zlacker

You're missing an important point in your example - the reason why high sugar cereals were so successful was because of government interventions (buying up grain supplies, unreasonably propping up certain crops, etc)

The utter failures of governments to provide any meaningful guidance, or intentionally boosting certain product consumption.

We can have an argument on how effective that propaganda was, but in the end governments in EU and US make bad food much more available than traditional diets.

We can all rant about how evil corporations are for putting HFCS into their products in the US, but it's disingenuous to disregard the fact that US government spends billions on propping up corn production that makes HFCS more economically viable.

In the end you still choose to buy sugary cereals, but if you are in poverty - you're left without a choice when it comes to calorie sources, because of government interventions.

>>JAlexo+(OP)
Governments do this on behalf of corporations. Ever heard of lobbying, revolving door effect, regulatory capture and so on?

Maybe watch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Corporation_(2003_film) and it's sequel from 2020 (linked from there) for starters?

>>LargoL+s11
They do, but a lot of original sins comes from failed public policy.

Like support for dairy industry came before the dairy industry got enough money to lobby... and sustain itself through lobbying.

Same goes with HFCS, and many others.

It's unfair to argue "evil corporations", when these corporations are made evil specifically by the government intervention in the first place.

I can guarantee you, that should US government pull all financial support for the dairy industry and support plant based products - these corporations will move to plant based alternatives. Because their pure interest is to make money the least cumbersome way.