De-marketing obesity

Although catering to our biological interests, food companies have been recently accused of contributing to the growing problem of obesity. As a result, managers are torn between trying to satisfy consumers and trying to satisfy concerned public policy officials who bring threats of taxes, fines, restrictions, and legislation. Although the situation appears perplexing, there are profitable "win-win" solutions. This article describes two hard-wired principles that influence food acquisition and consumption, and it identifies four reversible drivers of food consumption that marketers could use to help consumers better control what and how much they eat.