Why Firms Repudiate Their Own Products

This week, the Big Three soft-drink makers pledged to reduce the number of calories people consume. And several big food-and-beverage outfits pledged to further restrict their marketing aimed at kids, who make up a huge part of their customer base. In both instances, as in many others before now, the food industry is in effect repudiating its own products, and pretending that it actually wants people to consume less of them.