Beware of Industry Shills.

I've made the point here that the only good reason that some people
attack me here is that they represent the fish oil industry, BigPharma,
or other such interests, directly or indirectly. Otherwise, it makes
no sense to attack someone who is presenting scientific evidence along
with a reasonable interpretation of it. Moreover, every point I make
has already been made by people or groups (such as the prestigious
National Research Council) with strong scientific credentials.
Reasonable people can disagree on what the most reasonable
interpretation of the scientific evidence is, but not to present
one's interpretation, along with the evidence to support it, smacks
of ulterior motives.

The following book reviews can be found on amazon.com. They are
reviews of Marion Nestle's book, "Food Politics." I have read
the book, and have found several points that deserve criticism, but
they are scientific points. I do not know if she has ulterior motives,
but I did not detect any, and seriously doubt it. She just seems to be
lacking in a desire to question and analyze in the most thorough way
possible all the claims that have been made over the last few decades
("saturated fat will give you a heart attack," for example).

The first review makes good points about how industry shills try to
discredit anyone who they perceive as a threat to their profits. The
next three appear to have been written by just such industry shills.
If you stick to the evidence and keep thinking about the best ways to
interpret it, it will be much less likely that you will be misled by
such people.



Five stars (highest rating):

"The PR campaign against this book has already begun,
February 27, 2002

Reviewer:Sheldon M Rampton (Madison, WI United
States) - See all my reviews
For what it's worth, potential readers of Nestle's
book should note that the first three "reader reviews"
of this book are pretty obviously cranked out by some
food industry PR campaign. To begin with, they were
all submitted on the same date, February 22 -- "reader
reviews" of a book that isn't even scheduled to go on
sale until March 4! For another thing, they all hit on
the same food industry "message points": that critics
are "nagging nannies" whipping up "hysteria" on behalf
of "greedy trial lawyers," etc. February 22 is also
the date that noted industry flack Steven Milloy of
the "Junk Science Home Page" (...) wrote a review
trashing Nestle's book. Milloy is a former tobacco
lobbyist and front man for a group created by Philip
Morris, which has been diversifying its tobacco
holdings in recent years by buying up companies that
make many of the fatty, sugar-laden foods that Nestle
is warning about. (...)

I haven't even had a chance yet to read Nestle's book
myself, but it irritates me to see the food industry's
PR machine spew out the usual (...) every time someone
writes something they don't like. If they hate her
this much, it's probably a pretty good book."



The following three reviews all gave one star, the lowest rating
possible:

"Food Hysteria, February 22, 2002
Reviewer: A reader
Individuals incapable of thinking for themselves will
truly appreciate, Marion Nestle's book - Food
Politics. The author, a professor and of the
department of nutrition and food studies at New York
University puts much of the blame for the nation's
weight problem on the food industry. Has she ever
heard of personal responsibility, exercise, and
appropriate dieting?

Nestle takes a specific aim at the impact on children
and claims that the "food industry targets children
and converts schools into vehicles for selling junk
foods that are high in calories but low in nutritional
value. Clever and slick marketing strategies target
consumers from the cradle onward." She refuses to
acknowledge some key facts. Obesity in children is
caused in part, to the lack of exercise. Urban and
other limited budget school districts across the
country continue to reduce daily physical education
programs, football, and other extra-curricular
activities. Moreover, the lure of computer games and
twenty-four hour cable programs have children sitting
still for hours throughout the day.

Nestle's book only creates the kind of hysteria caused
by our litigious society. The Surgeon's General's
recent remarks declaring that obesity is a major
health problem has greedy trial lawyers considering
filing lawsuits against food and beverage companies.
This whiny book only helps them "fuel the fire" and
reaches their goals.

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9 of 118 people found the following review helpful:
Nestle needn't look down on John Q. Public, February
22, 2002
Reviewer: A reader
Marion Nestle's book "Food Politics" makes clear that
the political system she favors is dictatorship - with
her in command. Marion is just so much smarter than us
all, and so much more virtuous, and so much more in
self-control, that she can be the meal planner for the
world. If you disagree with anything she says, you're
overweight, undereducated and stupid.

The author's motto could be "if it tastes good don't
eat it." She rails against foods we've all grown up
with and enjoy, and wants to make us feel like bad
parents if we let our kids have any of these foods.
Should we eat like pigs? Of course not. Should people
who are obese have stricter diets than the rest of us?
Absolutely. But there's no need for everyone,
regardless of their weight and their health, to deny
themselves moderate amounts of enjoyable foods. We'd
all be better off is we got up off our rear ends and
spent less time in front of the TV and playing video
games, and more time engaging in sports and exercise
to burn up excess calories and build stronger,
healthier bodies.

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7 of 125 people found the following review helpful:
Nestle forgot a not-so-little thing called WILL
POWER!, February 22, 2002
Reviewer: A reader
Weak-willed people will love "Food Politics" - shame
on them. Marion Nestle, one of the foremost food
nannies in this country, has produced a book that
heaps the blame for obesity, diabetes, and heart
disease on food producers, marketing executives, and
even school principals. Everyone, it seems, is
responsible for those love handles except for the very
people who are carrying them around.

In Ms. Nestle's world, there is no willpower, common
sense, or personal responsibility. Most overweight
people are simply passive "victims" of industry. She
writes: "I have become increasingly convinced that
many of the nutritional problems of Americans -- not
least of them obesity -- can be traced to the food
industry's imperative to encourage people to eat more
in order to generate sales and increase income in a
highly competitive marketplace." Excuse me? Ad
campaigns and super-size restaurant specials may
"encourage" me to eat but they don't compel me. That's
because, like most people, I belong to the
"a-little-of-what-you-fancy-does-you-good" school of
eating. There is no Orwellian plot to hook us on
certain foods and drinks from cradle to nursing home.

Ms. Nestle's book reminds me of her real agenda: the
promotion of a "fat tax" or "Twinkie tax" on food and
drinks, which in moderation and as part of a balanced
diet, add fun to everyday life. This policy could
actually work against the objectives of the food
nannies. The aim would be to discourage consumers from
buying certain products, yet this "sin tax" could make
the goods more alluring to shoppers who are looking
for a little indulgence. Of course, the biggest reason
to oppose Ms. Nestle's hidden agenda is that consumers
don't need another tax, thank you very much. This
nagging book misses the mark. Eat, exercise, be happy."

.

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