Food for Thought: Pepsi, Chipotle Choose Perception Over Science

Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition and public health at New York University and the author of many books, including Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health (University of California Press, 2002), discusses how recent developments in the food world-- Chipotle’s removal of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) from its ingredients, Pepsi dumping the sweetener aspartame and Tyson Foods halting the use of antibiotics in its poultry -- showcase how the consumer perspective prevails, even when it’s not necessarily scientifically sound.

On these food changes: It's a response to the marketplace-consumers want healthy food that hasn't been overly processed, says @marionnestle.

— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) April 28, 2015

Risks aren't clearly known re: GMOs, aspartame, antibiotics in chicken -- but it's not needed in food, so why have it? says @marionnestle.

— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) April 28, 2015

"I think everybody's better off eating sugar, frankly." -- @marionnestle on not using aspartame, Splenda & other artificial sweeteners.

— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) April 28, 2015

"I think removing the antibiotics from chicken production is a really good thing." -@marionnestle on Tyson's decision to remove antibiotics.

— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) April 28, 2015