WHAT IS HEALTHY?

Burkey Belser designed the nutrition label we use today in 1994. Belser wrote this article in ‘94 on the problems and challenges he faced when designing the food label. 

This will be an interesting article to look back on when deciding what needs to be solved with the food label. What solutions did Belser come up with? What better solutions can I come up with? What problems am I limited by? Etc. 

Farmer’s Markets are in high demand now as more and more people want fresher, local produce. But farmer’s markets are often limited to middle to upper class neighborhoods. “Farm on Wheels” is a concept designed to effectively sell local produce to urban residents. It features trucks that dispatch produce from a network of local farms to residents of LA. 

Small farmers often have a difficult time selling their products, because having to go through a supermarket or other store adds cost onto their products’ final prices. But some local farmers in Germany thought of the solution to sell their products to customers through vending machines. These machines are set up to dispense fresh milk, eggs, butter, cheese, potatoes, and sausage. The savings from not having to go through a third party can be seen through lower product prices, and thus consumers can eat healthier and fresher for cheaper. 

Del Monte recently launched a line of vending machines full of healthy snacks as opposed to the junk food normally found in vending machines. Snacks include fresh produce. The company wanted to respond to the increasing customer demand for healthy snacks on the go. 

Again, discussion of supermarket layout. This article says that grocery stores put foods at eye level that they want you to buy, for example, candy at childrens’ eye level. Also, putting things you want/need (like dairy) in the back of the store so you have to walk through all the junk food to get at it. 

Discuses the layout of most grocery stores in America today and the tricks they use to get consumers to buy more. For example, the bakery is usually placed in the back of the store so the smell of freshly baked goods will lead your nose all the way to the back, even if you only came for a tomato. Grocery stores also use impulse buying to their advantage. For example, the more expensive brands of salad dressing are kept in the produce section. 

Basically, the article explains how grocery stores get you to buy more. 

Goes along with the idea of “rethinking” or “redesigning” something. An idea for a redesign of a standard sales receipt at a cafe/restaurant to make it more useful. Includes nutrition facts, etc. 

A designer kept track of everything she consumed for 2 years, and then created 40 different infographics based off of the data she collected. 

More of a study of infographics than healthy eating, but still interesting (and food related!) none the less.

Similar to the last link, except with three extra lies, oh boy!

Made with whole grains, ingredients (they can list of multiple different kinds of sugar with difficult names, but there’s still a whole lot’o sugar), serving size, omega 3, made with real fruit, 0 trans fat, free range eggs, fiber, and health claims. 

Exactly what the title says. Six things that food companies will put on their products’ packaging to make it seem healthier, when really, the claims mean nothing. 

The six are: lightly sweetened, good source of fiber, strengthens your immune system, made with real fruit, made with whole grains, and all natural. The article goes into detail.