Going off the Grid: I’m Not a Hippie, I Just Needed to Mend a Broken Heart
Plan To Booze It Up Soon? Why You Should Hit The Gym First
I Confess: I Want to be Hot Too, But on My Own Terms
LeAnn Rimes Shouldn’t Have To Explain Her Weight Loss To Anyone
According To NH Politician, We’re All Just Walking Vaginas
Spring Into Fitness And Enter To Win A $500 Workout Wardrobe!
After a two-year legal battle, POM Wonderful will finally have to stop exaggerating health claims on advertisements for pomegranate juice. The Federal Trade Commission upheld a judge’s ruling that the company made false claims about the their products’ health benefits. More
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, whose previous documentaries include a McDonald’s smack down and Osama Bin Laden bounty hunt, now explores the world of product placement, marketing, and advertising in POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, a film that was fully financed through product placement by various brands, all of which are integrated transparently into the film. The documentary seeks to unmask the marketing process which ultimately informs our everyday entertainment decisions. Humorously told with tongue firmly in cheek, Spurlock uncovers closely-guarded secrets in the movie advertising industry that are not only shocking, but scary. More
I’m Lovin’ It just took on a whole new meaning. For the record, I hate fast food. I think it’s a cheap form of food, with little to no nutrition, that’s just gross. It tastes weird and is prepared in less-than-stellar conditions. It’s directly related to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, several types of cancers, and studies even show it’s addictive. Not to mention it’s a corrupt industry that is destroying the earth’s eco-system.
But after watching this McDonald’s commercial marketing their “Tomato McGrand” sandwich which aired exclusively in Japan, not only do I want to get me some Filthy McNasty up in here, I also want to have sexy-sexy time with Rhonda McDonald over there. More
Nutri-Grain newest advertisement, below, claims we’ll “feel great” after eating one of their breakfast bars (great enough to quit our jobs, get married, and punch each other in the stomachs, apparently). But just like we suspect that most Americans are over Jerry Maguire jokes, we also hope they’re over the idea that Nutri-Grain bars can really make you feel good at all: Despite their updated flavors and packaging claiming antioxidant power and healthy dose of fiber, the brand is just selling glorified cookies for breakfast. Last time we checked, that didn’t make us feel too great. More
Some of us were glad to hear that Taco Bell might not be serving real meat, but in general, most patrons of the Tex-Mex chain were freaked out by the Alabama lawsuit that claimed their “meat filling” was only 36% beef. In a mad effort to reclaim their name in ground beef, Taco Bell has released a new YouTube video to refute the accusations and placate customers with a gimmicky deal: Their meat is 88% beef, and for any takers, they’re selling their Crunchwrap Supreme (normally $2.39) for just 88 cents. More
Food manufacturers often use cleverly-phrased health claims and trendy buzzwords to make consumers choose their products. While I believe that consumers should always take such advertising with a grain of salt (and research), I also think that shrewd advertising is at least partly to blame for our country’s major problems with obesity: We’re so inundated with food advertising disguised as “nutritional” advice, often from doctors who are on big food’s payroll, that it’s hard to tell who has our best interests at heart, and who’s just shilling for the newest processed foods. As a result, many of us either throw our hands up and head to McDonald’s or go with Oprah’s latest favorite thing, then wonder why we’re gaining weight, only to begin a new search for the best “diet” foods to get us back on track. It’s a vicious cycle, and lots of us are getting fed up with it, including Athena Hohenberg, who’s suing Nutella in America’s latest false advertising lawsuit. More
We’ve griped about the anatomy of a McRib before (their rib-shaped meat mixture is really not the kind of “ribs” that we grew up with), but Taco Bell’s ground “beef” is so suspect, it’s cause for a full-on lawsuit. In fact, the stuff that fills your fast food taco only contains 36% beef, according to the Alabama law firm that’s suing the company for false advertising.
The USDA classifies beef as: “chopped fresh and/or frozen beef with or without seasoning and without the addition of beef fat as such, shall not contain more than 30 percent fat, and shall not contain added water, phosphates, binders, or extenders.” So what have you been eating in your double “beef” burritos? According to Taco Bell’s “Taco Meat Filling” ingredients list, the other 64% is mostly chemicals; not a lot of recognizable ingredients More
Virtually any manufacturer can engage in the egregious practice of greenwashing (products that make falsely positive environmental claims), but this big con is most rampant in the realm of household cleaners, beauty products, and kids’ toys. Here, thanks to Sins of Greenwashing, are the 7 Sins of Greenwashing. Read it, weep, and learn. More
McDonald’s is trying to capitalize on the “eat local” movement with some new ads that imply that their food really is local. The McDonald’s ads have been seen in Washington state, and carry the disclaimer, “Participation and duration may vary.” … More
