Individual essay doannuthuyquynh(emma) AEn T122WSB 6 21001061

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SCHOOL OF INDIVIDUAL ESSAY

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Student
Đoàn Nữ Thuý Quỳnh
name:
(Emma)
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Unit
name:
Academic English

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number:
Unit
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Tutorial day and
time:

21001061

AEn-T122WSB-6

Tutorial group:
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name:
Mr. Gabriel Ryan
ASSiGNMENT DETAILS

What are practices that are considered to be unethical marketing in the food
Title:
industry?
Length
Due
Date
:
1395
date:
11/4/2022
submitted:
11/4/2022
Home campus (where you are
enrolled):
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Đoàn Nữ Thuý Quỳnh (Emma)


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WHAT ARE PRACTICES THAT ARE CONSIDERED TO BE UNETHICAL
MARKETING IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY?
We live in an era of information explosions where everyone is constantly impacted by a wide
range of messages. Hence, in competitive markets, advertising is an essential activity that plays a
significant role in all aspects of business operations. However, there have been numerous
instances of advertising that violate business ethics, have a negative impact on consumers and
society, and harm the brand enterprise's image. These instances of unethical marketing,

particularly in the food industry, are organized in the following ways: using the organic label to
gain exorbitant amounts of money from customers; making false claims to lead customers to
believe a product is healthy when it isn't; and encouraging children to eat unhealthy foods
through multiple advertisements. Although unethical marketing in the food industry continues to
be a significant issue in this era, numerous enactments have been established to protect
customers from false advertising and to protect children from being exposed to countless fast
food advertisements.

Some organic labeled products are seen as a deceptive marketing tactic that commonly misleads
buyers. Former US Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman stated that the organic label, which is
a marketing tool for product differentiation, does not guarantee food safety, nutrition, or quality
(Dan Glickman, 2000, as cited by Miller, 2019). In particular, the "pesticide-free" claim on
organic products is unreliable because the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) does not require
it to be verified. ("What Does Pesticide Free Mean and Does It Matter?-Greener Choices," 2021).


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To prove that the term "pesticide free" is misleading, Fristoe revealed that organic criteria enable
the use of 300 different herbicides and insecticides. Synthetic pesticides, on the other hand, may
be used when organic pesticides are ineffectual (2018). Furthermore, the nutritional differences
between products that meet the standard for "organic" and their far cheaper conventional
counterparts are negligible (Mie et al., 2017). It could be seen that organic advertisers capture the
subconscious minds of consumers by deceiving them into believing that organic products are
safer and more nutritious than conventional ones. Thus, they have to pay exorbitant amounts of
money for "organic" products that do not provide them with significant benefits. It falls short of
the organic food standards that customers expect. In order to protect the fairness of customers
and avoid customer distrust, many laws have been proposed to prevent the contamination of
organic images by organic fraud. For example, the USDA (United States Department of
Agriculture) has suggested new organic laws to outlaw deliberately dishonest or fraudulent
behavior for the purpose of obtaining an illegal financial advantage and to increase transparency

(Bandoim, 2020). This proposed new law prohibits uncertified enterprises from deceptively
advertising their organic products (Bandoim, 2020). Once this policy is implemented, the organic
integrity will be protected, and thus impacts positively to customer loyalty and trust in organic
products.

Other than that, manipulating customers into thinking a product is healthy when it isn't is
immoral. Many food companies use the term "low-fat" on the package to convey the message
that we should eat less fat to improve our health. However, they also used more sugar as a fat
substitute to compensate for the loss of taste, which in some cases was more than five times the
added sugar of 'full fat' versions. (Burton et al., 2014). In other words, this kind of marketing


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uses the framing effect technique in which customers make decisions about information based on
how it is presented (Levin & Gaeth, 1988). In this case, the claim on the label that says it
contains low or no fat, with the intention of diverting attention away from the "bad" ingredients,
in particular, sugar. By consuming these "low-fat" products, consumers may have the illusion
that the food is healthy and, at the same time, tasty. Another kind of advertisement, which does
not trick customers with the "low-fat" term but is directly marketed as a healthy breakfast option
despite its high sugar content, For example, Raisin Bran cereal was promoted by Kellogg (an
American multinational food manufacturing company) as "the deliciously heart healthy way to
start your day." Contrary to the product's claim, artificial sweeteners account for the majority of
the product, containing 18 grams of added sugar per serving, far exceeding the AHA's daily
recommendation. (Bloch, 2019). Both of these marketing techniques are extremely dangerous for
those who genuinely believe the product's claims about its health benefits, as they can contribute
to unintentional diseases caused by the high consumption of artificial sweeteners. In order to
protect consumers who have been the victims of this deceptive advertising, many laws have been
enacted. One of these is an administrative order (AO) implemented by the Ministry of Health
(DOH), which requires food businesses to accurately reveal the nutritional composition of their
products and forces "trans fat-free" statements on labels to be removed (Ornedo, 2021). By

applying this, it helps the customers not only make well-informed choices, but also safely use the
food they've purchased. On the other hand, when food businesses choose not to comply with the
law, they will face the consequences. For instance, in a California lawsuit, Kellogg's company is
forced to stop using deceptive terms to promote unhealthy breakfast cereals and pay a large sum
of money to those who claim they were deceived (Bloch, 2019). This settlement also serves as a


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warning to other competitors not to follow in Kellogg's footsteps in order to avoid creating an
untruthful brand image as well as creating a fair market for the customer.

Furthermore, the promotion of unhealthy foods and beverages to children, who are more
susceptible to appealing advertising, is another example of unethical marketing. Highly
processed or high-energy foods that do not meet dietary recommendations are widely advertised
and frequently targeted at children (Taille et al., 2019). Besides, a variety of channels are used to
reach out to children in order to boost brand growth and influence food product purchase
behavior. Television ads, direct advertising in schools, incorporating logos in movies, kids' clubs,
online media, toys with sponsor logos, offering toys with meals are all examples of childtargeted promotions (Story & French, 2004). According to a study of children in the middle
childhood stage, after being exposed to food advertising, children demonstrated a stronger desire
for high-fat and high-carbohydrate products than children who were not exposed to harmful fast
food marketing (Norman et al., 2016). As can be seen, food marketers are taking advantage of
the fact that children are attracted to fun, popular characters or toys, and are reliant on
entertainment sources such as television to deliberately lure children into consuming unhealthy
products. These are unfair marketing targets because food advertisers are neglecting their
responsibility to ensure the health of society's most vulnerable people and are putting the safety
of young people at risk. Many laws have been enacted around the world to prevent children from
being exposed to harmful advertisements. For example, Quebec banned fast food advertising to
children on TV, electronic and print media in 1980, and now the province has the lowest
incidence of childhood obesity in Canada (Handley, 2016). Seeing the success of Quebec's law in
reducing the likelihood of childhood obesity, many other countries have followed suit in enacting

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legislation to address the issue. For instance, in the UK, the Committee of Advertising Practice
(CAP) has enacted new legislation to ban unhealthy food ads through social media channels to
under-16-year-old children in 2016 (Handley, 2016). Also, Spain promised to ban fast food ads
aimed at children in 2022 to tackle the obesity pandemic among young people. Once the rule
takes effect, companies can no longer advertise unhealthy foods anywhere, and children may no
longer be put at risk of poor health. Moreover, children may develop healthier habits and avoid
weight gain.

In conclusion, while it is true that unrelenting competition is one of our market economy's core
principles, using unethical tactics to gain an unfair advantage is morally wrong. It seems that
many unethical business practices that seduce and potentially harm us do not appear to be
disappearing anytime soon. These are the issues of exaggerating the benefits of organic products
to persuade customers to spend extra cash, presenting false label claims such as "low-fat" or
"good for health", and advertising unhealthy fast food to children. However, governments are on
their way to enacting a variety of laws in order to regulate consumer affairs. The only thing we
hope is that businesses comply with the law and adhere to the code of ethics. It not only shows
ethical responsibility to consumers, but it also protects the integrity of businesses as well as the
entire food industry.


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REFERENCES

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Levin, I., & Gaeth, G. (1988). How Consumers are Affected by the Framing of Attribute
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Ornedo, J. (2021). DOH eyes ban on ‘trans fat-free’ labels in food products. MSN. Retrieved 10
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