Nutella wants to join the dessert-for-breakfast game
May 3, 2010 at 5:48 pm 3 comments
My friend and Bunsofsteal fitness blogger Julia Neyman points out the tragically manipulative marketing techniques used to encourage parents to serve Nutella to their children for breakfast:
I was changing in the Reebok Sports Club locker room the other afternoon, absentmindedly listening to the TV in the background, when this sentence snapped me out of my daydreams: ”As a mom, I’m a great believer in Nutella…”
So began a 30 second spot, in which Nutella attempted to sell the message that chocolate hazelnut spread is a healthy snack for kids: ”Moms, Nutella is a healthy snack for your kids! Spread it on multigrain bread, and they’ll love it!” Really? Nutella? The Nutella that contains 200 calories, and 11 grams of fat, per a 2 tbsp serving?
The premise of the commercial is that smearing chocolate on food is a great way to get kids to consume something healthy. Duh. A dab of chocolate is a great way to dress up pretty much anything — including bacon, but I digress — but the ensuing result is not a healthy snack, much less a nutritious breakfast. It’s dessert, and it should be though of as such.
On the one hand, I don’t think that moms and dads should be serving Nutella to their kids for breakfast every morning. On the other hand, as a once-in-a-while special treat (say, like pancakes or French Toast), it’s not so bad.
I may have a personal childhood nostalgia reason for feeling this way, because as a kid I used to have Nutella for breakfast, too. On Sundays, my dad would pull the jar out from its otherwise out-of-reach hiding place, and we’d leisurely enjoy the pleasures of its gooey chocolateyness, with an explicit understanding that this was a special-occasion affair.
Nevertheless, I think the Nutella controversy raises the greater issue of what ELSE we’re serving our kids for breakfast: Jumping to a chocolate spread from Pop-Tarts, giant muffins, or any number of the intensely sugared cereals kids consume daily, is not that far of a leap.
Nutella photo courtesy of Flickr user Rafadel1974. Check out her work here.
“Nutella Is A Healthy Breakfast For Your Kids.” Really? [Socialworkout]
Commercial Via Nutella Website [Nutella]
Entry filed under: Food Policy, Health, Marketing. Tags: Breakfast, Dessert, Food Marketing, Nutella, WTF?.
1.
The Breakfast Dilemma « Epicuriosa | May 29, 2010 at 1:26 am
[...] Nutella wants to join the dessert-for-breakfast game [...]
2.
Rafael "Habanero" Cotlear | June 1, 2010 at 7:37 pm
Dude. Back off Nutella. It’s delicious.
You are right though. Having to explain to parents that gobs of chocolate every day is bad for their children is rediculous. I guess that highlights the challenge of tackling obesity in the US.
But its so good. Nutella and bacon huh? MMmm.
3.
I Believe In Dessert! « epicuriosa | June 12, 2010 at 6:37 pm
[...] in our culture we view so many foods that should be desserts, not as desserts, but as snacks (see Nutella for Breakfast). So we over-consume them, and usually [...]