January 9, 2024 • 24 mins
This episode takes you into the heart of a Senate hearing that's ripping the lid off the devastating impact of ultra-processed foods on our children's health. We're exposing the dangerous trajectory of diabetes and obesity rates, and offering a clear, practical guide to navigating the murky waters of food choices with the help of the Nova classification system.
The stakes are high as we confront the ripple effects of dietary decisions on both mental and physical health, stretching from food insecurity in Oklahoma to the contentious minimum wage debate in California's fast-food sector. The episode traverses the complex terrain of living costs, sustainable wages, and the job market's unexpected twists. But it's not all grim – we're also spotlighting a ray of light with the Friendly Bench Program, an innovative solution to the loneliness epidemic. By the end of this journey, you'll have a new perspective on the intimate link between what we eat, how we live, and the collective well-being of our communities.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Phil (00:05):
Welcome to the Lempert Report LIVE.
On today's first 2024 broadcast, Bernie Sanders takes on big
food.
Ultra-processed foods are underfire.
How politics is getting in theway of feeding our kids.
Food delivery's latest fight.
On #FoodN otPh ones, the socialconnection.
(00:27):
On the bullseye.
A new twist on the fast foodwars, and this time it's not
about burgers or chicken.
Let's get started.
So Sally, some news out ofWashington.
Bernie Sanders posted onTwitter on December 17th.
Last week I held a hearing inthe Senate Help Committee on the
(00:51):
diabetes epidemic and obesityepidemic in America.
What is fueling these crisesand what must be done to address
them?
If you missed it, tune in below.
I highly suggest that everybodylooks at what Sanders is doing,
and what happened is some ofhis remarks Marion Nestle
(01:17):
produced in Food Politics, hernewsletter, and I just want to
read a few of them.
And these are the words ofBernie Sanders.
Why is the number of children inAmerica today who have type 2
diabetes estimated to skyrocketby nearly 700% over the next
(01:40):
four decades?
For decades in my view, againSanders speaking, we've allowed
large corporations in the foodand beverage industry to entice
children to eat foods andbeverages that are loaded up
with sugar, salt and saturatedfat purposely designed to be
overeaten.
The situation has gotten so badthat most of what children in
(02:02):
America eat today consists ofunhealthy ultra-processed foods
that doctors have told us leadto a higher risk of type 2
diabetes.
And he goes on and on with it.
You know I applaud what Sandersis doing.
He's working with Senator CoryBooker on this initiative, which
(02:23):
is terrific, and basically it'sa great start to the new year
where we have this kind ofattention being put on our diets
, ultra-processed foods inparticular and in the Washington
Post, from their eating lab,which I think they're just doing
(02:43):
such a fabulous job on, there'sa reporter who wrote look for
these nine red flags to identifyfood that is ultra-processed.
So here's a laundry list, Sally, of all the things that we
should be avoiding if we want toavoid ultra-processed foods.
(03:04):
What do you think?
Sally (03:05):
Yes, I'm really glad we're talking about this Hearing
with Bernie Sanders.
Also Senator Bill Cassidy, aRepublican from Louisiana, is
also on the committee and statedthat this is a bipartisan issue
.
This is something we all want.
We want Americans to eat better.
We want to tackle this problemof diabetes and obesity.
(03:26):
Those alarming statistics weresome of the things you mentioned
, but other things that theymentioned were 95% of cases of
diabetes are type 2 diabetes andthat 10% of our population has
type 2 diabetes.
Right now, one in every fivechildren are obese.
(03:47):
Like you said, type 2 diabetesin children is going up.
Meanwhile, billions of dollarsare being spent on marketing
these ultra-processed foods.
What the issue that he istackling here is why do we have
this problem?
Why do we have all these casesof diabetes and obesity?
How can we make treatment alsoavailable and lower cost to
(04:11):
these people?
But how do we get a handle onthis food marketing?
In the meantime, as you'vementioned, there are things that
consumers can do and whatretailers can do to help people
learn how to shop and look forthose red flags.
One of the things that you wantto look at is you want to look
at how many ingredients thereare.
(04:32):
If there's more than threeingredients on a food product,
then it's probably beenprocessed and maybe
ultra-processed.
We'll talk about that in asecond.
But yes, ingredients, thinkabout.
My favorite red flag to thinkabout could you make this in
your kitchen?
Could you make this foodproduct in your kitchen?
(04:53):
If you can't, then there'sprobably a lot of stuff in there
that isn't good for your body.
We want to look at added sugars.
We want to look at fake sugarsversus real sugars.
We want to look at thoseingredients, that end in 'ose',
fructose being one of the oneswe see often on products.
(05:14):
There are things that you cando.
I also highly encourageretailers to inform their
shoppers about the Novaclassification system, which is
a really great way to explainhow processed foods are
classified.
We start with minimallyprocessed foods, which could
(05:36):
mean that your vegetables havebeen just chopped up or your
herbs have been grinded or yournuts have been chopped up.
That makes it minimallyprocessed.
Then we move into differentlevels until we get to
ultra-processed foods.
There are some great examples.
I will definitely put this linkto the Nova classification
(05:56):
system in the comments.
Phil (06:00):
I think it's just so important and as I'm reading all
this and I know the answer, soI'm being very rhetorical here
why do we even need theseultra-processed foods?
Again, if we look at the columnin Washington Post-Eating Lab,
ultra-processed foods areformulations of industrial
(06:20):
ingredients that are designed bymanufacturers to achieve a
certain bliss point, whichcauses us to crave and overeat
them.
Ultra-processed foods make up amajority of the calories that
most people consume.
Scientists say they're thedriving force between the
multiple diet-related illnessesthat are shortening our lifespan
(06:42):
.
If we take a look at the Novafood classification system and
everybody uses this as a guideboth consumers to your point,
retailers every retail dietitianshould be reprinting the Nova
food classification system, notonly posting it in the store,
(07:04):
but also make it available,whether it's online or just in a
paper form, to all of theirshoppers.
We have a really seriousproblem as it relates to
diabetes, all these healthissues as we've talked about
before for many years.
The time is going to come wherewe can't really afford our
(07:26):
healthcare system, can't reallyafford these illnesses that are
created by our diets, and thewhole thing collapses.
We really need to avoid it.
Check out the Nova foodclassification system.
You'll post it online in thecomments, as well as on
(07:48):
Supermarket Guru.
com.
Now here's another story thatI'm very angry about.
Basically, what we're seeing isthat there are states in the
nation who have decided thatthey're opting out of the
federal program that gives $40 amonth to kids who receive free
(08:12):
and reduced cost lunch whileschool is out for the summer.
I just don't get this.
I don't understand the politics, because this is a program that
was started in 2010 as a testfor USDA.
It's been so effective that ithas become national.
(08:33):
It started out with just having12,500 families.
What they found is basicallyfood insecurity has gone away.
Number one, that they wereeating better from a nutrition
standpoint.
And now we've got thesepolitics that are involved with
(08:56):
Nebraska, with Iowa, with allthese states that are playing
politics with the health andwellness of our kids.
This just doesn't seem fair.
Sally (09:08):
Yes, it is definitely upsetting to think about how
much food insecurity we have inAmerica right now and how much
of that affects children.
We've all faced a lot more costin the grocery store over the
last year and we've also seen alot of wages not increasing for
(09:36):
people for their jobs as thecost of living is going up, so
this is a serious issue.
I looked up, Phil, someinformation about Governor Kim
Reynolds from Iowa, who has beenvery vocal about rejecting this
program.
Her reasons are that theadministrative costs to the
state are very, very high.
(09:57):
We've also heard the same thingfrom Oklahoma, who was
rejecting the program that thecost to distribute these EBT
cards to people is just too muchfor them.
But we also heard Kim Reynoldssaying that she was more
interested in tackling nutrition, in obesity and those types of
(10:17):
issues.
The point that we're missinghere is that this isn't just
welfare for people that are toolazy to work or want to use it
to buy junk food that makes themoverweight and obese.
What we are talking about hereis a lot of children who depend
(10:38):
on breakfast and lunch five daysa week while they go to school
and when that goes away in thesummertime.
Their parents are honestlystruggling to buy food for them
and provide for them for thesummer, so this is a hunger
issue.
Obviously, we do want to getsome programs happening,
(11:03):
particularly we're just talkingabout retail dietitians.
We want to help people shop ona small budget in a better way.
We want to teach them how tobuy fruits and vegetables or
frozen fruits and vegetables ifthey can't afford the fresh
produce, but how to incorporatesome healthy components to your
(11:23):
diet on a low budget and notjust using that money for these
ultra-processed foods that canbe relatively inexpensive that
we were just talking about.
Phil (11:33):
Absolutely.
Very well said.
When we start to Oklahoma youmentioned, Oklahoma is in the
bottom 10 as it relates to foodinsecurity.
We need to have the Oklahomagovernor not participating in
this.
Only 36 states and some Indianterritories and so on have
(11:58):
signed up for this.
This is just absurd.
Talking about absurd.
There's a new California lawthat took effect January 1st
that the minimum wage goes up to$20 for fast food restaurants.
Those restaurants that have 60or more locations throughout the
(12:20):
nation have to comply with this.
As a result, what's happened istwo Pizza Hut franchisees have
decided to fire their drivers.
1,200 people get fired becausebeing paid $20 an hour doesn't
(12:42):
work.
Now they're making about $16 anhour, so we're talking about
the difference of about $4.
What they're doing is they'reoutsourcing now their delivery
to.
whether it's Uber Eats orDoorDash, people like that and
from a consumer standpoint,you're going to have a service
(13:03):
fee, you're going to have to tipprobably have to tip more than
you would the pizza hut drivers.
I just don't understand what'sgoing on.
Where $20 an hour is not a lotof money in America, especially
when we've got rents that havegone up, where we have our food
(13:26):
prices that have gone up, thefact that these two franchisees
have elected to fire 1,200delivery people.
What this says to me?
And again, I'm here inCalifornia and, to be honest
with you, I don't order fromPizza Hut.
But if I did order from PizzaHut, I would switch.
(13:46):
I would switch to Domino's, Iwould switch to anybody who, but
Pizza Hut, for firing thesedrivers.
Sally (13:58):
I'm right there with you, Phil, and I do think that this
sends a message to consumersabout the values of the brand.
That is something thatconsumers are starting to think
about.
When they choose where they buytheir food from or whatever
they buy, they are thinkingabout the values and the ethics
(14:19):
of the company.
You're talking about $20 anhour, and that's really not a
lot of money.
I did a little calculating hereand I looked up what the
average rent for a 1,000 squarefoot apartment in California is.
The average rent is $1,837 amonth.
(14:41):
If you work 40 hours a weekmaking $20 an hour, then you
make $3,200 a month, but yourapartment costs $1,837, so you
only have $1,363 left over, or$340 a week to spend on your
food, your gas, your phone, yourutilities, your car insurance.
Phil (15:05):
That's even before taxes, absolutely Before taxes.
Sally (15:09):
That's not considering people who have children to
support and take care of.
It is absurd for us to hearabout that.
These wages for these workersno one wants those to go up, but
the salaries of CEOs havereached historical increases
(15:31):
lately.
What happens when you have toraise to $20 to pay your drivers
means that it has to come outof a CEO salary or it passes
along to the customers in higherprices.
This is something that I thinkthat these brands, these
companies, these CEOs, theyreally need to think about.
(15:52):
The Yum brand CEO made over $17million last year.
What if he only made $10million?
Phil (16:01):
Absolutely.
I think what we're reallyapproaching is this battle, if
you would, between we've seen itwith Starbucks.
We've interviewed, you know,Starbucks workers who have tried
to unionize before.
We're really having a problemgetting people to work as
(16:21):
cashiers in supermarkets becauseof the low wages.
We're having a battle, there'sno question about it, and you
know the money has to come fromsomewhere and they can't just
keep on putting it off on theshoppers, the consumers and, as
we've reported before, you know,in all these earnings calls,
(16:44):
these food companies are makingrecord profits but they're not
passing it on to either theirworkers or reducing, you know,
prices for us as shoppers.
So you know three devastatingstories today for us to deal
with, but one more on Food NotPhones.
(17:08):
A new survey that's come outloneliness in America, how the
pandemic has deepened anepidemic of loneliness and what
we can do about it.
The report suggests that 36% ofall Americans, including 61% of
young adults and 51% of motherswith young children, feel
serious loneliness.
(17:29):
That leads to depression,anxiety, heart disease,
substance abuse, domestic abuse,all of those.
And, to be honest with you, inlooking at this I found an
outreach that I wasn't familiarwith.
I don't know whether you arefamiliar with it or not, Sally,
but it's called the FriendlyBench Program and basically they
(17:53):
provide benches, outdoorseating areas that connect
strangers with nature.
You know we really need to, asyou know we've talked about
hundreds of times, we reallyneed to put down our phones
during meal times, connect withother people and even beyond
(18:13):
meal times, whether we attunewith nature, attune with other
people.
But when we have theseepidemics about loneliness, it's
a huge problem that we've gotto figure out before it's too
late.
Sally (18:31):
Agreed, Phil, and I love the Friendly Bench idea that
that's a great strategy to getpeople outside, connecting with
new people and, like you said,connecting with nature.
You know, Forbes did a surveyon New Year's resolutions for
2024.
And 36% of people said thatthey want to focus on their
(18:54):
mental health.
In addition to that, 55% saidthat they connect their physical
health with their mental health.
So they want to work on all ofthat together.
And I also found somethinggreat that I'll post in the
comments for everyone here.
Dr Omar Awan is a doctor who isa contributor to Forbes and he
(19:14):
talked a lot in his recentcolumn about investing in
relationships, spending moretime interacting with people and
reducing your screen time, andhe has some really, really great
suggestions.
One that's really easy is todecrease your screen time by 30
minutes a day.
Just start there and take that30 minutes to have coffee with a
(19:36):
friend or take a walk with afriend, but trying to get away
from that screen and connectwith your community, connect
with other people.
We want face-to-faceinteraction.
Phil (19:48):
Very important, and especially in the times that we
have now very turbulent times,with wars across the globe,
politics, you know, making mybrain fried.
We really need to connect withother people, no question about
it.
And also, let's not forget,when you go to the supermarket,
(20:11):
say a lot of the cashiers, say alot of Bob the Butcher, Betty
the Baker.
It's a great source ofcompanionship to really have
your supermarket be part of yourcommunity.
We need to do that, so don'tforget, sign up for the
initiative Food Not Phones atfoodnotphones.
(20:33):
com.
Use the hashtag #FoodNot Phonesin social media and let's, you
know, as our New Year'sresolution for 2024, all resolve
to be nicer to each other andmore friendly and have better
relationships.
Thanks, Sally.
On the bullseye.
For years, fast food giantshave battled their way through
(20:56):
burger wars, chicken wars andeven French fry wars.
But there's a new battle andit's all about beverages,
especially coffee beverages.
The players are McDonald's,starbucks and Costco.
By now you've heard aboutMcDonald's new small format,
CosMc's.
It's a beverage-focusedrestaurant that is announced to
(21:17):
open in 10 locations this year.
One already opened up inChicago.
Mcdonald's says that CosMc'smenu is rooted in beverage
exploration, with bold andunexpected flavor combinations,
vibrant colors and functionalboosts, including lemonade and
teas, blended beverages and coldcoffees, including s'mores cold
(21:41):
brew.
Seriously, who are theytargeting?
They say it's inspired bynostalgia and is landing
Earthside for us humans to enjoy.
Could just be another McPizzain my book.
Starbucks launched its newwinter menu last week with iced
hazelnut, oat, milk, shaken,espresso, pistachio cream, cold
(22:04):
brew which is sweetened withvanilla syrup and topped with
smooth nutty pistachio cream,cold foam and salted brown
butter sprinkles, and then amore simple pistachio latte.
Starbucks is also introducingsome new sandwiches, probably
prompted by the new Cosmexcreamy avocado, tomatillo
(22:25):
sandwich, spicy queso sandwichand McPops which sort of look
like mini cream filled donuts.
Back to Starbucks.
Their new breakfast sandwich,forget the Egg Mcmuffin folks,
is the baked, not fried, potatocheddar and chive bakes with
cage free eggs, diced potatoes,cheddar, spinach and chives.
(22:48):
Or you might choose the chicken, maple butter and egg sandwich.
My vote for the winner in thislatest battle is actually Costco
, who's introducing theirKirkland signature breakfast
sandwich which rumors have it isa knock off of Starbucks double
smoked bacon breakfast sandwich, which is Applewood smoked
bacon, egg cheddar on a spiralbutter croissant which retails
(23:12):
for $5.45, but at Costco youonly pay a $1.99.
But here's the key.
It only comes so far in afrozen eight pack which retails
for $15.99.
Of course, unlike in Starbucks,you're going to have to heat it
up yourself.
By the way, if you're wondering, Costco doesn't sell hot coffee
(23:33):
in their food court, just aCold Brew Mocha Freeze, which
I've tried and doesn't compareto those sold at coffee places.
Bad news Costco, Starbucks iseven now pushing in this new
year for us to bring our ownclean cup for our beverages.
They say the process iscontactless, which I really
(23:56):
don't understand.
The smart move is that they'reoffering a 10 cent discount when
you do use your own cup.
My question is what happens ifyou don't bring in a spotless
clean cup?
Do they then just say go away,not going to give you your
coffee?
Do they wash the cup?
Maybe it's an idea that needs alittle bit more thought before
(24:20):
they execute it on a nationalbasis.
Thanks for joining us and we'llsee you back here next week for
more on the Lempert Report.
Sally (24:30):
Be sure to visit www.
SupermarketGuru.
com for the latest marketinganalysis issues and trends, and
don't forget to join us backhere next Tuesday at 230pm
Eastern for more.
Welcome to the Lempert Report LIVE.
On today's first 2024 broadcast, Bernie Sanders takes on big
food.
Ultra-processed foods are underfire.
How politics is getting in theway of feeding our kids.
Food delivery's latest fight.
On #FoodN otPh ones, the socialconnection.
(00:27):
On the bullseye.
A new twist on the fast foodwars, and this time it's not
about burgers or chicken.
Let's get started.
So Sally, some news out ofWashington.
Bernie Sanders posted onTwitter on December 17th.
Last week I held a hearing inthe Senate Help Committee on the
(00:51):
diabetes epidemic and obesityepidemic in America.
What is fueling these crisesand what must be done to address
them?
If you missed it, tune in below.
I highly suggest that everybodylooks at what Sanders is doing,
and what happened is some ofhis remarks Marion Nestle
(01:17):
produced in Food Politics, hernewsletter, and I just want to
read a few of them.
And these are the words ofBernie Sanders.
Why is the number of children inAmerica today who have type 2
diabetes estimated to skyrocketby nearly 700% over the next
(01:40):
four decades?
For decades in my view, againSanders speaking, we've allowed
large corporations in the foodand beverage industry to entice
children to eat foods andbeverages that are loaded up
with sugar, salt and saturatedfat purposely designed to be
overeaten.
The situation has gotten so badthat most of what children in
(02:02):
America eat today consists ofunhealthy ultra-processed foods
that doctors have told us leadto a higher risk of type 2
diabetes.
And he goes on and on with it.
You know I applaud what Sandersis doing.
He's working with Senator CoryBooker on this initiative, which
(02:23):
is terrific, and basically it'sa great start to the new year
where we have this kind ofattention being put on our diets
, ultra-processed foods inparticular and in the Washington
Post, from their eating lab,which I think they're just doing
(02:43):
such a fabulous job on, there'sa reporter who wrote look for
these nine red flags to identifyfood that is ultra-processed.
So here's a laundry list, Sally, of all the things that we
should be avoiding if we want toavoid ultra-processed foods.
(03:04):
What do you think?
Sally (03:05):
Yes, I'm really glad we're talking about this Hearing
with Bernie Sanders.
Also Senator Bill Cassidy, aRepublican from Louisiana, is
also on the committee and statedthat this is a bipartisan issue
.
This is something we all want.
We want Americans to eat better.
We want to tackle this problemof diabetes and obesity.
(03:26):
Those alarming statistics weresome of the things you mentioned
, but other things that theymentioned were 95% of cases of
diabetes are type 2 diabetes andthat 10% of our population has
type 2 diabetes.
Right now, one in every fivechildren are obese.
(03:47):
Like you said, type 2 diabetesin children is going up.
Meanwhile, billions of dollarsare being spent on marketing
these ultra-processed foods.
What the issue that he istackling here is why do we have
this problem?
Why do we have all these casesof diabetes and obesity?
How can we make treatment alsoavailable and lower cost to
(04:11):
these people?
But how do we get a handle onthis food marketing?
In the meantime, as you'vementioned, there are things that
consumers can do and whatretailers can do to help people
learn how to shop and look forthose red flags.
One of the things that you wantto look at is you want to look
at how many ingredients thereare.
(04:32):
If there's more than threeingredients on a food product,
then it's probably beenprocessed and maybe
ultra-processed.
We'll talk about that in asecond.
But yes, ingredients, thinkabout.
My favorite red flag to thinkabout could you make this in
your kitchen?
Could you make this foodproduct in your kitchen?
(04:53):
If you can't, then there'sprobably a lot of stuff in there
that isn't good for your body.
We want to look at added sugars.
We want to look at fake sugarsversus real sugars.
We want to look at thoseingredients, that end in 'ose',
fructose being one of the oneswe see often on products.
(05:14):
There are things that you cando.
I also highly encourageretailers to inform their
shoppers about the Novaclassification system, which is
a really great way to explainhow processed foods are
classified.
We start with minimallyprocessed foods, which could
(05:36):
mean that your vegetables havebeen just chopped up or your
herbs have been grinded or yournuts have been chopped up.
That makes it minimallyprocessed.
Then we move into differentlevels until we get to
ultra-processed foods.
There are some great examples.
I will definitely put this linkto the Nova classification
(05:56):
system in the comments.
Phil (06:00):
I think it's just so important and as I'm reading all
this and I know the answer, soI'm being very rhetorical here
why do we even need theseultra-processed foods?
Again, if we look at the columnin Washington Post-Eating Lab,
ultra-processed foods areformulations of industrial
(06:20):
ingredients that are designed bymanufacturers to achieve a
certain bliss point, whichcauses us to crave and overeat
them.
Ultra-processed foods make up amajority of the calories that
most people consume.
Scientists say they're thedriving force between the
multiple diet-related illnessesthat are shortening our lifespan
(06:42):
.
If we take a look at the Novafood classification system and
everybody uses this as a guideboth consumers to your point,
retailers every retail dietitianshould be reprinting the Nova
food classification system, notonly posting it in the store,
(07:04):
but also make it available,whether it's online or just in a
paper form, to all of theirshoppers.
We have a really seriousproblem as it relates to
diabetes, all these healthissues as we've talked about
before for many years.
The time is going to come wherewe can't really afford our
(07:26):
healthcare system, can't reallyafford these illnesses that are
created by our diets, and thewhole thing collapses.
We really need to avoid it.
Check out the Nova foodclassification system.
You'll post it online in thecomments, as well as on
(07:48):
Supermarket Guru.
com.
Now here's another story thatI'm very angry about.
Basically, what we're seeing isthat there are states in the
nation who have decided thatthey're opting out of the
federal program that gives $40 amonth to kids who receive free
(08:12):
and reduced cost lunch whileschool is out for the summer.
I just don't get this.
I don't understand the politics, because this is a program that
was started in 2010 as a testfor USDA.
It's been so effective that ithas become national.
(08:33):
It started out with just having12,500 families.
What they found is basicallyfood insecurity has gone away.
Number one, that they wereeating better from a nutrition
standpoint.
And now we've got thesepolitics that are involved with
(08:56):
Nebraska, with Iowa, with allthese states that are playing
politics with the health andwellness of our kids.
This just doesn't seem fair.
Sally (09:08):
Yes, it is definitely upsetting to think about how
much food insecurity we have inAmerica right now and how much
of that affects children.
We've all faced a lot more costin the grocery store over the
last year and we've also seen alot of wages not increasing for
(09:36):
people for their jobs as thecost of living is going up, so
this is a serious issue.
I looked up, Phil, someinformation about Governor Kim
Reynolds from Iowa, who has beenvery vocal about rejecting this
program.
Her reasons are that theadministrative costs to the
state are very, very high.
(09:57):
We've also heard the same thingfrom Oklahoma, who was
rejecting the program that thecost to distribute these EBT
cards to people is just too muchfor them.
But we also heard Kim Reynoldssaying that she was more
interested in tackling nutrition, in obesity and those types of
(10:17):
issues.
The point that we're missinghere is that this isn't just
welfare for people that are toolazy to work or want to use it
to buy junk food that makes themoverweight and obese.
What we are talking about hereis a lot of children who depend
(10:38):
on breakfast and lunch five daysa week while they go to school
and when that goes away in thesummertime.
Their parents are honestlystruggling to buy food for them
and provide for them for thesummer, so this is a hunger
issue.
Obviously, we do want to getsome programs happening,
(11:03):
particularly we're just talkingabout retail dietitians.
We want to help people shop ona small budget in a better way.
We want to teach them how tobuy fruits and vegetables or
frozen fruits and vegetables ifthey can't afford the fresh
produce, but how to incorporatesome healthy components to your
(11:23):
diet on a low budget and notjust using that money for these
ultra-processed foods that canbe relatively inexpensive that
we were just talking about.
Phil (11:33):
Absolutely.
Very well said.
When we start to Oklahoma youmentioned, Oklahoma is in the
bottom 10 as it relates to foodinsecurity.
We need to have the Oklahomagovernor not participating in
this.
Only 36 states and some Indianterritories and so on have
(11:58):
signed up for this.
This is just absurd.
Talking about absurd.
There's a new California lawthat took effect January 1st
that the minimum wage goes up to$20 for fast food restaurants.
Those restaurants that have 60or more locations throughout the
(12:20):
nation have to comply with this.
As a result, what's happened istwo Pizza Hut franchisees have
decided to fire their drivers.
1,200 people get fired becausebeing paid $20 an hour doesn't
(12:42):
work.
Now they're making about $16 anhour, so we're talking about
the difference of about $4.
What they're doing is they'reoutsourcing now their delivery
to.
whether it's Uber Eats orDoorDash, people like that and
from a consumer standpoint,you're going to have a service
(13:03):
fee, you're going to have to tipprobably have to tip more than
you would the pizza hut drivers.
I just don't understand what'sgoing on.
Where $20 an hour is not a lotof money in America, especially
when we've got rents that havegone up, where we have our food
(13:26):
prices that have gone up, thefact that these two franchisees
have elected to fire 1,200delivery people.
What this says to me?
And again, I'm here inCalifornia and, to be honest
with you, I don't order fromPizza Hut.
But if I did order from PizzaHut, I would switch.
(13:46):
I would switch to Domino's, Iwould switch to anybody who, but
Pizza Hut, for firing thesedrivers.
Sally (13:58):
I'm right there with you, Phil, and I do think that this
sends a message to consumersabout the values of the brand.
That is something thatconsumers are starting to think
about.
When they choose where they buytheir food from or whatever
they buy, they are thinkingabout the values and the ethics
(14:19):
of the company.
You're talking about $20 anhour, and that's really not a
lot of money.
I did a little calculating hereand I looked up what the
average rent for a 1,000 squarefoot apartment in California is.
The average rent is $1,837 amonth.
(14:41):
If you work 40 hours a weekmaking $20 an hour, then you
make $3,200 a month, but yourapartment costs $1,837, so you
only have $1,363 left over, or$340 a week to spend on your
food, your gas, your phone, yourutilities, your car insurance.
Phil (15:05):
That's even before taxes, absolutely Before taxes.
Sally (15:09):
That's not considering people who have children to
support and take care of.
It is absurd for us to hearabout that.
These wages for these workersno one wants those to go up, but
the salaries of CEOs havereached historical increases
(15:31):
lately.
What happens when you have toraise to $20 to pay your drivers
means that it has to come outof a CEO salary or it passes
along to the customers in higherprices.
This is something that I thinkthat these brands, these
companies, these CEOs, theyreally need to think about.
(15:52):
The Yum brand CEO made over $17million last year.
What if he only made $10million?
Phil (16:01):
Absolutely.
I think what we're reallyapproaching is this battle, if
you would, between we've seen itwith Starbucks.
We've interviewed, you know,Starbucks workers who have tried
to unionize before.
We're really having a problemgetting people to work as
(16:21):
cashiers in supermarkets becauseof the low wages.
We're having a battle, there'sno question about it, and you
know the money has to come fromsomewhere and they can't just
keep on putting it off on theshoppers, the consumers and, as
we've reported before, you know,in all these earnings calls,
(16:44):
these food companies are makingrecord profits but they're not
passing it on to either theirworkers or reducing, you know,
prices for us as shoppers.
So you know three devastatingstories today for us to deal
with, but one more on Food NotPhones.
(17:08):
A new survey that's come outloneliness in America, how the
pandemic has deepened anepidemic of loneliness and what
we can do about it.
The report suggests that 36% ofall Americans, including 61% of
young adults and 51% of motherswith young children, feel
serious loneliness.
(17:29):
That leads to depression,anxiety, heart disease,
substance abuse, domestic abuse,all of those.
And, to be honest with you, inlooking at this I found an
outreach that I wasn't familiarwith.
I don't know whether you arefamiliar with it or not, Sally,
but it's called the FriendlyBench Program and basically they
(17:53):
provide benches, outdoorseating areas that connect
strangers with nature.
You know we really need to, asyou know we've talked about
hundreds of times, we reallyneed to put down our phones
during meal times, connect withother people and even beyond
(18:13):
meal times, whether we attunewith nature, attune with other
people.
But when we have theseepidemics about loneliness, it's
a huge problem that we've gotto figure out before it's too
late.
Sally (18:31):
Agreed, Phil, and I love the Friendly Bench idea that
that's a great strategy to getpeople outside, connecting with
new people and, like you said,connecting with nature.
You know, Forbes did a surveyon New Year's resolutions for
2024.
And 36% of people said thatthey want to focus on their
(18:54):
mental health.
In addition to that, 55% saidthat they connect their physical
health with their mental health.
So they want to work on all ofthat together.
And I also found somethinggreat that I'll post in the
comments for everyone here.
Dr Omar Awan is a doctor who isa contributor to Forbes and he
(19:14):
talked a lot in his recentcolumn about investing in
relationships, spending moretime interacting with people and
reducing your screen time, andhe has some really, really great
suggestions.
One that's really easy is todecrease your screen time by 30
minutes a day.
Just start there and take that30 minutes to have coffee with a
(19:36):
friend or take a walk with afriend, but trying to get away
from that screen and connectwith your community, connect
with other people.
We want face-to-faceinteraction.
Phil (19:48):
Very important, and especially in the times that we
have now very turbulent times,with wars across the globe,
politics, you know, making mybrain fried.
We really need to connect withother people, no question about
it.
And also, let's not forget,when you go to the supermarket,
(20:11):
say a lot of the cashiers, say alot of Bob the Butcher, Betty
the Baker.
It's a great source ofcompanionship to really have
your supermarket be part of yourcommunity.
We need to do that, so don'tforget, sign up for the
initiative Food Not Phones atfoodnotphones.
(20:33):
com.
Use the hashtag #FoodNot Phonesin social media and let's, you
know, as our New Year'sresolution for 2024, all resolve
to be nicer to each other andmore friendly and have better
relationships.
Thanks, Sally.
On the bullseye.
For years, fast food giantshave battled their way through
(20:56):
burger wars, chicken wars andeven French fry wars.
But there's a new battle andit's all about beverages,
especially coffee beverages.
The players are McDonald's,starbucks and Costco.
By now you've heard aboutMcDonald's new small format,
CosMc's.
It's a beverage-focusedrestaurant that is announced to
(21:17):
open in 10 locations this year.
One already opened up inChicago.
Mcdonald's says that CosMc'smenu is rooted in beverage
exploration, with bold andunexpected flavor combinations,
vibrant colors and functionalboosts, including lemonade and
teas, blended beverages and coldcoffees, including s'mores cold
(21:41):
brew.
Seriously, who are theytargeting?
They say it's inspired bynostalgia and is landing
Earthside for us humans to enjoy.
Could just be another McPizzain my book.
Starbucks launched its newwinter menu last week with iced
hazelnut, oat, milk, shaken,espresso, pistachio cream, cold
(22:04):
brew which is sweetened withvanilla syrup and topped with
smooth nutty pistachio cream,cold foam and salted brown
butter sprinkles, and then amore simple pistachio latte.
Starbucks is also introducingsome new sandwiches, probably
prompted by the new Cosmexcreamy avocado, tomatillo
(22:25):
sandwich, spicy queso sandwichand McPops which sort of look
like mini cream filled donuts.
Back to Starbucks.
Their new breakfast sandwich,forget the Egg Mcmuffin folks,
is the baked, not fried, potatocheddar and chive bakes with
cage free eggs, diced potatoes,cheddar, spinach and chives.
(22:48):
Or you might choose the chicken, maple butter and egg sandwich.
My vote for the winner in thislatest battle is actually Costco
, who's introducing theirKirkland signature breakfast
sandwich which rumors have it isa knock off of Starbucks double
smoked bacon breakfast sandwich, which is Applewood smoked
bacon, egg cheddar on a spiralbutter croissant which retails
(23:12):
for $5.45, but at Costco youonly pay a $1.99.
But here's the key.
It only comes so far in afrozen eight pack which retails
for $15.99.
Of course, unlike in Starbucks,you're going to have to heat it
up yourself.
By the way, if you're wondering, Costco doesn't sell hot coffee
(23:33):
in their food court, just aCold Brew Mocha Freeze, which
I've tried and doesn't compareto those sold at coffee places.
Bad news Costco, Starbucks iseven now pushing in this new
year for us to bring our ownclean cup for our beverages.
They say the process iscontactless, which I really
(23:56):
don't understand.
The smart move is that they'reoffering a 10 cent discount when
you do use your own cup.
My question is what happens ifyou don't bring in a spotless
clean cup?
Do they then just say go away,not going to give you your
coffee?
Do they wash the cup?
Maybe it's an idea that needs alittle bit more thought before
(24:20):
they execute it on a nationalbasis.
Thanks for joining us and we'llsee you back here next week for
more on the Lempert Report.
Sally (24:30):
Be sure to visit www.
SupermarketGuru.
com for the latest marketinganalysis issues and trends, and
don't forget to join us backhere next Tuesday at 230pm
Eastern for more.
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