Kraft to Revamp Products on Fat Fears:
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE:KFT - news), the No. 1 U.S. maker of processed foods, on Tuesday said it would reformulate many of its products, cease marketing in schools and take other steps to counter a rise in obesity that could trigger a rash of lawsuits against the food industry.I wonder what wuss sold them on this idea? They'll still get sued for the old recipes and now they just admitted something needed to be changed.
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Kraft acknowledged that the moves, which include capping the portion size on single-serve foods like its Lunchables children's meals, could help indemnify the company against potential lawsuits.
"We're making these commitments first and foremost because we think it is the right thing to do for the people who use our products and for our business, but if it also discourages a plaintiff's attorney or unfair legislation, that's fine with us," said the company spokesman, Michael Mudd.
But the professional worriers are all atwitter:
"Reducing portion size will help people lower their overall calorie intake since studies have shown that people tend to eat what is in front of them," said Samantha Heller, a nutritionist with New York University.Henry apparently has trouble with metaphors. Here's a more succinct summary:
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"This is sort of a preemptive move to stave off the lawyers and the critics," said Henry Anhalt, an endocrinologist and director of the "Kids Weight Down" program at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn.
"What I think is going on is that the soothsayers are saying that coming down the pike are going to be large lawsuits, class action suits looking at cardiovascular disease, premature death, diabetes, and they're going to turn to the food industry and lay it on their feet," he said.
"This is an ongoing battle," said Keith Patriquin, a buy-side analyst with Loomis Sayles, which holds shares of Kraft and other big food names. "Trial lawyers ... are looking for the next big thing."Only in America.
