How companies trick us into eating more junk

Should “upselling” be banned? Public health is being put at risk by aggressive sales tactics. A report warns that the practice is fuelling an already disastrous obesity epidemic. “Would you like a side with that?” A seemingly innocent question, but it is part of an alarming trend — with potentially devastating consequences for our health. Retailers train staff to manipulate customers into buying more junk food; the process is known as “upselling”. The vast majority of upsold food is unhealthy, with retailers supersizing portions, pushing extra sides like fries and onion rings, and offering larger coffees and soft drinks. A report released yesterday revealed that 78% of customers in the UK experience these tactics every week, leading to 106 upsells per person per year. That is an average of 17,000 extra calories per person, the same as eating 66 big macs. Those extra calories add up to an average weight gain of over two kilos. Young people aged 18-24 are even more vulnerable to upselling, consuming an additional 750 calories per week. Retailers use many tactics. A waiter told researchers that he has “hourly goals” of large meals to sell, and a barista claimed she must always offer a customer a large coffee, “insinuating that ‘a large’ is in fact what a typical customer orders”. Another worker described how restaurant management have turned upselling into a “team competition”, with prizes for the team upselling the most. UK MP Sharon Hodgson has claimed that upselling has “infiltrated our society, and is contributing significantly to the burgeoning obesity crisis that we see today.” In the UK 25% of adults are obese. This rises to a staggering 36.5% in the USA. Obesity can lead to a range of deadly conditions including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Chief executive of the RSPH, Shirley Cramer, calls obesity “the public health challenge of our generation”. The British government has attempted to tackle the problem by taxing sugary drinks. However, some campaigners think it is time to crack down on upselling. Cramer suggests giving tax breaks to businesses which pledge not to train staff to upsell. But some think laws to tackle obesity just will not work; journalist Christopher Snowdon described the UK government’s recent efforts as “doomed”. You are what you eat “Upselling should be banned” declare some. Consumers are sick of being bombarded with junk food, and this study proves that it is making a catastrophic obesity epidemic even worse. Retailers should respect the health of their customers, rather than squeezing as many pennies out of them as possible. “Let consumers choose!” say others. Customers are not mindless drones and nobody forces them to buy more food. Also, a law against upselling would be impossible to enforce, and would severely hamper businesses in an extremely competitive industry. Upselling is here to stay. KeywordsReport - Senior civil servant Sue Gray’s report into allegations of parties at Downing Street during coronavirus lockdown restrictions was published last week.