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'Leanwashing' marketing tactic used to drive junk-food sales

A team of researchers from international universities, including Simon Fraser in Vancouver, coined the term "leanwashing" last year. It was in response to a trend in advertising that links eating junk food while increasing physical activity.

Advertisers emphasize exercise rather than cutting back on their high-calorie products

Bruce Chambers for CBC News Posted: Mar 04, 2015 5:00 PM EST | Last Updated: March 4, 2015

Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks has been eating Skittles on the sidelines since he was a kid. (Seattle Seahawks)

An international teamof university researchers, including from Simon Fraser in Vancouver, coined the term leanwashinglast year. It was in response to a trend in advertising that links eating junk food with increasing physical activity.

In 2010, Michelle Obamalaunched a campaign called Lets Move to endchildhood obesity.

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Originally, there was a lot of talk about reducing junk food and eating healthier. Butapparentlythe U.S. food industry objected to such criticism coming from its government andreportedly engaged in lobbying that resulted in Lets Move becoming mostly aboutmoving.

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Recent research reveals food and beverage marketing routinely overemphasizesphysical activity as a way to prevent obesity. In contrast, corporate messaging rarelymentions calorie intake, even though evidence suggests it plays the central role inobesity.

The researchers referred to this message manipulation asleanwashing.

In anotherad, we see Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch answering questions at a fake news conference.

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Lynch famously eats Skittles on the sideline inevery game, andits commonplace for adsto show fattening foods and beverages being consumed around physical activity.Theimplication is that exercise reduces the risk of getting fat.

But according to theAmerican Medical Association, while exercise is helpful, its effects on weight loss areminor compared to diet. Since most marketers of sugary, fattening foods arent anxiousto encourage us to reduce calorie intake, they focus on exercise.

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In this ad from the summer of 2014, Coke set up an elaborate machine that required people toburn off 140 calories the amount in a bottle of Coke in order to get a free Coke.

Thead made burning off the calories in a sugary soft drink look fun and easy. But in reality,very few of us do 20 minutes of vigorous exercise for every soft drink we consume.

Regardless, food and beverage companies continue to form partnerships with physicalactivity organizations, hoping to get people exercising rather than reducing calories.

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Thanks to leanwashing, research indicates that about half of us incorrectly identifylack of exercise as the main cause of obesity. Worse still, those who believe this aresignificantly more likely to be overweight.

All this suggests that leanwashing is a goodway to keep us eating sugary, fattening foods and feeling guilty about the exercisewere not doing.

Bruce Chambers is a syndicated advertising columnist for CBC Radio.

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'Leanwashing' marketing tactic used to drive junk-food sales

Advertisers emphasize exercise rather than cutting back on their high-calorie products

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