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American Morning
Food for Thought
Aired July 02, 2003 - 07:43 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The company that makes some of our most popular snack foods is downsizing, but it's not what you think. Kraft is taking steps to help Americans, especially kids, lose weight. So, why are big food suppliers like Kraft and McDonald's taking a healthy turn?
Dr. Sanjay Gupta is at CNN Center to tell us more about that.
Hi -- Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
Well, I'll tell you, the question really for a lot of people is fatty foods. There are fatty foods, the next tobacco, certainly linked to hundreds of thousands of deaths, and as you mentioned, Kraft now announcing plans to do something about it. But why?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): Can food manufacturers be blamed for a fatter America? Lawyers are beginning to think so. That's why this man sued McDonald's, blaming the worldwide burger peddler for being fat. And Kraft Foods, makers of the Oreo cookies, was sued because their cookies contain a fat that's been linked to heart disease. A judge dismissed the McDonald's lawsuit, and the Kraft case was withdrawn, but the threat of more still looms.
And so, these same companies seem to be on the offensive to head off more lawsuits. Kraft Foods announced a new initiative to do its part to fight obesity. They plan to reduce portion sizes of certain products. They are eliminating all in-school marketing of their products, and they're working on reducing fat content in some of their products. Kraft says it's the right thing to do, but if it wards off future lawsuits, that's OK, too.
Last year, when McDonald's announced it would switch to a healthier oil for their French fries to help in the battle of the bulge, a lot of nutrition experts were impressed. Today, McDonald's admits it still uses the same fatty oil because it is still testing new oils. And, thus, consumers are still eating fattier fries.
So, consumer watchdogs are more skeptical when they hear about these new initiatives. They want action, not words.
But McDonald's has more healthy choices in store. New lower fat salad dressings are now available, and the fast food chain says they plan to offer apple slices and more wholesome happy meal choices sometime this year.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
And it's easy to be cynical sometimes about some of these changes, but if these plans do get enacted, it probably would be a good thing for especially children whose obesity rates have tripled over the last 20 years -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, those are definitely some alarming numbers there. Hey, Sanjay, if you'll stick around with us, we're going to discuss a little bit more about this and the motivations of these food companies in all of this.
We want to go ahead and bring in now our legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, and Andy Serwer, of "Fortune" magazine to talk more about it.
You know, I want to start with you, Jeffrey, about this, because we have to tell people what Kraft said. And that is this: "We are making these commitments first and foremost because we think it is the right thing to do for the people who use our products and for our business, but if it also discourages a plaintiff's attorney or unfair legislation, that's fine with us."
So, which is it? Are they staving off lawsuits, or are they taking the high road?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I think there are obviously mixed motives at work here. You also have consumers starting to become aware of how bad their health can be as a result of using these things. I think we can overstate how much legal jeopardy these companies really are in. There have not been any, as far as I know, successful lawsuits yet against any of these manufacturers. Obviously, they're concerned in the future, but I think this is more of a business decision than a legal decision actually.
COLLINS: Right, and what does it do for business, Andy?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Well, you know, it's really interesting. I mean, when you talk about is food the next big tobacco? We did a story on that in "Fortune" magazine, looking at these kinds of companies. And Kraft knows all about this, because, of course, they're wedded at the hip to big tobacco. They're 84 percent owned by Altria, which owns Philip Morris. Kraft used to be completely owned by Philip Morris. And the companies have wanted to be separate for a while, but the plaintiffs' lawyers suing the tobacco companies wouldn't let them split up because they wanted to be able to go after the food company's assets. So, they certainly know about these legal problems.
TOOBIN: But, remember, you know, we've been hearing about what's going to be the next tobacco for a long time.
SERWER: True.
TOOBIN: I mean, the gun manufacturer was going to be the next tobacco. It didn't work out that way. These lawsuits have not been successful yet. So, you know, I think we can have a certain degree of skepticism. The real reason tobacco was brought to -- you know, paid all of that money is because the Clinton administration got involved. The Bush administration is no friend of plaintiffs' lawyers here. So, I mean, I think this is more of a business decision than it is legal.
COLLINS: Right, and certainly there, you have to talk about the responsibility of the consumers.
Sanjay Gupta, I want to ask you, what is the responsibility of the consumer to actually eat according to their particular health needs?
GUPTA: Well, I mean, obviously it's a very individual responsibility. And I think part of the problem that both Andy and Jeff are alluding to is that it's much more difficult in some ways from a medical standpoint to make this link between obesity and so many of these other chronic diseases. To give you some of the numbers, people link obesity to about 300,000 deaths a year. That word "link" is a little bit of a tricky word, because it doesn't mean there is not a direct cause-and-effect, but certainly people believe that obesity could actually be linked to cancer, to arthritis, heart disease, stroke.
With tobacco, it was much clearer. You know, the smoke and some of the carcinogens would actually go on there and damage cells, possibly causing cancer. So, it becomes a little bit more sketchy, a little bit more gray from a medical standpoint, but it is an individual responsibility. I think people pretty much agree on that.
It was interesting -- it will be interesting to see what Jeff says about this. One of the lawyers actually called all of the executives for the fatty food companies -- fast food companies, excuse me -- and said I'd like you to post signs in your windows that says fatty foods are addictive. Of course, they didn't do that, but I thought that was sort of an interesting first shot across the bow, as they say.
TOOBIN: Well, the interesting thing about warnings is that often the companies like the warnings, not the plaintiffs, because the companies get to say, how can you sue us? We warned you that use of our product could damage you. But, you know, food and tobacco are obviously just so different. I mean, if you eat McDonald's once in a while, there really are no harmful effects. Cigarettes are completely different. There is no safe way to smoke cigarettes. There is a safe way to eat Oreos, a safe way to eat McDonald's.
COLLINS: Probably.
TOOBIN: And the question of personal responsibility is one the jurors almost always respond to.
COLLINS: Andy, you have something to say about hot dogs, quickly.
SERWER: Yes. Well, that's true. Kids, of course, are really being marketed to -- Chips Ahoy, Oreos, and of course Oscar Mayer hot dogs is what Kraft makes. And one casualty here is going to be the Oscar Mayer weiner mobile. Look at -- there it is. They're not going to be allowed -- seriously, they're not going to be allowed to take this thing to schools anymore. I mean, the company itself is not going to be taking this to schools anymore. I mean, you always get a smile when you see that thing coming down the street.
TOOBIN: Andy, actually that is your personal car.
SERWER: I'd love to drive that thing. I mean, who wouldn't?
(CROSSTALK)
TOOBIN: The Serwer family drives around in a wiener mobile.
SERWER: Who wouldn't want to get behind the wheel?
COLLINS: And you look so good in it. All right, guys, Dr. Sanjay Gupta at CNN Center, Jeffrey Toobin, our legal analyst, and Andy Serwer of "Fortune" magazine. Thanks so much to all of you.
SERWER: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired July 2, 2003 - 07:43 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The company that makes some of our most popular snack foods is downsizing, but it's not what you think. Kraft is taking steps to help Americans, especially kids, lose weight. So, why are big food suppliers like Kraft and McDonald's taking a healthy turn?
Dr. Sanjay Gupta is at CNN Center to tell us more about that.
Hi -- Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
Well, I'll tell you, the question really for a lot of people is fatty foods. There are fatty foods, the next tobacco, certainly linked to hundreds of thousands of deaths, and as you mentioned, Kraft now announcing plans to do something about it. But why?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): Can food manufacturers be blamed for a fatter America? Lawyers are beginning to think so. That's why this man sued McDonald's, blaming the worldwide burger peddler for being fat. And Kraft Foods, makers of the Oreo cookies, was sued because their cookies contain a fat that's been linked to heart disease. A judge dismissed the McDonald's lawsuit, and the Kraft case was withdrawn, but the threat of more still looms.
And so, these same companies seem to be on the offensive to head off more lawsuits. Kraft Foods announced a new initiative to do its part to fight obesity. They plan to reduce portion sizes of certain products. They are eliminating all in-school marketing of their products, and they're working on reducing fat content in some of their products. Kraft says it's the right thing to do, but if it wards off future lawsuits, that's OK, too.
Last year, when McDonald's announced it would switch to a healthier oil for their French fries to help in the battle of the bulge, a lot of nutrition experts were impressed. Today, McDonald's admits it still uses the same fatty oil because it is still testing new oils. And, thus, consumers are still eating fattier fries.
So, consumer watchdogs are more skeptical when they hear about these new initiatives. They want action, not words.
But McDonald's has more healthy choices in store. New lower fat salad dressings are now available, and the fast food chain says they plan to offer apple slices and more wholesome happy meal choices sometime this year.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
And it's easy to be cynical sometimes about some of these changes, but if these plans do get enacted, it probably would be a good thing for especially children whose obesity rates have tripled over the last 20 years -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, those are definitely some alarming numbers there. Hey, Sanjay, if you'll stick around with us, we're going to discuss a little bit more about this and the motivations of these food companies in all of this.
We want to go ahead and bring in now our legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, and Andy Serwer, of "Fortune" magazine to talk more about it.
You know, I want to start with you, Jeffrey, about this, because we have to tell people what Kraft said. And that is this: "We are making these commitments first and foremost because we think it is the right thing to do for the people who use our products and for our business, but if it also discourages a plaintiff's attorney or unfair legislation, that's fine with us."
So, which is it? Are they staving off lawsuits, or are they taking the high road?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I think there are obviously mixed motives at work here. You also have consumers starting to become aware of how bad their health can be as a result of using these things. I think we can overstate how much legal jeopardy these companies really are in. There have not been any, as far as I know, successful lawsuits yet against any of these manufacturers. Obviously, they're concerned in the future, but I think this is more of a business decision than a legal decision actually.
COLLINS: Right, and what does it do for business, Andy?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Well, you know, it's really interesting. I mean, when you talk about is food the next big tobacco? We did a story on that in "Fortune" magazine, looking at these kinds of companies. And Kraft knows all about this, because, of course, they're wedded at the hip to big tobacco. They're 84 percent owned by Altria, which owns Philip Morris. Kraft used to be completely owned by Philip Morris. And the companies have wanted to be separate for a while, but the plaintiffs' lawyers suing the tobacco companies wouldn't let them split up because they wanted to be able to go after the food company's assets. So, they certainly know about these legal problems.
TOOBIN: But, remember, you know, we've been hearing about what's going to be the next tobacco for a long time.
SERWER: True.
TOOBIN: I mean, the gun manufacturer was going to be the next tobacco. It didn't work out that way. These lawsuits have not been successful yet. So, you know, I think we can have a certain degree of skepticism. The real reason tobacco was brought to -- you know, paid all of that money is because the Clinton administration got involved. The Bush administration is no friend of plaintiffs' lawyers here. So, I mean, I think this is more of a business decision than it is legal.
COLLINS: Right, and certainly there, you have to talk about the responsibility of the consumers.
Sanjay Gupta, I want to ask you, what is the responsibility of the consumer to actually eat according to their particular health needs?
GUPTA: Well, I mean, obviously it's a very individual responsibility. And I think part of the problem that both Andy and Jeff are alluding to is that it's much more difficult in some ways from a medical standpoint to make this link between obesity and so many of these other chronic diseases. To give you some of the numbers, people link obesity to about 300,000 deaths a year. That word "link" is a little bit of a tricky word, because it doesn't mean there is not a direct cause-and-effect, but certainly people believe that obesity could actually be linked to cancer, to arthritis, heart disease, stroke.
With tobacco, it was much clearer. You know, the smoke and some of the carcinogens would actually go on there and damage cells, possibly causing cancer. So, it becomes a little bit more sketchy, a little bit more gray from a medical standpoint, but it is an individual responsibility. I think people pretty much agree on that.
It was interesting -- it will be interesting to see what Jeff says about this. One of the lawyers actually called all of the executives for the fatty food companies -- fast food companies, excuse me -- and said I'd like you to post signs in your windows that says fatty foods are addictive. Of course, they didn't do that, but I thought that was sort of an interesting first shot across the bow, as they say.
TOOBIN: Well, the interesting thing about warnings is that often the companies like the warnings, not the plaintiffs, because the companies get to say, how can you sue us? We warned you that use of our product could damage you. But, you know, food and tobacco are obviously just so different. I mean, if you eat McDonald's once in a while, there really are no harmful effects. Cigarettes are completely different. There is no safe way to smoke cigarettes. There is a safe way to eat Oreos, a safe way to eat McDonald's.
COLLINS: Probably.
TOOBIN: And the question of personal responsibility is one the jurors almost always respond to.
COLLINS: Andy, you have something to say about hot dogs, quickly.
SERWER: Yes. Well, that's true. Kids, of course, are really being marketed to -- Chips Ahoy, Oreos, and of course Oscar Mayer hot dogs is what Kraft makes. And one casualty here is going to be the Oscar Mayer weiner mobile. Look at -- there it is. They're not going to be allowed -- seriously, they're not going to be allowed to take this thing to schools anymore. I mean, the company itself is not going to be taking this to schools anymore. I mean, you always get a smile when you see that thing coming down the street.
TOOBIN: Andy, actually that is your personal car.
SERWER: I'd love to drive that thing. I mean, who wouldn't?
(CROSSTALK)
TOOBIN: The Serwer family drives around in a wiener mobile.
SERWER: Who wouldn't want to get behind the wheel?
COLLINS: And you look so good in it. All right, guys, Dr. Sanjay Gupta at CNN Center, Jeffrey Toobin, our legal analyst, and Andy Serwer of "Fortune" magazine. Thanks so much to all of you.
SERWER: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
