The November 2014 issue of the Journal of :Public Policy and Marketing asked the question, "Do companies that 'do good' sell unhealthy food?" Let's make it easy. Should you believe that because Coke and Pepsi support the Olympics and many other worthy events in our culture mean that soft drinks are good for the human body?
In this study scientists from the University of Kentucky, Westminster College, and Florida State University asked study participants to make assumptions about the healthiness of a future granola bar product and were told that the company had won many awards for its public service. They found that there was a kind of 'health halo' that encouraged overconsumption and underestimation of calories consumed.
An easy example is the American Cancer Society and its 'Think Pink' program that promotes walking for the cure as well as companies that produce products that are carcinogenic. Really! How far will companies go to increase the bottom line?!
