The Misleading Language of Food Marketing

Describe your idea and concept of your work in relation to the festival outlines:

Message & Objectives of The Black and White Effect
We all know food is an important part of every day life, but so is food nutrition. In a world of over abundance there is not only a large array of food but countless nutritional recommendations. With no clear nutritional recommendation, consumers have been left overwhelmed and confused. Research has shown that if consumers are confused about food nutrition they are more likely to accept food health claims at face value. Marketers of food, especially packaged foods are using consumer’s confusion to their advantage, by placing misleading health claims onto their unhealthy food products.
The Black and White Effect’s main message is to reveal that food marketers are distorting consumers view on nutritional recommendations, by using misleading food language. Consumers need to be aware that the food industry will market any food regardless of its nutritional value or effect on health.
The objective of The Black and White Effect is to give consumers honest food labelling that simply tells them in black and white what is in their food that marketers are hiding from them using misleading food language. These labels will in turn give consumers the ability to make a wise food choice that is not forced upon them, they can either choose to make a different choice or continue to consume the same product. Objectively The Black and White Effect is handing the decision of what we consume back into the hands of the consumer not the marketer or the food industry.

What kind of communication approach do you use?

I have chosen to use the visual communication strategy of culture jamming through the use of labels.

What are in your opinion concrete benefits to the society because of your communication?

Consumers are given honest food labelling that is telling them simply what is in their food that the marketers are hiding from them using misleading food language.

The decision is placed back in their hands as they now have all the knowledge to make a wise food choice – its no longer the food industry’s choice

Consumers will be aware that the food industry is distorting their view on nutritional recommendations, by using misleading food language

Consumers will be aware that the food industry will market any food regardless
of its nutritional value or effect on health

What did you personally learn from creating your submitted work?

It isn’t illegal to make inflated health claims to cover up the food’s sugar, sodium etc. content

More concerned about sales than nutritional value or effect on health of consumers

Will take advantage of single nutrient research results to promote a product as nutritional no matter how small – also nutritionally enhance foods

Takes advantage of consumers confusion to market products effectively

Why is your work, GOOD communication WORK?

I feel that what I have produced is GOOD communication work as:

The segments of food packaging that have been reproduced are visually strong and engaging and match the original product accurately

The reproductions ethically respond to the social issue of misleading food language which comes under the umbrella of food democracy

The stickers reproductions have social impact, meaning and inspire social change in food decisions and eating habits in society

The stickers have meaning as by telling the consumer what is really in the packaged food, the stickers communicating what is really in the packaged food honest food labelling to the consumer

Where and how do you intent do implement your work?

The stickers produced are especially for particular products that make health claims on the packaging of the food. These labels are placed over the health claims on the packaging that are on the supermarket shelves, as this is where the health claims become a successful marketing tool to sell the product.

Did your intervention had an effect on other Media. If yes, describe the effect? (Has other media reported on it- how? Were you able to change other media with your work- how?)

The Black and White Effect changes the product that the labels are stuck onto. It primarily changes the original product, which was utilising misleading health claim, to a revealing truthful product, which informs the consumer of what is really in the food and being covered up by the health claim.