The most powerful tools that
exist in the United States for changing American dietary habits
come from Hollywood: satire, and, more generally, entertainment.
Research by the Norman Lear Center of Los Angeles, presented at
the Casa America cultural centre in Milan, confirms this fact.
The study, presented by center director Martin Kaplan and titled
"Hollywood and Dine: The Image and Impact of Food in
Entertainment", was organized by the USA Pavilion at Expo.
Two exceptional guests of honor participated in the event:
producer Norman Lear (Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop
Cafè, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride) and TV writer and
producer Phil Rosenthal (winner of 15 Emmy Awards). Maria Grazia
Cucinotta represented Italian cinema at the event.
The study, completed thanks to the program "Hollywood,
Health and Society", analyzed the behavior of 1,600 people,
divided into two groups: one followed the satirical reports on
the food industry shown on "The Daily Show", the other followed
news reports on the food industry from TV news and newspaper
articles. The study found that the satirical show viewers
remembered the information better, but with an optimistic
approach, and, after one month they had improved their eating
habits, eating more fruit and vegetables.
The researchers also analyzed the presence of food in over
1,300 episodes of the most-watched American TV shows of the last
10 years, concluding that food appeared in eight of every 10
episodes. Fruit and vegetables were as present as sweets, but
the latter were consumed more often. Particularly in sitcoms,
the characters ate sweets 2.5 times more than fruit and
vegetables.
"We know that viewers are influenced by the behaviors of
the characters on our shows," Kaplan said.
"Knowing the power that we have on the public's lifestyle,
those of us in the entertainment industry strive to do our part,
bringing the stories and demands of the real world to the big
and small screen, so that they have a positive effect on daily
life".
"It's an honor to welcome you here in Italy, because in our
films too, food has always been a main character," said Maria
Grazia Cucinotta, Italian "spokeswoman" for Expo.
"We grew up with Totò in Poverty and Nobility and Alberto
Sordi in An American in Rome, who tucked into spaghetti. Cinema
is also food and food is life, and this year Expo is showing how
we can create a better future thanks to what we bring to the
table," Cucinotta said.
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