Fat tax

"On Saturday, Denmark became the first country in the world to introduce a "fat tax," surcharge on unhealthy foods that are high in saturated fat in hopes of curbing bad eating habits."

Everything that contains more than 2.3% saturated fat (bacon, butter, pizza, oil, red meat, cheese, milk etc.) will have an extra $1.28 per pound ($2.87 per kilogram) of saturated fat added to the price.  They are doing this in order to fight the rate of obesity in their country and to encourage healthier eating.  The money that is raised by this additional tax will be used to educate consumers and other obesity-fighting measures.

What are your thoughts on this?  Is it right for the government to try to mandate healthier eating?  Is it fat that is the culprit?  What about taxing sugars and refined carbohydrates as well (or instead)?   Do you think that other countries will follow?

Economist Steve Sexton says that instead of taxing food that is fat, we should tax people who are fat.  He lays out a way for doctors to report to the government who is fat and who is not (allowing for genetic per-disposition) and then levying a tax on those individuals.  Thoughts on this?

Making Tobacco Less Attractive. Literally.

We talked about how, in the U.S., labeling of cigarettes will change in September 2012.  The new labels will require one of the vivid health warnings to cover 50% of the front and 50% of the back of the cigarette package and to be in the upper 20% of each cigarette advertisement.  
 
There are new laws being considered in the UK that would prevent cigarette packages from being colorful and "glitzy."

This is one company's idea of what the packages could look like.  

Australia has already enacted a similar law that will take place in 2012.  "From July 2012, manufacturers would be required to drop all colour and branding logos from cigarette packets."

What are some of the positive points of these laws in the UK and Australia?  Negative points?

Is that meal "all natural?"

Marketers put many words on labels that form an instant connection with the consumer.  "Wholesome," "Healthy," and "Natural" are some of them. There is much controversy (read that as "lawsuits") in the food labeling world regarding the use of the term "natural."  What does it mean to you?   All of these bottles of Wesson Oil are labeled "All Natural" (it is in the banner, above the type of oil). 

The truth though, is that approximately 75% of corn and 95% of soybeans in the United States are genetically modified (GMOs).  This then leads to the oil that results from that corn or soybeans to be GMO as well.  Is this natural?  Maybe so.

Some of you are familiar with the bottled drink known as "Skinnygirl Margarita."  Until recently it was sold in Whole Foods, but in September was pulled off the shelves due to a claim that is contained an ingredient that is "unnatural," sodium benzoate, which is a common (although synthesized in a lab) food preservative. Sodium benzoate is in a large majority of preserved foods and drinks.

What in the heck is natural??  Does anyone know?  Does the FDA have a definition for it and do they regulate the use of that word?  Um, no.  They have largely declined to define the term.  "With the few precious dollars the FDA has, we largely choose to focus on topics that affect public safety.  The 'natural' issue doesn't. That's not to say it's not important, but we frankly have more pressing issues to deal with."

When I type "natural food" into google images, I get the following images:

To me, this means that most people think of fresh fruits and vegetables as natural. But does that preclude other foods or drinks from being in that category as well?  Are we misinforming our consumers if we label something as "natural," since we don't have a hard and fast rule on just what that means?

Crazy Prices, Crazy Consumers, Just Plain Craziness

By now you've all heard that Missoni released a "Missoni for Target" line on Tuesday, Sept. 13th.  It caused madness on the Target website, crashing it numerous times throughout the day, as well as madness within and outside the stores (nearing the length of lines outside an Apple store that precede an iPhone release). 

All of this is because this is a high end designer who is "bringing the high end to the masses." They created a 400-piece line exclusively for Target.  So, they're making cheaper versions of the brand and selling the Target version of the $500 shirt for $100. 

Of course all of those consumers were not buying the products for themselves, but rather because they want to make a tidy profit when they turn around and sell it for five times as much as they paid.  By Thursday there were over 40,000 Missoni products available on eBay and a lot more available on Craigslist. 

Is this crazy consumer behavior?  Would you buy the Missoni stuff from ebay and Craigslist at such insanely marked up prices?  Or do you know friends who would do it?

Thoughts please!

Sharks May Now Keep Their Fins

Living in San Diego, you're probably familiar with news of sharks in the area.  Just two weeks ago there were at least two to three shark sightings just off the coast of Mission Beach.  There's something scary about seeing shark fins in the water, but after all, they *do* live out there. When we, humans, choose to swim, dive, paddleboard, surf, etc. in the ocean we're actually invading their home. That said, I prefer that they keep their distance from me and I promise to not bother them.

This week there is good news for all sharks on the west coast of the United States.  The California Senate passed a bill that enacts a ban "on the sale, trade, possession and distribution of shark fins."

"Washington was the first West Coast state to pass similar legislation in May followed by Oregon in early August. West Coast legislation comes on the heels of related bills passed in Hawaii, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam."

Have any of your eaten shark fin soup?  It is quite a delicacy in some parts of the world.  Read the above linked article and let me know what you think about the new (potential) legislation (Governor Brown must sign the bill by Oct. 8th in order for it to become law).

Pay to not Play?

This is old news by now (two weeks old), but it is still worth commenting on.  Often, celebrities are paid to wear certain clothes or to endorse certain brands. The reason this is done is in hopes of increasing the value of the brand through positive association.  Not nearly as often (I'm not aware of any other cases, but there could be one/some) is a "celebrity" paid to NOT wear a certain brand for fear that wearing it will decrease the value of the brand.  Such is the case with Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino from Jersey Shore. 

Abercrombie and Fitch would very much like all of the characters on Jersey Shore to find another brand to wear.  What are your thoughts on this?

The press release:



"We are deeply concerned that Mr. Sorrentino's association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image.  We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans. We have therefore offered a substantial payment to Michael 'The Situation' Sorrentino and the producers of MTV's The Jersey Shore to have the character wear an alternate brand.  We have also extended this offer to other members of the cast, and are urgently waiting a response."

Can you Trademark a Color?

This question came before a NY judge a couple weeks ago.  Shapes can be trademarked - the Coca-Cola bottle shape, for example, is trademarked.  We also know that you can trademark certain color combinations - for example, the combination of yellow, red and black that Kodak uses is trademarked by Kodak.

What about a single color though?  Many of you (perhaps mostly the females and a few aware gentlemen) know that all Christian Louboutin shoes have a familiar red sole. I think that many of us would quickly yell "Louboutin!!" if we were shown a glimpse of a shoe and it had a red sole.  Is that trademarkable?  (Is that even a word?  It should be).

Read about the issue and weigh in.