Monday, January 23, 2012

Hope for the Future in a Bankruptcy



Mark Bittman seems to have quite a bit of nostalgia for Twinkies, whose parent company in now in bankruptcy.  Here's what he has to say:

While Twinkies themselves may not degrade much over time, their cultural weight certainly has. They’re no longer a lunchbox staple or an American icon, and as of last week (as Mark writes here) the Hostess company (maker of Twinkies) has filed for bankruptcy protection yet again.

But, while Bittman have feelings of nostalgia, I have a different take on the Twinkie bankruptcy.
I see hope. I think it's fantastic that Twinkies, are no longer a lunch-box staple.

That's not to say that kids' lunchboxes are now a haven of healthy, non-processed foods.

But maybe its a good thing that Moms and Dads no longer see Twinkies as acceptable food to pack in their kids lunchboxes.   When parents now buy junk food for their kids' lunchboxes, they now like it wrapped up in the marketing hype that it is healthy, even if in reality it isn't.  

Twinkies, on the other hand are blatantly unhealthy, with no hype that in any way claims that they are anything but a sugar-filled, nutritionally devoid snack.   I don't recall a package of Twinkies ever claiming that they were made with "whole grains" or "natural sugars."  

Is a cereal bar made with "whole grains" really all that much better than a Twinkie???  I doubt it, but marketers have done a really good job at convincing parents that they are a better nutritional choice. 

So, parents are at least aware that they should be feeding their kids better, even if they ultimately fail because they succumb to marketing.  

I guess you can call it a step in the right direction.

2 comments: