Nutri-washing food and beverages, from Big Food to Big Alcohol: How the alcohol industry spins its products as healthy and nutritious

For years, food companies have used advertising, packaging, and brand image to convince people that certain products are healthier than they really are. Whether it's putting a pro athlete's face on a bottle of a popular soft drink, labeling a sugary cereal as a “smart choice,” or attaching arbitrary designations such as “all natural” to foods high in fat, the food industry knows it must attract health-conscious eaters. In the past few years, alcohol companies have begun appropriating many of the misleading advertising techniques from the food industry. Superstars of grueling, high-endurance sports are being tapped to promote both soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. Spirits companies have begun positioning their brands as “all natural,” even though the products haven't changed. Beer companies are sponsoring marathons and producing commercials that show athletes such as Lance Armstrong enjoying a cold beer after a cycling work-out. These advertising practices are legally tenuous, morally unsound, and potentially dangerous. This presentation will describe how the alcohol industry has capitalized on the “healthy food” movement to mask the potential hazards of consuming its products. Market research has shown purchase intent and consumption of a brand increase when consumers believe alcoholic products are all-natural or fitness-friendly, which makes intense scrutiny and strict regulation of these claims essential. Meanwhile, both the food and alcohol industries rely on a failed system of self-regulation to convince policymakers that legal restrictions are unnecessary. Included in the presentation are a number of policy recommendations that apply to regulating both food and alcohol marketing practices.