Consumers still maintain their emotional ties to food and still eat for pleasure, but the topic is becoming increasingly political, and processors need to treat it as such, says communications strategy consulting Sylvia Rowe, president of SR Strategy in Washington, D.C., and formerly president of the International Food Information Council.

Activists are becoming mainstream players in the dialogue, and "Michael Pollan is the major force framing the debate," Rowe said in her presentation, "The Global Consumer," at the Worldwide Food Expo on Wednesday.

Food as a political issue is a new development, Rowe said, but one that is fast becoming a daily obstacle for processors, and an international one. Some of the new trends in dining, such as low-sodium formulations and the move toward eliminating the use of artificial food coloring, began in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, issues such as obesity are global in scope.

Meanwhile, the lack of trust in business in the post-Enron era leaves consumers with the perception that the government is the most reliable source of solutions. With the Obama administration putting nutrition and fighting obesity at the top of its public health agenda, that means big changes for the meat processing industry.

"Processed food is not considered 'good'," Rowe said. "It doesn't have that halo."

Food processors should look to work more closely together, she said; as it stands, different industry sectors with different priorities are sending mixed messages to consumers about the role their products play in nutrition and health. Meanwhile, the activist organizations are remarkably coordinated in their messaging.

Companies also should seek to actively engage journalists in a dialogue, Rowe suggested. The media also is in transition, and under pressure to deliver more news with fewer resources; that presents an opportunity for processors who would like to see their point of view represented more often.

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