very abrupt change occurred. Both economically and socially, the country turned towards neoliberalism and economic deregulation. At the same time, state-provided protections against health risks were dismantled, although the consequences would take a few years to become evident. There was an increase in the number of overweight people, and after about 10 to 15 years, we were seeing chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, obesity and cancer, etc.

The turning point was the signing of free trade agreements with the United States and Canada in 1994, which flooded the Mexican market with cheap, processed products. The ubiquity of sugary drinks, like Coca-Cola, is a symbol of this disaster. Today, Mexicans consume an average of 163 liters of soft drink per person per year. With urgent action needed, the Mexican parliament passed three essential regulations: a sugar tax, a clampdown on ads aimed at children, and a prominently placed warning label on unhealthy products, similar to cigarette packages. The measures were pressured by consumer groups, doctors and private groups such as the one led by Doré Castillo.

Today, manufacturers must declare whether their products contain excess sugar, calories, saturated fat, trans fat and salt. This is essential in the fight against excess weight, obesity and preventable non-communicable diseases. To avoid these labels, many brands have changed product formulas and reduced the amount of sugar, for example. And then there are the restrictions placed on children's products, particularly pet animals. Manufacturers had to remove the tigers from these cereal boxes. Others had an elephant or a toucan. These images are ingrained in the memories of many children and are all part of a marketing strategy to drive sales and brand loyalty.

It's great to see these labels and different packaging helping people make decisions. It was really hard, part of the general fight we are fighting to protect the health of people in Mexico. Food corporations have launched legal challenges to oppose mandatory labels. They claim that labels "prevent consumers from being able to compare products and select those that imply a healthy diet." It is scandalous that food companies - whether multinational, international or Mexican - are so indifferent to human suffering. Basically, they look down on ordinary people. I have heard these executives very often pretend to talk to the government.

But in reality they have other intentions: delaying tactics and misinformation to buy time and continue obtaining benefits, despite being aware that they are killing people, especially minors. We contacted the big players in the Mexican food industry, but none of them wanted to give us an interview. As for the situation in Switzerland... There are no legal restrictions here to combat overweight and obesity, despite the fact that they cost more than 8 billion Swiss francs a year in healthcare. How about a tax on sugary drinks? An idea that has already been adopted in more than 50 countries around the world.

These include several European countries, including France and Great Britain. And works. Take the example of a bottle of Fanta purchased in a store in Britain, where it is subject to excise duty. Some of the sugar has been replaced with a sweetener, which reduces thesugar content at 4.6 grams per deciliter. In Switzerland, the same drink contains 10.3 grams of sugar, more than double. That's how it is! 4.6 grams versus 10.3. It's hard to know if what you're consuming is healthy. There are 15 different names for sugar and we never know what its contents really are. There are marketing tools that allow companies to hide sugar content.

The government must take responsibility here. Politician Delphine Bachmann presented an initiative from the Geneva region to the Swiss national parliament. The goal is a tax to limit the sugar content in processed foods and beverages. The industry knows very well that the products are unhealthy. Companies know that they are hiding sugar, but they fear losing these consumers who have become accustomed to the products. They don't want transparency. What we need is political action, and there are signs of this in some regions. My hope is that the accumulation of political movements will push our authorities to act and also raise awareness among the population about these issues... and achieve change.

In recent years, a series of motions asking for State intervention have been presented, without success. Although a sugar tax is not yet on the agenda, parliament is planning possible restrictions on advertising aimed at children. The majority in parliament does not want market regulation for ideological reasons. And there are pressure groups linked to sugar production and processing and the food industry, who have friends in parliament. Lobbies are important sources of experience and information. But when industry interests become dominant and influence public health and spending, that is not right. We showed this politician the Swiss soft drink that contains twice as much sugar as the British version. ...and the World Bank report on the impact of the sugar tax. "...Taxation of sugary drinks is internationally recommended as a priority component of a comprehensive approach to preventing and controlling obesity." The World Bank report says it all and makes for encouraging reading.

It clearly states that hidden sugars are a disaster and that the sugar content must be reduced in the interests of public health and public spending. But that will not be of interest to the majority in parliament. How does parliament explain its resistance? We put that question to 10 Swiss politicians who are also members of a soft drink lobby group representing companies such as Coca-Cola, Red Bull and national suppliers of sugary drinks. A statement from the group states: "...We are active and transparent participants in the political and social debate." And yet: of the ten parliamentarians we asked, none accepted an interview.

For consumers faced with a constant barrage of advertising, making an informed decision is not so simple... as we see at this Geneva school. A presentation teaches students about the amounts of sugar and fat in processed foods. There are products here that, ideally, you should avoid. On the other hand, there are healthy options: the types of foods that should be consumed instead of chips and sugary drinks. The children show us what they normally eat. Can you show us what you have there? Wow! Since its introduction 15 years ago, the program has expanded... and is now used by one in three schools in Geneva.

Eating behavior is formed in early childhood, before the age of 10, when most of our habits develop. The food industry has understood this very well and is targeting children with aggressive marketing to get them used to ultra-processed foods and well-packaged snacks. Which of these things would you buy first when you are in a store? Kinder Bueno, candy, M&Ms and apples. Chips, waffles, candy and M&Ms. That's all. Because? They look delicious! And you? Everything here! Most people crave sweet, salty, and fatty foods. But for some, like Rebecca, these cravings can become a serious health problem. For 20 years he has suffered from a compulsive eating disorder: he binges regularly and consumes enormous amounts in a very short time.

It became a habit. When emotions became too much, food became my refuge. Sometimes I felt like a complete mess inside me, and this was the only way I could deal with it. Rebecca is out shopping to show us what she would normally consume when emotional stress leads her to compulsive eating. A brave step on her part. So would you eat all of this in one sitting? Maybe not everything, but most of it. And how do you proceed? What would you start with? ...The ravioli. The ravioli with meat? Yes. With cream sauce. How much does it cost? ...The whole package.

More grated cheese. Also the complete package? Yes. Everything has to go! And then? You still eating? It depends on how much space I still have in my stomach! I would have eaten these on the way here... all of them. Then maybe a couple of muffins. And then some cookies... the complete package. And how do you feel then? Not good. The first bites are always pleasant. You have the taste... and you enjoy eating these products. But after a while, there is no more pleasure. And then it is simply not possible for you to stop eating? ...No. I don't stop until I have to, physically... when the stomach pain is so bad that I can't sit or lie down.

And are you ashamed? Yes absolutely. That's why I do it secretly. I feel embarrassed because no one asks me to eat all these things, in such excessive quantities. Why are you telling us this now? Saying it out loud is part of my journey: acknowledging it and admitting to myself that I have a problem. I'm trying to find a way out and a solution. And I want to tell people that this is not easy. It's not just a question of willpower. Much of this happens behind closed doors. Rebecca also sought help at the obesity clinic at Lausanne University Hospital.

She is now working with a psychiatrist on her relationship with food to prevent future binge eating. How have you been since last week? Good. Food intake is extremely rapid, and foods are usually those that generate feelings of excitement and craving. In many cases: sweet and fatty foods. It is at that moment when they lose control and cannot stop. Countless experiments have been carried out with people who lose control when consuming certain substances. This rat quickly learns that pressing a pedal will reward it with a dose of sugar, which it then eats frantically. A similar experiment showed that rats prefer to consume sugar over cocaine.

The power of sugar is much more important than previously thought, as this experiment confirmed. Benjamin Boutrel heads a neurobiological research unit on addictive and eating disorders at the University Hospital of Lausanne. His area of ​​interest is the mechanism behind addiction and loss of control. We see changes in the brain of someone who cannot control their intake of fatty and sugary foods... And they are comparable to those seen with excessive and uncontrolled consumption of alcohol, cocaine or tobacco. We can draw a parallel between the agri-food industry and the tobacco industry, in terms of the way they have optimized their products and how they have changed the very nature of their product: in this case, ultra-processing.

Tobacco companies add texturizers and flavors to optimize the effectiveness of nicotine. The objective in both cases is to retain consumers and increase sales. Journalist Michael Moss, who has called sugar, salt and fat an unholy trinity, wanted to understand how American food engineers develop products and investigated many industrial laboratories. The industry hates the word addictive. You won't see them in his lab, talking to each other, like: How do we make this new potato chip more addictive? They use other terms to describe their efforts to maximize the appeal of their products. They talk about “desire-ability” engineering, for example, right?

They talk about engineering, well, one of my favorite expressions is "finesse", that is, making us want more and more of your product. Are manufacturers deliberately targeting vulnerable consumers? The industry has a formula they call, more or less, the 80/20 rule, which is that 20% of your customers will eat 80% of the product. So: some people eat a lot. They call these people habitual consumers. And they will target them through marketing, knowing that those people, for various reasons, are vulnerable to overeating their products. If you focus on the 20% of customers who consume 80% of the product, you will maximize your sales.

What about Nestlé, the largest food corporation in the world? Is it aimed at people prone to overeating? And why does the company continue to market products that it itself has described as unhealthy? During an hour-long interview, we repeatedly asked questions like these and almost always received the same answer. Nestlé wants to help people eat well, which means finding the right balance between enjoyment and health. Nestlé's philosophy is to help consumers eat well, combining enjoyment with a balanced diet and good health. And that's why Nestlé offers both a range of nutritious, affordable products and gourmet products that should be consumed in moderation.

But in practice it is known that some of its consumers are heavy consumers, people who eat excessively. Aren't these consumers essentially addicted to your products? That is why we have been introducing educational programs. So... But do you think they are addicts? Addicted? No I dont think so. At least not for Nestlé products. Our products are not developed with that in mind. We develop our products to adapt to a balanced and healthy diet. ...Each manufacturer has its own strategy to seduce our appetite. Michael Moss has no doubt that the most vulnerable consumers are key to the market success of food giants.

In the sense of defining the word addiction as a kind of repetitive behavior that some people find difficult to stop, I think that absolutely defines the business model of the processed food industry. Spend every waking hour designing and marketing your products in a way that makes us not only love them, but want more and more. What measures is Switzerland taking then? In 2020, the government expressed its opposition to a law in Mexico that requires food manufacturers to declare excessive levels of sugar, fat and salt. They do this through these black warning labels. What prompted Switzerland to get involved?

Several dozen internal emails obtained through the country's freedom of information law show that Nestlé has been approaching the government to express its concerns. They include this correspondence between the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs or SECO. "I was able to speak with... who confirmed the seriousness of the problem and the urgent need for action. Nestlé approached SECO directly to ask for the support of Swiss officials. SECO rejected our requests for an interview, unlike Nestlé. We were in agreement. We agreed with the goal of the law, which was to reduce obesity rates and help consumers eat healthily.

What we did not agree with was the implementation of this law, because the proposed labeling does not help consumers. Mexico is simply an alarm system, and does not encourage consumers to make better decisions, but isn't an alert necessary when 76% of the population is overweight or obese to reduce obesity in the population, help the population? people to make better consumer decisions. So: Does Nestlé want to create support programs? The truth is that the multinational wants to block any legal requirements. Among the messages sent by Nestlé to the Swiss government is this. memo: "The proposal... is too radical and restrictive, and lacks scientific basis. ...The warning messages are likely to create unnecessary fear in consumers..." We showed the memo to Mexico's deputy health secretary .

My first response is to laugh. But it is a tragic laugh. I laugh at the rudeness and stubbornness. of the food industry, in this case a very influential multinational. Companies have been developing this rhetoric for many years. I'm not surprised they try to mislead the public by claiming that labeling isn't even beneficial. has improved the formulas of a series of its products to avoid the dreaded black labels. It is understandable that companies protect their interests, but economic and private interests cannot come before the public interest. of political power The political power of a sovereign nation involves protecting, defending and promoting public interests.

And the main one of those interests is protecting children. Nathalie Farpour-Lambert is a pediatrician who has spent decades counseling overweight children, helping them in their fight toward a healthier diet. In the past, we had children who were slightly overweight in relation to their age and height... But today we have children who are enormously overweight: 20 or 30 kilos or more. What bothers me the most is that children are manipulated. They are victims of this food system. They can notavoid it. We often blame parents for making poor choices and buying unhealthy products. But it is extremely difficult for them to make the right decision.

Labeling is not always clear to everyone. We are violating the human rights of children and we have to wonder how far things will go. Are we willing to sacrifice one or even two generations? For years I haven't been able to look strangers in the eye. I have suffered so much from mockery and insults that I have closed myself in my own bubble. Sometimes I don't even consider myself a person. I'm just this ugly thing. What if you didn't have your children? I would have gotten completely carried away and died years ago. He didn't love me enough to find an escape.

I only did it for my children, because I love them and I want them to have a "normal" mother.