Greenwashing...the buzz word for hyping products as both good for you and the earth, when they're really not prime examples of either. In other words, buyer beware... 
Take a look around next time you're out food shopping and you'll see a lot of organic junk food and 'wanna-be natural' products vying for shelf space with healthier options. It seem everyone wants to jump on the 'green' bandwagon and somehow people think that gives it a healthy halo too. But just because it's better for the planet doesn't mean it's better for you. I mean, if I'm gonna eat potato chips, I don't care if they're organic or not. They're still bad for you!
In a recent New York Times article about greenwashing,the author speculates that there is a 'design paradigm' for greenwashed products that includes cute animal characters, a compelling story and a good cause. Apparently we, as consumers, want cues that tell us what is a good product to buy. It frees us from doing any homework, says branding analyst Elizabeth Talerman. I totally agree! I wish there was a magic formula. But in the end, junk food is junk food. Read the ingredient list and enjoy in moderation!
(see my previous post about Organic Rainbow Rings for more on questionable organic products)
This is something that has been bothering me for a while. Thanks for writing about it. As a former marketing executive, I am well aware of the techniques used by my former collegues to sell products. More parents need to be aware of this!
Posted by: MCMilker | January 26, 2007 at 06:09 AM