Marion Nestle - Big Soda Big Obesity - #10

Reinventing the Supermarket

We are joined by academic and author Marion Nestle. Back in 2002 Marion Nestle authored the acclaimed book Food Politics, sharing its name with her popular Food Politics blog which champions the role of real food in a healthy human diet. Marion’s most recent book, Soda Politics, brings the food politics battle right to the door of the giant soft drink manufacturers and raises critical and disturbing points about the nature of marketing soft drinks, not just to an ever-more obese public, but the targeting of soft drink marketing to children. As a result of her tireless activism, Marion Nestle has been described as one of the most influential foodies in America. We discuss the issue of marketing to children, and importantly, why soft drink manufacturers won’t stop doing it anytime soon. We’ll also touch on major gaps from a public policy perspective and how policy-makers don’t seem to have learned much since the days of tobacco marketing. And we’ll take a look at what’s been happening with soft drink sales since the spotlight of public discourse turned its attention to sugary drinks.