Another Practical: Creating Food Literate Kids

You can check out a new Practical Guide this week. Like many of them, this one is close to my heart: teaching kids to be savvy food marketing consumers. Check it out and let me know what you think!

What Can You Buy for a Billion Dollars?

2007 was a landmark year for Kellogg’s global advertising: Their total dollars spent on ad outlays for the first time in history hit the billion-dollar mark. Kraft, not one to skimp, also spent a little more than $1 billion in advertising, up $10 million from the year before.

One billion dollars. What can that buy you? A lot. And, apparently, a lot of advertising.

What it certainly doesn't buy us consumers is cheaper prices.

In that same Brandweek article about the ballooning ad budgets, we learn that both Kraft and Kellogg are increasing their prices. A connection?

Well, not according to the article, which blames those higher prices on the company's "effort to offset rising materials costs."

Maybe I'm missing something here. Kellogg's advertising outlays are 12 percent of their overall budget; for Kraft it's closer to 7 percent. Don't you think that these companies are spending a good chunk of their resources--and billions of dollars--in advertising might make boxes of our morning cereal a little more expensive?

Mouths of the World Unite

Mouths are angry, downright pissed off, and they're not taking it anymore. Learn about The Mouth Revolution here. The short film (check out outtakes here) is the latest stab at the junk food and fake food industry from the creative minds behind The Meatrix. The film was made with funding from Annie's Organics (who needless to say has an obvious stake in getting mouths to revolt against the junk food they're competing against) and with non-profit partners who include some of my favorite organizations: Organic Consumers Association, Pesticide Action Network, Campaign to Label GMOs and Trans Free America. Check out the website to get more information about trans fats, GMOs, pesticides and artificial ingredients, and how you can help be part of changing current legislation around these issues. --Anna

Eat Industry Film Benefit (NYC)

When Lilach Dekel and her husband had their first child, they started asking questions about where their food came from and how to ensure the best food for their new babe. For these two filmmakers, the obvious way to explore that question was digital, so the couple set out in a mobile home with their 2-year old daughter to find out first-hand about our food system and document it all on tape. Along the way, they experience a positive pregnancy test, a mal-functioning mobile-home kitchen, and many heart-wrenching conversations with farmers. The result (I've seen rough cuts over the past couple of years) is a profoundly human take on a food system that too often feels too distant. If you're in Brooklyn on JANUARY 24th, meet Lilach and see samples from the film while you nibble on treats from The Farm. Click here for details. --Anna

Do You Want Lies With That?

Coming to a theater near you, check out the new film based on Eric Schlosser's book, Fast Food Nation. (I haven't had a chance to see it yet, and won't be able to for a little while, but I would love to hear what you think.) But first, if you haven't seen it already, you must check out Eric Schlosser on the British Newsnight program debating for the first time in public a Mickey D exec. The first time that is because up until now they've said no. If you've never seen Eric speak, you'll be in for a treat: He is brilliant, centered, and has his facts straight. (I was actually surprised that the McDonald's executive was so defensive: His basic argument is that "we have made changes to our food," which sort of hands over the debate, in effect not denying that the food that they have had, and still have, is quite bad for us.) Watch the interview here: Part 1 and here Part 2 and here Part 3. Also, after you watch Part 1, note this disclosure. --Anna