This video shows a little girl grocery shopping; look at the colorful packages at her level.
EXTRA CREDIT PORTION OF BLOG
Let me just start off by first addressing the extra credit. I went to the store and walked down two aisles, just TWO aisles, that was all it took for me to completely fill out the list for corn or soybean ingredients. I was amazed at just how many products were made from these ingredients, and most of the items didn’t just have one of the ten listed, they had like two or three. These findings reveal what we’ve been talking about in class, as one may put it “Corn is talking over our lives.” It controls what we eat, it makes up what we eat, and it is what we are eating. I don’t think I picked up one item that didn’t have corn or soybean ingredients in it. Granted I was in the middle aisles and it’s true what people say, that the only “real” food is on the “outside” of the shelves.
Shopping as the “Other”
It’s hard for me to say what items are being marketed to myself, when I was little my mom did all the shopping and cooking so I didn’t pay any attention but now that I’m older I usually only shop on the “outside” of the store. I don’t ever walk down the aisles unless there’s something I know I need. Marketing is huge and they know how to sell products, if I were to walk down the aisles I would be tempted by all the “fun” looking food. I feel it’s typically easier to make and is filled with flavor due to unhealthy preservatives. However if I was still a child shopping with my mom, I would want so many things. Skippy, the peanut butter brand which is typically targeted to children is on a lower shelf. The shelf schematics are purposely done, placing Skippy on a lower shelf which is at eye level for children. Even when you are standing in like waiting to check out, if you are a child the candy is once again right there staring you in the face. Comparing the two list as myself now at 21, or if I was a child is drastically different. Look at the images below, the first are my list now; the second is my list if I were a child.
MY LIST:
KID LIST:
The differences between are two lists are HUGE. The kid list is filled with colorful packaging, designed to catch their eyes while my list is boring and just the food. Fruits and vegetables are not in fun packages, they are simply just fruits and vegetables. Although during the holiday season they sometimes have caramel apples to appeal to children, which is the only time they ever have caramel apples pre-made. No wonder children have poor eating habits and Americans are becoming obese. The packaging limits the choices kids have because they are so distracted by it. Learning at a young age what it healthy and what is not is important but with corporations knowing exactly how to target children is ruining are chances at a healthy society.
Big time corporations don’t care what they are selling as long as they are selling it. They just want to make a profit and they know that parents tend to spoil their kids when out grocery shopping, according to Mintel International Group data. Granted this data shows that dads are most likely to purchase unhealthy treats for their children while shopping, it still shows that for both men and women, their children are the main influencers when at the grocery store.
Excellent. You can also see how companies tie-in kid's culture to further sell an image and we can see what types of foods are available in that regard. We don't see movie characters or celebrities on the carrot bag or next to the healthy cereals. How do you think cost is impacted by the marketing process?
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