Did Rx bar sleep with Harvey Weinstein for $600 million?

On Friday, news of Harvey Weinstein’s “habits” was everywhere. There was another big news story that you may have missed. In my food centric world it was maj. Rx bar, a nutrition bar company, was bought for $600 million dollars by Kellogg’s. That’s a really big number and I tried to be excited for a company we’ve supported since its infancy. But there’s a problem.Rx bars are notable because they slap a short ingredient list on the front of the package. And they get bonus points for humor by listing “No B.S”. What you see is what you get, we’re honest and genuine.

Facebook commenters alerted me to a  letter RX bar sent to customers (but not their wholesalers). The gist was that even though they sold (out, oops)  you will never know anything was different. Kellogg's likes them just the way they are. But we do know. And I’m not sure it feels honest and genuine to be “in bed” with or married to a company built on B.S. (Pop tarts, Eggo, Froot Loops). Strangely, I couldn't cut and paste the "smart label" for Pop Tart's but here are the ingredients:

ENRICHED FLOUR

SUGAR

CORN SYRUP

SOYBEAN AND PALM OIL (WITH TBHQ FOR FRESHNESS)

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP

DEXTROSE

FRUCTOSE

SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

MODIFIED CORN STARCH

SALT

BROWN SUGAR SYRUP

LEAVENING 

MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES

SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE

GELATIN

DATEM

SOY LECITHIN

YELLOW 6 LAKE

BLUE 2 LAKE

NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS

YELLOW 5 LAKE

RED 40 LAKE

COLOR ADDED

NIACINAMIDE

REDUCED IRON

VITAMIN A PLAMITATE

VITAMIN B6

VITAMIN B2

Some of my colleagues support this union. After all, this will give RX bars reach and exposure. Just tell me how this is different from an actress saying, OK I’ll jump in the sack (I think he prefers showers, ick) with Harvey because it’s good for my career, for my brand. No, everyone thinks that’s wrong. Sure, it’s a little different, using power to coerce women is different than a corporate merger but not entirely different. As a commenter said on my Instagram post "you can't shtup the devil and claim purity."

Carolyn and I have each had lucrative opportunities with brands we don’t necessarily endorse. Each time, we have lengthy discussions and, at times, try to see if we could make a positive change with our messaging. But we wholeheartedly believe in quality and, for that reason, work with a handful of smaller companies at a time. We turn the majority of tempting offers down. And, for that reason Foodtrainers isn’t worth 600 million dollars (yet). 

What do you think? Is this how natural brands boost themselves? Or, is integrity allowed?

Dinner for Breakfast?

A few weeks ago I had leftover kale and cauliflower from dinner. The recipe is a good one; there are olives and capers it’s full of salty goodness. I made a meal from what was left. This in itself wasn’t strange except for the fact that it was 8:30am. I tweeted about my peculiar morning meal and asked “is it normal to have kale and cauliflower for breakfast?” If we can use twitter as a barometer, it turns out people didn’t think my choice was that unusual. The ultrarunner Sarah Stanley informed me that she tries to have 5-10 vegetables for breakfast.

In other countries savory breakfasts are quite common. In Norway and smoked fish plays a prominent role in breakfast. In Costa Rica there’s Gallo Pinto (rice and beans) often served with eggs. In Japan miso soup and pickled plums are commonly served. It’s been documented that higher protein breakfasts result in lower calories consumed later in the day but there is also evidence that a savory breakfast can also help weight-wise. A study in the May issue of The Journal of Nutrition compared savory and sweet “preloads” or tastes.  There was increased food intake after the sweet preload compared to the savory preload.  The researchers concluded that savory taste might help regulate appetite.

I never could quite understand why breakfast is so often super sweet. Of course Americans are not alone in their predilection for sweet breakfasts, we didn’t invent the pain au chocolat. Nope, we invented fruity pebbles (1971) , pop tarts (1977) and muffins (3oz in 1950, more than doubled since) the size of our heads. While you may not be a full-fledged dinner for breakfast person (our lovely intern Joanna found the Japanese breakfast interesting but added “rice and beans in the morning? I don’t thing I could ever do that!”) what we eat early in the day can affect our food choices later. And whether it’s cereal or soda, most of us can benefit from eating a little less sweet. If we can have breakfast for dinner, why not have dinner foods for breakfast?

Are your breakfasts more often savory or sweet? What are your favorite breakfast foods? Do you ever eat dinner for breakfast? What's the strangest thing you've ever had in the morning?