Fat Kids

[JLM]

Consumers do not demand the additives. What they demand is good taste, good texture, overall good tasting product, at a moderate price. And also the product must have a long shelf life; they don’t like it if the product is spoiled 2 or 3 days after they buy it.

The only answer to this is plenty of additives, preservatives etc. So consumers are not asking for additives and preservatives. But by the demand they place on their food, they are indirectly permitting the use of additives and preservatives.




That is all part of advertising, PR, countryboy. Word ‘healthy’ means nothing; it is not defined in government regulations somewhere. My definition of healthy maybe different from your definition of healthy. So you can hardly blame the food industry for using labels such as healthy, nutritious, etc. for their products. Unless and until governments and courts define exactly what is meant by ‘healthy’ or ‘nutritious’, it will continue.

My granddaughter in grade 4 knows the definition of both health and nutritious, too bad common sense is in such short supply. The only advantage McD's has over Denny's is McD's can deliver the "meal" faster, Denny's wins hands down for both value and being fit to eat. In fact you can get about 3 times the meal for about 25% more.

 

[countryboy]

Organic food forms only a small part of the overall food industry. Since it is relatively recent, it may experience fast growth, that is the case with anything new. But eventually the demand for organic food will plateau at a much smaller value than demand for nonorganic food. The reason for that is that organic food is much more expensive than nonorganic stuff. While some people may be willing to pay more for organic food, many are not.

I don’t’ see organic food as being any threat to food industry in general. Sure it has its niche, but there is no way it will replace the food industry, it is just not cost effective.





Really? Then why are people still paying six bucks for it, why don’t they make their own cereal? The answer is that food industry sells convenience. Making your own cereal (oatmeal, muesli or whatever) take time, and nobody has time these days. Food industry sells convenience in a package and people find that convenient.

As I said before, food industry is not ideology driven, it is profit driven. If tomorrow people want good nutrition, food without any additives and preservatives, are willing to pay more for it and they stop buying the junk that food industry puts out, why the will stop selling the junk and start selling good food.

Relative to the topic of "Fat Kids", did you have a point to make or something else to contribute?

 

[VanIsle]

Quite so VanIsle, I don’t think fast food places are going anywhere, they will do just fine. Besides, HST will hardly apply to fast food alone, it will apply to all the restaurants. So I don’t see how fast food outlets are at a competitive disadvantage here.

Yes it does apply to all. That was my point in stating that anyone who wants (for example) to dine out or have "dine out" food, they can buy their booze at the liquor store where it's cheaper and where they pay the liquor tax on one purchase. In a restaurant a 10% liquor tax (plus the HST) will be charged per drink (bottle/glass of beer/wine) plus the extra tax that will be added to food and it really moves the bottom line up leaving little to no room for a tip for the server. Fast food outlets don't serve liquor and it's rare to tip in them.
It has been mentioned that adults go to MacDonalds and they do. They go for the prices - not because they like the food. Lots of retired folks have returned to the work force because they are barely squeaking by on their pensions. I had some realization of that one morning a couple of months ago when I dashed into MacDonald's to grab some breakfast during moving day. I was surprized to see a co-worker and his wife having breakfast before he went to work. It must be hard to go from being a decent wage earner to what he makes where I work.

 

[VanIsle]

My granddaughter in grade 4 knows the definition of both health and nutritious, too bad common sense is in such short supply. The only advantage McD's has over Denny's is McD's can deliver the "meal" faster, Denny's wins hands down for both value and being fit to eat. In fact you can get about 3 times the meal for about 25% more.

We didn't mind eating at Denny's where you are. We went in Regina thinking it would be the same and wow! Horrible food. Not the same at all.

 

[VanIsle]

Relative to the topic of "Fat Kids", did you have a point to make or something else to contribute?

I guess then that even though I started this thread, I too have wandered away from the topic being "Fat kids" and almost everyone here has in one way or another. I still think everyone has had some valid points to make regarding eating fat foods or un-healthy foods.

 

[JLM]

Quite so VanIsle, I don’t think fast food places are going anywhere, they will do just fine. Besides, HST will hardly apply to fast food alone, it will apply to all the restaurants. So I don’t see how fast food outlets are at a competitive disadvantage here.

I think longevity of the Junk food joints is pretty limited- I give them another 10 years, by which time we'll be seeing a real "pandemic" of heart and cancer related deaths among the young generation, and then "lights" will start coming on- and they won't be the ones in McDonalds. My doctor was telling me here in the past month, that people just don't realize what a problem we have on our hands. Of course in these days of litigation, McD's and their ilk will be getting the pants sued off them. :smile:

 

[SirJosephPorter]

My granddaughter in grade 4 knows the definition of both health and nutritious, too bad common sense is in such short supply. The only advantage McD's has over Denny's is McD's can deliver the "meal" faster, Denny's wins hands down for both value and being fit to eat. In fact you can get about 3 times the meal for about 25% more.

That is exactly the problem JLM, for 25% more. That means they don’ really beat McDonald’s when it come to price, so McDonald’s is all right. And I assume that doesn’t include tips. Add 10 % tip and Denny’s is 35% more expensive.

And to you it may be commonsense as to what the words healthy and nutritious mean. However common sense means nothing in the eyes of law. Unless law defines that is meant by healthy and nutritious, anybody is free to call their product healthy and nutritious.

Where a company can get into trouble is if they make specific claim. e.g., if they claim that their cereal supplies 50% of daily retirement of iron, they will be asked to prove that claim and should be able to, or they are in trouble.

However, just calling their product healthy, nutritious, tasty means nothing, anybody can make such claims.

 

[SirJosephPorter]

Relative to the topic of "Fat Kids", did you have a point to make or something else to contribute?

i was simply responding to your post, countryboy.

 

[SirJosephPorter]

I think longevity of the Junk food joints is pretty limited- I give them another 10 years, by which time we'll be seeing a real "pandemic" of heart and cancer related deaths among the young generation, and then "lights" will start coming on- and they won't be the ones in McDonalds. My doctor was telling me here in the past month, that people just don't realize what a problem we have on our hands. Of course in these days of litigation, McD's and their ilk will be getting the pants sued off them. :smile:

You may be right JLM, who can predict the future. However, I don't see fast food industry going anywhere. The only way it will disappear is if people decide not to buy fast food, and there is no sign of that happening.

 

[countryboy]

i was simply responding to your post, countryboy.

Fair enough. How do YOU feel about the issue of childhood obesity?

 

[Francis2004]

I think longevity of the Junk food joints is pretty limited- I give them another 10 years, by which time we'll be seeing a real "pandemic" of heart and cancer related deaths among the young generation, and then "lights" will start coming on- and they won't be the ones in McDonalds. My doctor was telling me here in the past month, that people just don't realize what a problem we have on our hands. Of course in these days of litigation, McD's and their ilk will be getting the pants sued off them. :smile:

JLM, people used to give the likes of McD 10 year at max 30 years ago.. Only goes to show they outlasted those predictions then and probably will today as well.. As long as they change with the times there is no reason any Fast Food chain should not be around in 30 years..

 

[SirJosephPorter]

JLM, people used to give the likes of McD 10 year at max 30 years ago.. Only goes to show they outlasted those predictions then and probably will today as well.. As long as they change with the times there is no reason any Fast Food chain should not be around in 30 years..

Quite so Francis, McDonald’s is very savvy when it comes to business, they are the Wal-Mart of fast food. In addition to the standard menu (hamburgers, Big Macs etc.), they also include local dishes, where the restaurant is located.

Thus in Glasgow, they serve haggis and French fries, in addition to their usual menu. In India (Hinduism frowns on eating beef), they have ‘lamburger’ in place of hamburger and so on.

They know how to produce fast, cheap and good tasting food. If in the process, it doesn’t happen to be all that nutritious, people don’t seem to mind. They seem to have the knack of giving people what they want.

At the end of the day fast food industry will be in trouble only if they fall out of favor with population at large, and there is no sign of that happening.

 

[Francis2004]

Quite so Francis, McDonald’s is very savvy when it comes to business, they are the Wal-Mart of fast food. In addition to the standard menu (hamburgers, Big Macs etc.), they also include local dishes, where the restaurant is located.

Thus in Glasgow, they serve haggis and French fries, in addition to their usual menu. In India (Hinduism frowns on eating beef), they have ‘lamburger’ in place of hamburger and so on.

They know how to produce fast, cheap and good tasting food. If in the process, it doesn’t happen to be all that nutritious, people don’t seem to mind. They seem to have the knack of giving people what they want.

At the end of the day fast food industry will be in trouble only if they fall out of favor with population at large, and there is no sign of that happening.

SJP I remember a trivia question asked that said McDonalds buys more toys then any other store in the world. I am not sure if that still holds true today but it was at the time..

Catering to customer requirements certainly has made them number one..

Like them or not you can see by this thread they have been number one discussion .. :lol::lol: