Article on Portion Sizes

http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/07/30....ap/index.html

The Historian wrote:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/07/30....ap/index.html

Yes, interesting article that seems intuitively true.

Two things I notice are that fast food restaurants generally adopt a
kind of predatory pricing program which means that if you buy the
"combo" meal, (usually main dish, fries, and a drink, with maybe a
biscuit in for the fries), you get what looks like better value for
money than buying individual items, but you probably end up eating too
much.

I also notice recently in supermarkets, (probably has always been so),
that on items like individual frozen slices of key lime pie the price
will be marked as 2 for $4, rather than as $2 each, no doubt with the
intention of suggesting that the purchaser would get better value by
buying more than one.

Of course the food industry is profit-driven, and one way to increase
profits is to sell more. (The other is to charge more). In the USA
about $1 trillion, or 10% of the Gross National Product is spent on
food, so there is no doubt that if every man woman and child in the USA
and other developed economies decided to eat 20% less, major
corporations like Nestle, Kraft, and others would go into an immediate
tailspin, and we would probably see sharp increases in food prices.

From an individual perspective, we see overweight as a result of
individuals making poor dietary choices, but when you look at it from
an overall perspective, it is clear that the food industry wants you to
look at it this way so as to avoid accepting responsibility for its own
role in the obesity epidemic. It is rather analagous to the position of
the tobacco industry.

Hence we as individuals who are too heavy can refuse to buy junk and
processed foods both as a way of reducing our weight (helping
ourselves) and also as a way of boycotting BIg Food, and helping others.

wrote:
The Historian wrote:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/07/30....ap/index.html

Yes, interesting article that seems intuitively true.

Two things I notice are that fast food restaurants generally adopt a
kind of predatory pricing program which means that if you buy the
"combo" meal, (usually main dish, fries, and a drink, with maybe a
biscuit in for the fries), you get what looks like better value for
money than buying individual items, but you probably end up eating too
much.

I'm always a little amused that sometimes (rarely but I've seen it) the
combo costs more than the individual items! Also, sometimes it's not the
bargain you'd expect, maybe 5-10 cents if you follow Dunkin Donuts
implication that 2 donuts plus coffee makes a better breakfast than one.
(Still doing the DD coffee daily thing; allowed myself a french
crueller once (150 calories) and then a bagel w/ egg and cheese this
morning)

I also used to get ticked at, say, Quizznos or Subway, when they'd say
"want to add chips to that, make it a meal"? As if a big old sub would
otherwise just be a snack.

And the whole "supersize" it fad of a few years back... yeesh. A really
blatant approach to sell 10 cents more worth of food for 40 cents more
money, all at the cost of slightly gullible people's health.

I also notice recently in supermarkets, (probably has always been so),
that on items like individual frozen slices of key lime pie the price
will be marked as 2 for $4, rather than as $2 each, no doubt with the
intention of suggesting that the purchaser would get better value by
buying more than one.

YEAH... I was wondering about this, it's ambiguous... when you see a sign
that says "2 for $5.00 (regular $3.00 each)", for a while I was very
uncertain if I'd get the better, shopper's card price if I just bought
one... turns out you do. I've overbought at least twice 'til I worked it
out, but I least it was stuff I would have bought anyway, just at a slower
rate. (This is in contrast to say, boxers at Old Navy, where they
expicitly list a "twofer" price, but then say "if you buy 1 it costs X
instead", making it explicit but not quite those words.)

Also, sometimes store cards weird me out. I hate carrying extra cards in
general, though I don't mind the demographic tracking so much... but it's
surprising at the deals you get, now I don't feel so bad for refusing to
clip coupons.


--
QUOTEBLOG: http://kisrael.com SKEPTIC MORTALITY: http://kisrael.com/mortal
"Obscenity, by itself, is the last refuge of the vulgarian
and the crutch of the inarticulate motherf**ker." --Lawrence Paros

wrote in message
ups.com...

The Historian wrote:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/07/30....ap/index.html

I also notice recently in supermarkets, (probably has always been so),
that on items like individual frozen slices of key lime pie the price
will be marked as 2 for $4, rather than as $2 each, no doubt with the
intention of suggesting that the purchaser would get better value by
buying more than one.

I'm guilty of falling for that. As someone else said, when an item is on
sale (2 For $x or 3 for $x) I would buy the 2 or 3 even if I only wanted
one. I've learned to look at the fine print in the ads or signs on the
shelves by the products. Some will say "must buy 2 to get special price"
but most don't. The two bigger supermarkets near me recently had 10 For $10
sales, with a whole bunch of different items included. I bought 5 things at
one store and 3 at another, and was only charged $1 each. In the past I
would have bought 10 at each store (different items were on sale at each
store).

Of course the food industry is profit-driven, and one way to increase
profits is to sell more. (The other is to charge more). In the USA
about $1 trillion, or 10% of the Gross National Product is spent on
food, so there is no doubt that if every man woman and child in the USA
and other developed economies decided to eat 20% less, major
corporations like Nestle, Kraft, and others would go into an immediate
tailspin, and we would probably see sharp increases in food prices.

But on many items you can get two or three times the quantity for just a
small increase in price. Like fountain drinks. A small 12 oz might be
$1.29, but you can get 32 oz for $1.59. People see that it's only 30 cents
more and buy it, because they feel they're getting a bargain.


--
Liz
HW/CW/GW
268/1440.8/142-146
started maintenance mode 7/8/06