The Sweetener Story: It's Not Which Type, But How Much
CRA
US consumers can afford to buy healthy food, but they have been ‘corrupted’ by the availability of cheap food to spend less, says the co-founder of Whole Foods Market.
“I don’t think healthy foods cost more – just look at how little we spend on food,” said John Mackey, co-founder of Whole Foods Market.
“One hundred years ago we spent about 50% on food. Fifty years ago it was about 20%. Today, in the US, we spend less than 7% of income on food.”
“We can afford to eat healthier food, but we choose not to. We have been corrupted by low prices,” Mackey told attendees at the Taste Tomorrow event hosted by Puratos at the Drake Hotel in Chicago last week.
However the industrialization of the food supply does mean that no fresh fruit and vegetable produce can compete with corn, wheat and rice, which are supported by subsidies, he added.
Evolution
Mackey presented to attendees on the evolution of food consciousness. Consumers are seeking authenticity, he said, and the market is witnessing a foodie revolution, a re-emergence of food artisans, a consumer desire for transparency, and the desire for food that is natural, organic, local, global, ethical, healthy and sustainable.
Speaking, John Mackey, co-founder of Whole Foods Market, warned attendees that if they don’t understand foodie consumers they “are going to be left behind”.
He defined ‘foodies’ as people who view food as a pleasure, where quality and taste are the highest values, where the story behind the food matters greatly, and who see food as a form of self-expression.
Romantic reaction
Whole Foods Market has emerged as a romantic reaction to industrial foods, he said. ‘Natural’ – which has no official definition – is defined by the retailer as free of artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, sweeteners, or hydrogenated fats. In other words, it is minimally processed, said Mackey.
Despite this reaction to the industrial food supply, Mackey said it would be “insane to go back to pre-industrialized agriculture.”
In 1910, one farmer could feed 27 people. Today, one farmer feeds 155 people, he observed. The industrialization of the food supply has done much to boost productivity and improve safety of the food supply. However, there are huge environmental costs of the system, the food is less healthy, there is pollution of ground water by pesticides and fertilizers, and then there is the obesity epidemic, he added.
“There needs to be a greater synthesis of both types of agriculture, balancing long-term environmental sustainability and productivity maximization”.
Obesity
Mackey also noted that 80% of all deaths in the US are due to avoidable lifestyle diseases, and that 50% of people die from heart disease and stroke.
“The trend towards natural and healthy is a challenge and an opportunity for the bakery, patisserie, and chocolate industries,” he said. “For bakery in particular it is a great opportunity. For the patisserie and chocolate industries, don’t even try to be healthy. People still want indulgences.”
7 comments (Comments are now closed)
Spending on food isn't all that's changed...
While I agree with the author's main point, that Americans spend very little on food compared to others and compared to the past; however, making a switch isn't as simple as realizing that. Changes in what we spend on housing and stagnation in wages makes switching away from cheap food more daunting, and makes it require more careful planning and dietary changes that many people are reluctant to take on. To eat healthier WITHOUT spending more requires education.
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Posted by Little Sis (mysisterspantry.wordpress.com)
28 October 2012 | 15h52
Most people are too lazy to eat healthy
Almost everyone can eat healthier AND move their bodies to improve health.
Gary's right, people want to spend money on more stuff, fast food and cheap food. I don't believe people comprehend how unhealthy most food is that comes in a box, bag, restaurant and drive up window.
They'll pay in the end when their health is poor. Well, we all will in terms of medicare taxes and health insurance.
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Posted by J S
26 October 2012 | 17h26
Did anyone read his comments?
He's not saying Whole Foods is inexpensive vis a vis other stores...he is saying you can afford to buy Whole Foods every trip and still pay much less of your family paycheck than your mom did to buy food.
It's true that people choose not to buy better food and instead buy a better phone, better tv, better car...
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Posted by Gary
23 October 2012 | 21h02
Whole Foods Hypocrisy
How can anyone take John Mackey's comments seriously? When one of the highest prices retail food outlets attempts to address of issues of health and welfare, it is a joke. To make food affordable, in this store? Hardly. Look at who can afford to shop at their stores versus elsewhere. This corporations is about profits while giving lip service to health for profits. Plain and simple.
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Posted by PlainTruth
23 October 2012 | 00h53
Now you know why they are called "Whole Paycheck"
from coast to coast. This last weekend they had a "non-GMO" sale ostensibly pushing whichever products were non-gmo. His comment about balancing productivity and safety leaves a hole for their sale of GMO products you could drive a truck through.
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Posted by John C. Campbell III
22 October 2012 | 21h17
Can we Afford?
If the "Whole Foods" wants the food to be affordable, then why is it that their store is so expensive, when compared to many other stores.
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Posted by Anuraga
22 October 2012 | 20h42
Whole Paycheck
Dear John,
Your Whole Food margins dont speak of helping those who need healthy food the most. The demographic you serve can afford nearly anything, while the 90 % are confined to eating what their paycheck dictates. Trader Joes average price for organic items is nearly 50% less than Whole foods.
Dont speak from both sides of your mouth,the Whole food concept is great, the elitists target market and profit model, is not addressing the diet related disease you mention..
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Posted by Quetzalcoatl
22 October 2012 | 20h08
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