According to Cambridge historian Dr. Katrina-Louise Moseley, supermarkets and food manufacturers have been unduly blamed for the UK’s unhealthy eating habits since the 1980s.
In an article published in Contemporary British History, Moseley argues that consumers during this period were by no means passive victims of tampering, but rather “complicit” in long-term behavioral changes by proactively selecting, rejecting, and sweetening advice from the government, the food industry, and the food industry Media to suit their circumstances and satisfy their appetites.
Rather than blame, Moseley claims that we should think more carefully about how people rationalize their eating habits and interpret advice about eating. In the run-up to a public event entitled “Food on the Move” (July 9, 2021), Moseley added that this was particularly relevant in connection with the Covid-19 pandemic, which is having a dramatic impact on eating behavior.
“Eating is a powerful coping mechanism during times of emotional distress, so it’s not surprising that people are buying extra packets of their favorite snack or eating more snacks. I’m interested in the psychology of consumption and getting away from the moralizing language around food, which can be harmful, ”said Moseley. As part of the event hosted by the University of Warwick, Moseley invites readers to take an anonymous survey (through July 9, 2021) to reflect on how their own nutritional practices have changed during the pandemic.
In her article, Moseley contrasts the success of the British anti-smoking campaign, which changed attitudes towards tobacco in the 1960s and 1970s, with the failure of the “Healthy Eating” campaign, which had been counteracting the increase in obesity since the late 1980s.
Moseley said: “The state was faced with a really difficult task. “Don’t smoke” was a clear message, but you can’t tell people not to eat. Eating can’t be turned down right away, it has to stay part of everyday life and that makes it so much more complicated. We still struggle with that today. “
The historian revisits consumer interviews and surveys carried out in England and Wales in the 1980s and 1990s. These include a questionnaire on the Eating and Drinking Mass Observation Directive, completed in 1982; Interviews and participant observations collected in 1992-96 in response to the 1992 Health of the Nation report; and a collection of life story interviews conducted in 2017-18 with a sample of older people.
Moseley argues that a major problem with the UK’s “healthy eating” campaign was the often inevitable reliance on malleable language. Words like “balance” and “moderation” are open to subjective interpretations. Moseley said, “These records show that all types of people, not just the less affluent, are gravitating towards ready-made meals while still trying to define their lifestyle as healthy.”
Looking at the 1982 questionnaire record, Moseley found that attitudes toward ready-made meals were “riddled with contradictions”. For herself and her husband, one respondent claimed, “Neither of us can stand ready-made frozen meals” – but she made “an exception for certain things from Marks & Spencer – their frozen cod in parsley sauce is tasty and their cauliflower cheese makes me a quick solo -Eat when Neil is out at night. “
Moseley said, “For health enthusiasts and cynics, official food information doesn’t always feel right. Consumers continued to claim that foods have different effects on different people, that a healthy lifestyle can lead to obesity, and that in the midst of a dizzying amount of information, self-assessment is key. “
The study describes how supermarkets and food manufacturers took up the idea of “healthy eating” in the 1980s in response to new dietary guidelines. In 1984, Heinz started a 25-year program to reduce salt and sugar in its products; and in 1986 Mars published a brochure entitled “Confectionery In A Healthy Diet”. Meanwhile, Tesco and Sainsbury have turned to nutrition labeling.
Moseley said: “We underestimate the central role the convenience food sector has played in the production and dissemination of knowledge about ‘healthy eating’ during this period. Sometimes, as with Findus’ calorie controlled ready meals, it was the food industry rather than politicians or doctors who conveyed useful, workable public health messages to people. But more and more people started to see big food companies, government and health professionals as one and the same: a mysterious force manipulating consumer behavior. “
Testimony gathered in the 1980s and 90s underscores that the new jargon has baffled many consumers. Puzzling about the term “polyunsaturated margarine”, one respondent to the questionnaire from the 1980s said: “I understand that poly means a lot and unsaturated, not stuffed with anything, so what is margarine polyunsaturated with or not?” with nearly 1,500 consumers in England and Wales that 43% were unsure whether saturated or polyunsaturated fat was better for them.
Moseley said, “Terms like ‘E-numbers’ and ‘saturated fats’ got into the public eye, but that didn’t mean that everyone understood or accepted health advice, let alone changed their behavior. Of course, people ate foods that made their lives easier and their meals tastier, and often used the language of “moderation” to justify consuming highly processed, time-saving foods. “
The study examines the rise in skepticism as consumers feel overwhelmed with confusing, contradicting and unreliable messages about “healthy eating”. The ’92-96 interviews show that consumers are increasingly turning to using common sense when thinking about food. Moseley said: “Consumers did not react as the authorities had hoped, but they were not irrational or impartial. People have subscribed to their own, highly personalized logic. “
An interviewee from the years 92-96 said: “Some days you just want mashed potatoes and I won’t feel bad about it, because with the rest of my life … it’s balanced.” The respondents also looked for reassurance in their childhood eating habits or with older relatives by saying things like: “Nan has reached a great age” or “It didn’t seem to do us much harm back then”.
Testimonials from the 90s also show the emergence of a new language that combines food and feeling. One woman defined healthy eating as “the difference between … feeling good about what you eat and feeling bad”. “Especially cheese” gave another young woman the feeling, “so ugly – you know that I feel so fat and only burden me”. She added that she “felt a lot healthier and brighter” if she avoided it.
Moseley said, “The idea that different foods can make people feel a certain way in their body anticipated a major shift towards self-diagnosed food intolerances in the early 21st century.”
The study accepts that there were some positive health trends emerging in the late 20th century, but suggests that consumers preferred simpler, quick fixes like switching to brown bread and semi-skimmed milk to major dietary changes.
Moseley said, “Medical researchers remain very concerned about public skepticism, but their studies lack historical context. Thinking about the history of trust and cynicism alongside developments in public health can help us understand and reconstruct the bigger picture. “
Looking at today’s British food culture, Moseley points out that economic, social and geographical constraints on “healthy” choices lack public visibility: factors such as deprivation, time poverty and mental illness limit consumer choice. She said: “Too often, health education campaigns encourage ‘informed’ food choices, as if there were no social and economic differences. Food has long been a place of inequality in the UK and unfortunately it is still today. “
reference
K. Moseley, ‘From Beveridge Britain to Birds Eye Britain: Shaping Knowledge of’ Healthy Eating ‘in the Mid- to Late 20th Century’, Contemporary British History (2021). DOI: 10.1080 / 13619462.2021.1915141
source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/british-consumers-complicit-in-forty-year-healthy-eating-failure-new-study-suggests/
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