Hasta La Creative!

Processed-food companies are on the defensive like never before, repeatedly under attack from health advocates and activists who have made the industry Public Enemy No. 1. The threats are numerous, ranging from social-media empowered food bloggers like the “Food Babe” to established groups like the Center for Science in the Public Interest, whose well-organized campaigns often grab the attention of mass-media outlets.

“Packaged-food companies have always needed to respond to broad-based changes in consumer preferences, which can shift surprisingly quickly,” Sanford C. Bernstein noted in a recent report. “However, social networking tools and digital media have created the opportunity for groups of consumer advocates to target individual brands in order to influence company decisions and such campaigns seem to be on the rise.”

The report, which stated that activism creates “risks” for the packaged food sector, cited multiple company moves that were influenced by activism. Cases include General Mills’ recent decision to make original Cheerios free of genetically modified ingredients, or GMOs, and Campbell Soup Co.’s commitment to removing Bisphenol A, or BPA, from can linings in response to health concerns raised by groups including the Breast Cancer Fund.

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