Brand Relevance: Making Competitors Irrelevant - always yours

THE FOOD INDUSTRY ADAPTS 131
Crete had much better health outcomes, in part, it was hypothesized,
because of their diet, which was high in olive oil and
therefore fat. This study was followed by others concluding that
a Mediterranean diet high in olive oil, vegetables, fruits, breads,
nuts, and whole grains; moderate in dairy products, fi sh, poultry,
and wine; and low in meat would result in a host of medical
benefi ts. The headline was that fat from olive oil was not
only OK but actually helpful. In the 1990s the Mediterranean
Diet got traction and became a major player in the healthy -
eating debate.
The Government ’ s Role
One role of the U.S. government is to approve products for sale
and to dictate how they are presented and labeled. Another is
to legitimize the theories and scientifi c fi ndings of the day — a
tough job because the issues are complex and the science incomplete
and uncertain. Nevertheless, the government is expected
to be an objective and credible arbiter and thus has a big role
in creating and infl uencing trends. Firms in nearly all industries,
therefore, need to anticipate and infl uence not only consumer
attitudes but also the actions of government.
The 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act included an “ imitation
rule ” that said that consumers needed to be informed if
such food items as cheese and bread included cheap substitutes
in place of “ real ” ingredients. Sounds like a reasonable effort to
prevent adulteration of food, except that the rule inhibited the
ability of the industry to reformulate the American food supply
to get rid of the dietary evil of the time, fat. No fi rm could
make something like nonfat sour cream without cream unless
it was called “ imitation ” sour cream, which would be a fatal
taint to the product. The food industry, with the support of the
American Heart Association and other medical groups, worked
successfully for the act ’ s repeal, which occurred in 1973, and the
fl oodgates of nonfat innovation began.