What seemed to get lost in all the hoopla was this little
tidbit, namely that manufacturers routinely provide formula to hospitals for
free, to be included in “gift bags” for new mothers to take home. Really? We
all know the lengths that food manufacturers will go to to entice us to buy
their products, from verging-on-pornography advertising, to strategic product
placement in television shows and movies, to celebrity endorsements – the list
could go on and on. Many have decried food marketing aimed at children, but my
goodness, marketing aimed at babies just a few hours old?
There’s been a bit of a backlash to the Big Apple’s plan to
eschew rubber nipples in favor of the human kind. The primary objection should
be no surprise. Who is Mayor Bloomberg to tell us what to do??? He’s not the
boss of us! First he took away our big sodas and now our big bottles! While I
can understand the opposition to the ban on 32-ounce servings of sugary drinks
(though I think it’s much ado about nothing), I cannot grasp why anyone would
disagree with promoting breastfeeding. Yes, of course, adults should be free to
eat themselves sick. It’s their God-given right to abuse their digestive systems
anyway they please, in fact I think it’s in the Constitution, immediately after
the rights to vote, drink ourselves silly and shoot the place up. But can we
get real about the food we feed newborn babies?
Lord knows I’m no expert on the best way to feed a baby, but
I do see a pattern here. It starts with formula and then moves on to Gerbers
and Beechnut. As soon as the wee ones can sit up, introduce Chicken McNuggets
and Fruitables. Once adolescence rears its ugly hormone-soaked head, add in
Dominos Stuffed Cheesy Bread and Starbucks Smoothies. When middle-aged spread makes
its appearance, call in the Lean Cuisine. And in your golden years, don’t forget
to drink your Ensure! You see, it’s now possible to live your entire life without
eating a single food in its natural form. And of course, everything that’s
added to these industrially produced edibles is completely safe. How do I know
that? Because the manufacturers say so!
It seems that in this new millennium simply eating a food in
its normal, unadorned state can be the most radical of acts. You mean, you ate
an apple? A plain apple? Not applesauce, or apple pie, or Apple Toaster
Strudel? Egads! You must be one of those food fanatics.
Guilty as charged.
Great article, Sandy. I hadn't heard about this, but it's food for thought, the pun unintended. Given Bloomberg's well-deserved reputation for I'm-smarter-than-you-are meddling, it's not surprising there's been some recoil to what would otherwise be seen as a very worthwhile effort. I do wonder, though, if this is one of those initiatives that would be better accomplished through attraction rather than promotion. Instead of just another image of a guy in a suit telling women what they should be doing (even on those rare occasions when what they're promoting is good, such as this one), I'm wondering if the more productive effort would be making sure women who choose to breast-feed have the opportunities, facilities and much-needed legal protections needed to do so.
ReplyDeleteBen
The part that got me was the part about the promotion of baby formula. Nature provides this perfect food for babies, but oh no, we humans know better. And it just sets the stage for all of the industrialized and engineered food to follow. Sheesh!
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