I wish I could do this one in Spanish, but it will be in English. The preliminary program for the meeting is here. Register for it here.
by Marion Nestle
Jan
24
2024
How grocery stores encourage snacking
A reader from Phoenix, AZ, Maria Zafonte, sends this from a local Safeway:
From her standpoint—and mine—this is a great way to encourage overeating.
As she explained, if she bought just one bag of chips, each would cost $5.99.
But if she bought four, the unit cost was only $1.97 each.
As she put it:
The problem is what am I going to do with four bags of Doritos?? The healthier choice is financially penalized. It is very frustrating!
Indeed, it is.
One of the hallmarks of ultra-processed food products is their enormous profitability. You can bet that Safeway is not losing money on 4 bags at $1.97 each.
Even if this is a loss leader (a gimmick to get you into the store), it’s an incentive to overeat.
Caveat emptor.