Are the decisions you make about what to eat truly yours?
We live in a time when we encounter food marketing before we encounter food itself. From cinematic TV commercials and interactive billboard campaigns to innovative packaging, food brands have no shortage of creative methods to persuade us to buy their products. It can be easy to simply let ourselves buy into what we’re being sold, especially when so many advertisements now come with compelling claims of health, ethics, and sustainability.
However, the cost of complacency is steep. Much of today’s marketing obscures the reality of our broken food system, one that is feeding global crises of declining public health, climate change, poverty by exploitation, and animal cruelty. Brands will never admit it, which is why it’s paramount for consumers to recognize when they are being misled.
What Consumers Are Up Against
A Multibillion-dollar Industry
Food advertising is a massive and lucrative industry, amounting to $7.5 billion in the U.S. in 2022 alone (that’s not accounting for restaurant advertising, which is worth another $9 billion). Historical data shows that $440-630 million is dedicated every month to food advertising. Brands clearly spare no expense when it comes to winning consumers’ hearts and stomachs, and this is most evident in the case of big-name food and beverage companies.
A prime example is Coca-Cola. The beverage giant spent $5 billion on advertising in 2023, reaping $10.8 billion in net revenue. They were also subsequently awarded “Creative Brand of the Year” at the 2024 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The persuasive power of advertising speaks for itself here, but despite the company’s fiscal success no amount of greenwashing can hide the truth of their devastating environmental impact.
The company’s award-winning campaign, titled “Recycle Me”, was a creative endeavour in sustainable branding. Yet, the campaign’s message contrasts sharply with two facts: Coca-Cola was named the world's worst plastics polluter five years in a row and recycling is not a viable solution for achieving true sustainability. In light of these truths, it’s telling that the brand chose to spend their billion-dollar budget on advertising recycling as a consumer responsibility rather than on making a greener product.
Human Psychology
As a practice, marketing is rooted in psychology. Brands commonly use certain techniques to make products appear appealing and to influence consumer behaviour (A video by Compassion in World Farming explains this manipulation of perception in greater detail). Common examples in food marketing, as illustrated by Tastewise, include:
Emotional Triggers: Marketing often uses emotional appeals, associating food with happiness, nostalgia, or social connection.
Sensory Cues: Packaging design, visuals of delicious food, and even subtle background music can all influence our perception of a product.
Targeted Messaging: Marketing messages are often tailored to specific demographics, playing on values, interests, and lifestyles.
These types of cues produce a powerful effect in our brains, often leading to unconscious decision-making and poor dietary habits–a fact that has not been lost on scientists and the World Health Organization, both of whom propose stronger regulations to curb food marketing’s harmful impact.
Storytelling: The Ultimate Marketing Tool
One of the most powerful marketing tools is the brand story, otherwise known as strategic storytelling.
Our brains are wired for stories. Stories appeal to our inherent desires for connection, order, and meaning, which is what makes them so effective as a marketing tool. But like with any tool, a brand story’s impact depends on the intention of the creator.
A brand story communicates to consumers why a company exists and why it matters. In the case that a food or beverage company is genuinely dedicated to ethical business–when their investments and methods of production align with their stated values and mission–a brand story is pretty harmless. It can even help inspire and drive positive social change.
The problem, evident in the rise of healthwashing and greenwashing, is when a company’s storytelling does not reflect its true actions. In this context, the brand story is nothing but an illusion; what’s advertised as “good for us” or “good for the planet” is merely “business as usual” dressed in the language of altruism.
Verifying Your Food’s Brand Story
Strategic storytelling is everywhere in the food industry. To avoid misleading branding, pay attention to:
- Third-party food accreditations
Third-party certifications hold food and beverage producers to a certain standard of conduct. Companies can only be certified once they’ve been assessed and affirmed to meet requirements for food quality, safe working conditions, fair compensation, biodiversity and energy conservation, or other criteria. Examples of third-party food accreditations include:
- Food Alliance Certified
- USDA Certified Organic
- Fair Trade Certified
- Non-GMO Project Verified
- Rainforest Alliance Certified
Note that while these accreditations are a good indicator of a brand’s trustworthiness they are not guarantees. The formerly gold-standard “B-Corp” label has lost some credibility in recent years due to B Labs, the certifying authority, coming under fire for greenwashing. It’s best to look for these labels in conjunction with other verifiers.
- Clear labels and messaging
Truly ethical companies are not afraid of transparency. They voluntarily offer information about their work, such as their production methods, processes, and locations of business, and will not try to confuse you with ambiguous language. Some progressive brands even offer audit reports and traceability software to help consumers track the lifecycle of their food.
- The ingredients and nutrition labels
Of course, the best source of truth will be the ingredients and nutrition labels. These are typically found on the back or sides of a packaged food item, and unlike front-of-package designs and private branding, they are subject to federal regulations and requirements in countries like Canada, the U.K., and the U.S.
Indicators of Misleading Branding
- Vague, “feel-good” language: Brand/product stories appeal to our emotions, so pay attention to words that sound good but have no real meaning, such as “farm fresh”, “conscious”, or “trusted by”. Health claims like “diet”, “lite”, and “natural” also fall into the same category, especially if the ingredients and nutrition labels tell a different story.
- Misdirection/irrelevant claims: Have you ever come across a bottled beverage labelled “made with __% less plastic”? This is an example of misdirection. Some brands will focus your attention on one small “positive” detail (made with __% less plastic), which tends to distract from the full picture (the bottle is still single-use plastic). One green attribute does not equate to a sustainable product.
- Influencer and sponsored marketing: Brands will partner with certain celebrities or sponsor certain events to appeal to a target demographic. This type of marketing encourages consumers to make a mental connection between the brand and a beloved individual or movement. It’s important to question why we are being encouraged to make this connection, as associating with something is not the same as embodying it.
Do Your Own Research
Storytelling can be a way to share information, but consumers must remember that the primary objective of marketing is to sell, not educate.
These days it's common for brands to take an educational approach by referencing studies, statistics, and facts to back up their stories. Many will flat-out claim their goal is to educate their consumer base. While not every food or beverage company is out to deceive or mislead, it’s best to err on the side of caution and do your own research. Investigate the brand. Fact-check any claims with credible sources. This is especially important if the brand in question isn’t historically known for its ethics.
Food marketing, no matter how educational it appears to be, is not the same as food education. If you’re interested in learning about nutrition or the ethics surrounding food, consult reliable resources such as:
- Peer-reviewed scientific or medical journals
- A licensed doctor or dietician
- Independent publications
- Environmental, animal rights, or health advocacy nonprofits
It’s also worthwhile to research common marketing techniques and examples of greenwashing and healthwashing. The more you understand something, the easier it becomes to recognize it.
Conclusion
Many of the transcendental narratives of health, sustainability, and even joy that are promoted by food brands do not reflect what we witness and experience in reality: environmental collapse, widespread animal suffering, and public health crises. Consumers cannot afford to be lulled into a sense of complacency. To enact change, we must begin by deconstructing the illusions advertised to us.
So, empower yourself. Research brands and demand transparency. Your informed choices can make a meaningful difference.
Sources:
https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/food-drink
https://www.nutritionletter.tufts.edu/healthy-eating/beware-of-health-washing/
https://tastewise.io/blog/food-marketing
https://abasto.com/en/news/food-marketing/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKTORFmMycQ&ab_channel=CompassioninWorldFarming
https://www.crowdspring.com/marketing-psychology/
https://sentientmedia.org/misleading-food-labels/
https://thesustainableagency.com/blog/greenwashing-examples
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-secrets-of-storytelling/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4445577/
