Eetdrammen: unhealthy food that pushes itself on us everywhere

The Dutch Nutrition Center (Voedingscentrum) has introduced a new word: eetdrammen. It gives a name to something that happens all the time but often goes unnoticed. Eetdrammen refers to the aggressive promotion of unhealthy food. It’s happening everywhere, all the time: in the street, in supermarkets and on social media. With the constant flood of products, advertising and special offers, it starts to feel normal to buy unhealthy food continuously.

According to the Voedingscentrum, this has consequences for public health. “Eetdrammen stands in the way of a healthy society,” says director Petra Verhoef. “For children, growing up healthy is no longer a given. And that’s a social issue. The abundance of unhealthy food is making us ill. Many diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, would occur far less often in an environment where healthy and unhealthy food were more in balance.”

Choices shaped by our environment, often without us realising

Research conducted by the Voedingscentrum shows that both consumers and experts consider the risks of an unhealthy diet to be high. Yet people hardly link those risks to their surroundings. The fact that food is available everywhere, all the time, has become normal.

Behavioural expert Liesbeth Velema explains how eetdrammen works. “Eetdrammen triggers the primal brain, we have an inborn preference for fatty, sweet and salty foods, because that means calories and therefore survival.”

That preference makes people more susceptible to what’s on offer. “When it comes to food, our brains make many decisions automatically, because it saves mental energy. We think we’re making free choices, but due to the constant stream of unhealthy products, advertising and deals, we’re being nudged towards unhealthy purchases. Supermarkets, fast food chains and soft drink manufacturers invest millions of euros each day in promoting unhealthy products.”

A name for something we come across everywhere

By introducing the term, the Voedingscentrum hopes to spark a broader public discussion. Eetdrammen is happening all around us. We just don’t always notice it. “Once you start paying attention, you’ll see it everywhere.”

Voedingscentrum.nl