Everyday Systems

Interesting article I read in my newspaper today:
"Snacks nation: Food makers are turning everything into snacks"

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/c61123db ... ing-snacks

"And while it may seem odd to snack on meat with bare hands, Hillshire says its research shows people don't mind.

" 'The meat is quality meat, so people would take it and dip it with their fingers,' said Jeff Caswell, general manager of Hillshire Snacking.

"Already, Caswell said the company is looking at turning other meats into portable finger foods."


...eating meat with our fingers is really just gross...and uncivilized!

Such terrible VALUE people will be getting for their money. And who will bet the packaging won't be recyclable? More crap in the landfills, including the bites of unfinished food (though there probably wouldn't be any from me- if I ate snacks.) This from WHO: "These increases [in the available food supply] were far in excess of what was required to explain the weight gain experienced by each country, suggesting that food waste had also increased substantially."

"People are snacking more and more, sometimes instead of meals, sometimes with meals, and sometimes in between meals," How do you snack WITH a meal? Is he saying the food itself defines a snack?

No snack will sell well, very likely, unless a manufacturer perverts it to make it more palatable, meaning likely more salt and/or sugar and/or fat than a person would eat at a homemade meal. And certainly in comparison to celery sticks.

Also from the WHO article: “Much of the increase in available calories over the decades has come from ultra-processed food products, which are highly palatable, relatively inexpensive and widely advertised, making overconsumption of calories very easy,” Vandevijvere said.

Ah, the joys of the free market meeting human predilection.

Guess we just all have to hunker down in our No S sanity together since this is going to make us sound even more like a fringe element.

Wow. That's horrific. I don't even know where to start.

There are no meals anymore, only snacks.

"People are snacking more and more, sometimes instead of meals, sometimes with meals, and sometimes in between meals," said Marcel Nahm, who heads North American snacks for Hershey.

He said Hershey's research shows some people snack "10 times a day."

Snacking has been encroaching on meals for years, of course, fueled in part by the belief that several smaller meals a day are better than three big ones. Snacks now account for half of all eating occasions, with breakfast and lunch in particular becoming "snackified," according to the Hartman Group, a food industry consultancy.

As around-the-clock grazing upends the way people eat, companies are reimagining foods that aren't normally seen as snacks to elbow in on the trend. That means everything including grilled chicken, cereal, chocolate, peanut butter and even Spam are now being marketed as snacks.

Spam snacks? C'mon, a line has been crossed.

oolala, can you post a link to the WHO article you're quoting from please? Sounds interesting!

Snacking is SO ingrained in the American mindset. Now I can't believe I thought snacking was healthy (and we pretty much now think it "necessary" for kids of all ages).

Remember last year or so when, I think it was Reese's but honestly it could have been any of the candy companies, was advertising tiny versions of their candy that were really "convenient" because you didn't have to unwrap them. In other words, you could lift a bag and pour little pb cups right into your mouth and relish in all the time savings.

Wow, what has happened to us as a society?! We want everything now! Hungry? Gotta eat RIGHT NOW! So glad I've discovered no S.

Wow, what has happened to us as a society?! We want everything now! Hungry? Gotta eat RIGHT NOW! So glad I've discovered no S.

It's not just us! Very few societies are immune to the effects of more food available fast. It's just that our manufacturers are fast on the uptake. But even when I was in India in the late '70's and early '80's, there were carts on most big city streets that sold spicy cereals in bulk that passersby could buy in little bags and eat on the run.

Merry, I THINK this was the original, though it's quoted in several places on the net.
http://www.who.int/bulletin/releases/NFM0715/en/

And while I'm at it, from another article (yes, I'm obsessed or passionate, take your pick) "The study reported that in 56 out of the 69 countries they researched, average body weight had increased steadily alongside the available food supply. Only countries hit by famine, natural disasters or civil war didn’t follow this trend."

https://focus-training.com/blog/obesity ... e-of-food/

Wow, even culture isn't a limiting factor any more.

I'm feeling more and more like a voice crying in the desert- but with better meals.

Thanks!

Wait a minute: the bottom of the page is selling music now. One of the featured artist is Taj Mahal, whom I heard on Prairie Home Companion last night. But I didn't do any search. Are the marketers reading my mind now?

oolala53 wrote:Wait a minute: the bottom of the page is selling music now. One of the featured artist is Taj Mahal, whom I heard on Prairie Home Companion last night. But I didn't do any search. Are the marketers reading my mind now?

I know it's freaky right oolala?! Love prairie home companion btw!:)