When food brands get sued | How To Cook That Ann Reardon

[@HowToCookThat]

What are your thoughts? Where is the line that food styling crosses into false advertising? Do you still buy Toblerone? How spicy is too spicy for you? Dave's book: 📖 www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/shop/ Competition: 🎁 www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/deadline-competition/ Patreons Signed Bookplate: 📔 www.patreon.com/posts/exclusive-signed-105192525 James Tries 3x Spicy Noodles: www.patreon.com/posts/james-tries-3x-109302648

[@chewbacca7189]

entering that comp!!

[@cAt_LoVer-i1p]

YAY! Ann posted love your videos 💕

[@JohnDBlue]

As long as Toblerone tastes the same, I don't mind. Never bought it for being Swiss in the first place 😅

[@unvoicedapollo3318]

I tried the Death Nut 2.0. That was definitely too spicy and never again will I do such challenges (let's just say the aftermath was not enjoyable). Something I learned is I like spicy foods, but I hate it when it's nothing but heat.

[@HowToCookThat]

@@cAt_LoVer-i1p thanks

[@fusel5883]

Effectively what they are saying is "we have been lying for so long and that we lie is so common knowledge, we shoud be allowed to keep lying"

[@AryaPDipa]

"Reasonable customer would not get deceived by the ads coz they should know it's fake asf" shouldn't have stood in the court

[@HALLish-jl5mo]

Is it lying though? Im sure that such beautifully presented burgers have been served at those fast food chains. Not often, but it will happen. Is it lying for a hotel to show their pool tidy and quiet, even if thats not representative of the average guest's experience?

[@fusel5883]

@@HALLish-jl5mo in my opinion, yes. I don't think any burger sold ever looked like the ones in the ad. They prep and edit the food during the production of these ads way too much for that to be the case. Also, I don't think a hotel could be compared with that as it still looks the same. Sure, it isn't as tranquil but it indeed looks that way. Your not getting there, the pools half the size, got some shit floating about and the water's actually green.

[@Rei-Rei]

@@HALLish-jl5mo An american judge recently ruled that "boneless wings" can contain bones. The problem is that when everyone assumes something is fake then whatever they present is meaningless.

[@HALLish-jl5mo]

@@Rei-Rei American judges have ruled a lot of things. It took an intervention for them not to rule that Pi was both 3 and 4.

[@averyeml]

“A reasonable customer wouldn’t have been confused or misled by our advertising” is such a frustrating legal argument. In some cases, absolutely, like when Red Bull got sued for false advertising for saying they gave you wings. Yeah, in that case, I think basically everyone knows that isn’t literal and the “reasonable customer” thing makes sense. But “your burger looks ridiculously smaller than advertised” is not unreasonable to me.

[@xanam4913]

The red bull case gets misconstrued as that a lot, but what they were actually on blast for was claims about it boosting concentration and reaction times that was just summarised as '[giving] you wings'. It was claimed they used terms like 'wings' and 'boost' to get that idea across. Very interesting to read up on tbh

[@AshleyFromTX]

I agree. I don’t think we should have to “just be okay with it” it’s wrong. Why isn’t their product good enough for honest advertisements? We’re paying more now than ever for fast food, it’s not even cheaper that groceries anymore. They should have to show what we’re really getting!

[@rolfs2165]

@@xanam4913 So kinda like with the lawsuit over hot coffee, where it's often left out that the coffee was _so scalding hot_ the woman had her legs and lady bits fused together?

[@angelamatlashevsky6859]

Thank you for bringing this one up. The details get so lost in the discord. The woman had to get a skin graft, the coffee was so hot. This one really isn’t about false advertising, but companies getting away with faulty or unethical products

[@averyeml]

Y’know, I like how I got a thing wrong and learned something here instead of just getting called names or argued at like other comment sections 💙

[@marywhipes4875]

Well as a Slovak, I'm now genuinely mad that despite being made in our country, the price of Tomblerone didn't change at all.

[@kaerligheden]

That's true!!!

[@ZealotOfSteal]

I was going to bring that up as well. I'd be quite happy with the change if it meant nearly the same or the same quality for a lower price. I'm not happy with companies reducing costs and not passing some of that cost reduction to the consumer.

[@nicanonymus2491]

No way! It’s all about the profit! I have to pay attention if they’re still sold in the tourist markets and how much they cost because I don’t buy Toblerone normally. Greetings from 🇨🇭

[@lenlaegrim]

I mean, at this point are we really surprised at CEOs doing a business move so they can make more money by paying workers less and charging the customer the same, or sometimes more?

[@jpe1]

Why would you expect the price to go down? The move is about more profit for the shareholders justifying higher pay for the CEO and top management, there is zero interest in reducing prices for consumers (after all, consumers have already signaled that they are willing to pay the current price, since they are currently paying it. That’s called “revealed preference”) I would boycott Toblerone over these shenanigans, but I’ve already been boycotting them for many years now.

[@Ceeb-3]

I work for an American cooking tv show that also produces our own food magazines and cookbooks, and every single styled food photo and video are the real recipe with no photo magic tricks. It’s so crucial to sell your products as what they really are. When I (not a chef) make the recipes at home they do come out looking like the pictures!

[@blueprairiedog]

If you work for America's Test Kitchen, I love you!

[@fariesz6786]

i'm a passionate home cook and food photographer and i too take pride in my pictures being literally the stuff i eat a couple minutes later. i've seen some pretty icky tricks being done, often involving rendering the food inedible (like by using glues, varnishes, or acrylic paints)

[@thecraftycyborg9024]

@@fariesz6786- the only time that sort of thing makes sense is stuff like ice cream, that melts too fast to photograph. And cereal and milk- as long as the cereal is real, I’m fine with them using glue instead of milk. But hamburgers, waffles, etc? They need to be the real deal!

[@sirjmo]

​@thecraftycyborg9024 what about using motoroil instead of syrup for over the pancakes? I think I heard it gives a better image just like your example with glue instead of milk. I think it's fine to use replacements for the ad videos, but the pictures should be real.

[@Ceeb-3]

@@blueprairiedog I do! We take so much pride in putting out real deal food photos that can be exactly replicated at home!

[@ahdennis]

"The reasonable consumer" is code for "we've normalised our dishonest advertising so much and for so long that people should know we're lying"

[@stengon2603]

Just because we are used to being lied, doesn't make it right, companies should be hold accountable for fake advertising regardless if it's a widespread tactic

[@ladymacbethofmtensk896]

Or, here is an idea, we start blaming POLICYMAKERS and REGULATORS for creating and increasing the INCENTIVES to deceive consumers in the first place?

[@davidhoward4715]

@@ladymacbethofmtensk896 You know they can do both, right?

[@ladymacbethofmtensk896]

@@davidhoward4715 The trouble is that government does not have a good feedback mechanism to understand incentives, and there is little in the way of negative consequences that government employees will feel personally when they are wrong.

[@comradewindowsill4253]

@@ladymacbethofmtensk896 who do you think is funding that policymaker activity? PACs funded by companies who want to get as much off their customers as possible

[@ladymacbethofmtensk896]

@@comradewindowsill4253 There is a reason we call it Push and Pull. If Dr. Kellogg tried to make his prescribed diet government policy, the results would be exactly the same, as interested parties try to get special concessions.

[@ruthspanos2532]

Meanwhile, in Ohio the Ohio Supreme Court said that boneless chicken wings can contain bones…including ones large enough for someone to be terribly injured! The US needs to stop protecting corporations and start protecting consumers.

[@Eventide215]

Don't take what Ohio does as a blanket statement for the US.. that's partially why we're in such a terrible place.. so many people around the world do not understand how large our states are and how even we in the US make fun of different states. As an example, Texas is larger than the UK alone. Texas also has roughly 30 million people while the ENTIRE UK has 66 million. You want to be against Ohio, by all means go right ahead, just don't lump us all in with them. It's like being in a classroom and everyone getting in trouble cause one idiot acted up..

[@Imtheonewholetthedogsout]

An Ohio senator is drafting a new bill to pass a law to fix that in Ohio now whether the rest of the country follows that who knows 🤷‍♂️

[@twistedgamer238]

While I do agree with you that the processing company should be held responsible if a injury occurs from bad practices. The ruling is most likely due too how boneless wings are processed. The chances of chomping on or consuming a bone large enough too harm you is incredibly low due too boneless wings being chopped chicken breast thats breaded and fried and at the worst being just being chicken nuggets.

[@TeethToothman]

​@Eventide215 did you really just "Not All States" this comment?

[@angelbear_og]

Erm, the US *IS* corporations, so...

[@enhydralutra]

The problem with companies outsourcing their labor to save costs is that they almost never pass that savings off to consumers. In fact, studies have shown that no only do these companies not lower their prices, but the price increases stay pretty much unchanged. Meaning that you not only pay the same price, but they don't keep it at that same price for any longer than they were going to either way.

[@relo999]

Why would they lower prices? The consumer has already shown what they are willing to pay and will keep paying that. Outside the extremely competitive markets and low margin markets most product pricing isn't purely based on manufacturing cost, rather it's based on what they consumer is willing to pay.

[@MamaMOB]

​@@relo999You're both right. It's about a lot of different things. I don't understand why people want to nail price down to this thing or that thing. There are billions of things that go into why something costs what it costs. And yeah that does include how much it costs to make the product and how much the investor wants to get back in profit.

[@Ab3ndcgi]

I believe the knowledge that they are really into maximizing profits, and not about passing on production cost cuts to the customers; maybe be here what a judge would call "reasonable expectation". Funny that a justice system believes the aim to grow and increase profits indefinetely "reasonable". And funny how expectations change, and whose interest benefits that change...remember a time when you could buy a pair of jeans and expect them to last more than ten years? In my unsolicited opinnion, marketing and public relationships has had much blame in this. We've gone from a publicity and advertisement style that merely listed the properties and wonders of a product or service; into one that is preocupied not only with creating fake needs and selling an "unhappy ever after, never good enough" lifestyle; but also now pretends to put up a moral compass fachade and concerned attitude; in order to police language, behaviour, and media content in general to sell you more sht. Worse thing is we've assumed the capitalization of online disscussion and social life by third part interests without barely batting an eye. Popularity and economical gain have collapsed into one and the same thing in this sorry disney channel produced- american teen movie of an internet we have. The real problem here lays in motivation. Do content farms produce content because they are truly passionate about a niche or a specific video format, or rather trying to become as popular as possible in order to make add revenue money by outsourcing production? Do we build things to last, to have a purpose, to serve a function, or to fullfill a consumer's need? Or do we rather produce stuff just to try to become viral and make as much money as possible? And is it not the aim to directly "create" money, or take it from people with things like crypto, dropshipping, scams, mlms, content farms, AI channels, etc. a direct and logical consequence of this?

[@wck]

Companies never charge less than they are able to unless they are doing so for a specific reason, like dumping in order to kill the competition.

[@Ray_Vun]

yeah. they're lowering their costs, but the price of the product doesn't just stay high, it also continues to increase, so they can pocket more money. toblerone is gonna continue costing the same as when it was purely made with high quality swiss ingredients, and the company doesn't have to spend as much on ingredients nor as much on employees, since they've gone the cheap labor route

[@joomatwf8972]

Someone probably already mentioned it, but I really appreciate the visual aid in showing how much capsaicin you actually get from eating the peppers vs the noodles. As someone who can't handle even mild spice, I never really thought about how the Scoville scale is only part of the explanation behind how spicy some things are.

[@BozackZodiack]

Another Dane here. I just want to commend you on being the first online person I've seen that didn't just mock the Danish decision of pulling the noodles off the shelves, and even mentioning that 2 out of the 3 were put back after an investigation. I've seen so much mockery and laughing about the decision online, but you actually brought up great points that everyone should think of!

[@Airsaber]

Yeah, people are stupidly dismissive, especially those who like spicy food. Ann did a good job, though I wish she emphasized the "it can do real harm, especially to children enamored by online trends/challenges" part a bit more.

[@acloud7604]

When Danish people shrivel up to a crisp after eating a bell pepper 😭

[@kelseyburnette7982]

​@@AirsaberI actually felt she overemphasized the dangers in a way that, to be quite frank, is disappointing to see from Ann. She quoted Smokin' Ed talking about how much he loves capsaicin and how he doesn't regret trying the control... but she left out half of what he said to make a point about how risky it can be. That's some cherry picking I'm not comfortable with coming from someone I usually see as a rigorous researcher. I encourage you to look up Smokin' Ed's videos on KZbin if you want to see what he really said there.

[@lenas6246]

@@kelseyburnette7982 cry about it

[@kelseyburnette7982]

​@@lenas6246what a well considered, intelligent comeback. You got me there.

[@finv10]

It's like food brands using the words: 'superfood' or villanising 'chemicals' in their food brands to entice people to purchase them. When really, they don't really mean anything

[@winterashcrochet]

And social media influencers just amplify that issue also.

[@napoleonfeanor]

Label mania: I've seen vegan and gluten free labels on lime juice. No shit sherlock, I didn't expect added bacon and wheat in the 100% lime juice.

[@maritalarsson8067]

Ann has made really well made videos about these powerful words when branding foods!

[@OcayaGaming]

I love how both the food and beauty industri boasts about "all natural ingredients" praying on people not to realize that things like Ammonia and Arsenic are also natural. Natural does not mean good.

[@KyleRDent]

​@@napoleonfeanorSome additives aren't vegan.

[@vukkulvar9769]

To make the hamburger look like it has more meat, the secret is to reshape the meat patty into a thick and wide donut before cooking. It looks bigger but it's hollow. Instead of tearing pieces of the back, you can put small cardboard discs below the meat patty for extra height. Legally it's using "the same amount of meat". But it's not okay. They should only be allowed to pick the prettiest and put it neatly. No remodeling/reshapping.

[@itsrickyschannel.]

Yeah i feel look for the better variations of the ingredients and selling it that way would be a lot better morally

[@muenstercheese]

yup.

[@dannii_L]

That can't be legal. At this point you may as well do anything you like... "We made a burger using 100% of the actual ingredients plus added 100% CGI ingredients which legally is using the same amount of meat."

[@anthonydelfino6171]

I work in photography, so there's definitely a concession we have to make when it comes to food photography. Like you can't really keep lettuce looking fresh and crisp under hot lights. I think most people if they learn this think sure, you have to accomodate for the environment to try to make it look like what it would in normal circumstances. But then there's what they're doing here which goes too far and is blatantly misleading the customer. No reasonable consumer is going to look at the patties in that image and think they're getting a donut shaped burger. This is actually something drilled into me over and over while getting my degree. There's a certain level of "lying" you have to do just to accurately present the product, and a point at which you're deceiving the customer into thinking they're getting something they're not. McDonald's has definitely crossed that line

[@DavidCruickshank]

@@dannii_L You think that's bad, the milk in cereal ads is glue and the ice cream is mashed potatoes so it doesn't melt. Food photography is pure deception.

[@hellobookworm]

Yesterday, I bought peppermint extract. The first package I picked up said "Pure Peppermint Extract", but when I looked at the ingredients, it was high fructose corn syrup, natural flavor, and faux peppermint extract. The same was true of almost every brand I pulled from the shelf, save for one which actually contained alcohol, oil of peppermint, and water. Food labeling practices (especially here in the US) are absolutely apalling.

[@Gertyutz]

The labeling laws are there, there are just not enough people to enforce them.

[@anthonydelfino6171]

"this peppermint extract is pure..." "purely for money"

[@droe2570]

All those labels are regulated. Every single thing on the label, even the size of and fonts of lettering, is regulated. And yes, politicians have passed laws enabling deceptive labeling. This is why one must *always* check ingredients list and nutrition information. The government is largely useless and harmful, more often than not.

[@veryberry39]

I learned today that something claiming it's "genuine leather" just means it's cheap scraps that have been glued together and will peel and flake later on. My boyfriend was looking at belts tonight and sighed in exasperation because they were all "genuine leather, not real leather." I was SO confused and thought he was full of 💩...so I looked it up. And yeah, even though technically it has real leather, that's like saying a hotdog is genuine filet mignon or something.

[@jessicav2031]

Today I was looking to buy a bag of dried fruit, like maybe cranberries. Every package says "CRANBERRIES" and under it, there is tiny low contrast text that says "sweetened" or "natural flavors" or something. There were none for sale that did not have added sugar. But they were all trying to hide it.

[@lisa-mariemalliard6400]

when I became a chem tech I had to do a project at the end. I picked testing the scoville ratings of different chili peppers (and used soxhlet extraction and an HPLC to do it) and the part about the amount of capsaicin in the noodles just takes me back. I also truly appreciate the actual capsaicin chromatogram visible at 9:29 :) I love that your channel is so well researched and that even the little details match up

[@MeowtroidPrime]

The people who say that the dishonest presentation of food advertising doesn't affect their purchasing are the same people that claim to be immune to all advertising affecting their purchasing. Truth is that none of us are immune to it - and if it were the case that the dishonesty was so widespread that all reasonable people knew it was dishonest and didn't let it affect them, there'd be no reason for the dishonest advertising in the first place. I think as long as food is treated as a commodity, and not as a thing necessary for life and enjoyment shared freely within communities, this will always be a problem.

[@katesample523]

I feel as a consumer in the US that there has been a dramatic effect on portrayal of products versus what it truly is. I don't mind paying more for a product but, to mislead the consumer into thinking you are receiving more than you are is dishonest and frustrating.

[@michaelfrye8847]

Merriam-Webster dictionary recently added the term shrinkflation as an official English term that describes the phenomenon of products getting smaller as the economy suffers from inflation. In the US, my wife and I are seeing this occur in almost all processed/packaged food products, often in creative (deceptive!) ways. Ice cream containers, for instance, are still the same size, as they sit on the shelf, but they are narrower in depth!

[@justinjakeashton]

People who think ads are meant to be accurate are the target audience for stickers in microwaves telling them not to heat up cats.

[@VVilde36]

@@justinjakeashton I mean, I am sure it makes you feel like a very proud smarty pants to say that, but I am happy to give these people greif about LYING. It's lying, and we have to stop just normalizing lying. Words are ceasing to have meaning, and the sheer difference between the american and austrialina food styling leads me to believe they did use a fake patty in the US add, which IS false advertising. Instead of making fun of people for having standards and expecting to get what they pay for in order to make yourself feel smarter and better than other people maybe you could just shut up?

[@VVilde36]

@@justinjakeashton Oh, of course you are a skull girls brat. Explains your poor attitude and social approach lol. My local con had to stop offer SG tournaments bc yall were evil acting.

[@AshleyFromTX]

@@justinjakeashton it’s not that we are ignorant somehow to how advertising works. Rather it’s that we think adverts should be real representations of what we will be getting. These days, at least in the US, everything is getting more expensive including things like fast food that used to be the cheap option. A lot of us don’t have a lot of extra income because of how ridiculously expensive it is to survive here, getting ripped off by companies because “that’s just how it is” is honestly just bullshit. They shouldn’t be able to blatantly lie to us about what we’re getting, and us just be okay with it. With how much money they make off of us, they should be held accountable, and should have more rules in place about this type of thing. Also idk about you, but the inside of my microwave doesn’t say anything about cats.

[@hirtisrandolph4843]

There are fluffed images of all of the fastfood menu items ON THE MENU BOARD. The often digital menu board that sometimes replaces the menu while people are trying to order with an actual commercial for the products they won't let you see the price for. To say someone didn't see an advertisement before ordering sounds like an argument agreed on by a room full of ivy league law grads too out of touch to buy their own baconators. These companies are actively advertising dishonest claims on every window, every cardboard cutout on the counters and tables, and on the tvs and screens INSIDE THE RESTAURANT.

[@dylnpickl846]

Excellent points. As an autistic person who struggles with decision making, the digital menus are a hellscape and a real barrier keeping me from making informed decisions, even just about what I desire in that moment. I don't need an ad, I'm already here 😭😓

[@GerardMenvussa]

Some judges seem to really LOVE fastfood chains, to the point of defending them beyond common sense. Maybe these people should be forced to become fastfood workers, they don't seem fit to be judges anyway...

[@Eventide215]

@@dylnpickl846 That last bit is what I never really got.. I don't need an ad about your business when I'm already here.. you're not going to get me to buy anything more than what I originally intended.. all you're going to do is annoy me and make me want to leave. I think those tactics really only prey on people with autism, ADHD, etc that can easily walk in to a place for something then walk out with like 10 other things they didn't even want. Which at that point it should be illegal because that's purposefully preying on people with mental conditions of some kind and genuinely it messes with their decision-making.

[@reda-exe]

​​​@@Eventide215 but frequently upsells DO work if you're not so poor or rigid that you must stick to your original order. if something new or better catches your eye and you have the money to afford it or the money to not care about the price, these types of menu ads are effective. id be surprised if more than 10% of consumers were so inflexible about their orders. I do agree that a simple menu chart with obvious pieces should be mandatory for accessibility, but i disagree that these methods wouldn't work on anyone to convince them to buy a more expensive drink or sandwich. Many people just know they want food from that location and don't know what they want yet and decide while looking at the menu - making ads that interrupt the menu very effective for upselling, and i don't think it has much to do with neurodivergence - if anything many neurodivergent people are more likely to be rigid with their expected orders, because having our expectations met is soothing mentally.

[@Eventide215]

@@reda-exe The problem there is you said "if you're not too poor".. do you realize what you're arguing here? You're basically trying to say the upsells work on rich people.. who likely wouldn't be going to fast food places. The only upselling that works on the average person really is like cents more. Like how they show you a large soft drink is only like $0.50 more than a regular but the difference in size isn't actually worth it. What was talked about in the comment I replied to though is the ads that show like a whole other thing and try to get you to buy that instead or as well. Also what you said about neurodivergence can be true but usually isn't, as stated by the person I was replying to. It can actually completely mess with the decision-making process and cause them to buy things they didn't even want and minutes later they're mad because they didn't even actually want that.

[@eleyanafor20years]

Super, super helpful breakdown of Scoville scale vs capsaicin content! It can be a fun, (or horrifying) little excursion to the library to check out a book on food photography styling and some of the methods used, like inedible food stand-ins for pictures. (Motor oil for syrup, white glue for milk, fake ice cream so melting isn't an issue, painting mostly raw poultry to look plump and juicy...) It's all intriguing.

[@snowy_hercules]

Don't they use mashed potatoes for the fake ice cream? I think I saw that in a video about food photography once

[@HolyAlondite]

I know I've heard that a lot of the more......inedible food photography tricks (such as thre motor oil or the glue) aren't actually used by professionals and that they're more tricks to simulate the look. But I can't confirm that either way, since I'm not a food photographer

[@orientalmoons]

I think some of those might be used when food is being included in advertising or films and TV but not being sold. I think when food is being sold it is the actual food being photographed, but styled so they pick the absolute best example and arrange it in the prettiest way. Which virtually never looks like the one you buy.

[@jmarshal]

@@orientalmoonsthey absolutely do quite a bit of remodelling though, such as putting everything on one side of the burger, glazing meat and buns with spray, using microwaved wet tampons to produce steam…

[@jimbobjones9330]

@@orientalmoons I don't know if the rules have changed, but as far as I know, you're allowed to modify or use fakes for food that isn't the food you're selling. So you could use shortening instead of milk for the picture on your cereal box (as long as the photo of the cereal isn't modified) You could use something more viscous for syrup if you're selling the pancakes. The pancakes themselves have to be what they actually look like (styled to look as good as possible, of course), but the syrup doesn't need to be syrup. Things may have changed, though, so I don't know for sure.

[@TomFunKTKR]

Recently in Japan (mid-July 2024), 14 high school students were taken to the ER due to the consumption of extremely spicy chips. They were eating the snack during lunch break then one student collapsed. The chips had an "R-18" label, indicating they were restricted for consumption by those under 18. However, as Ann pointed out, there is no official regulation. Some of the students became nauseous and experienced pain in their mouths or stomachs. Others reported that their bodies felt extremely hot and that it felt like they had been punched in the stomach. Some students couldn’t move and were either sitting or lying on the floor.

[@ImmaNerd918]

Honestly Ann, a lot of KZbinrs that have changed their content haven’t nailed it like you have. I am LOCKED in to every video!

[@dylnpickl846]

I'm autistic and texture is EVERYTHING to me. I can assert with absolute certainty that the regular burger patties at McDs (in Canada) have been shrunk in recent years. I can no longer eat a regular cheeseburger there, all I can taste is bread. Changing products, whether on the shelf or from a restaurant, should require informing the public, particularly the more well known the brand is. Additionally, just because I expect someone to lie doesn't mean they should be allowed to lie or that their lies should not be held to account in a court of law. The argument that because lies are commonplace means they should be permissible is ridiculous and not the world I want to live in.

[@Falcodrin]

McDonald's is def not up there on the taste. Imo if you are looking for a fast food burger fix and don't have one of the loved chains around you (in out, Whataburger, steak shake, or Freddy's) than give sonic ones a try. They revamped their burgers a whole back and they are pretty decent.

[@belialbathory2299]

Imagine what it's like to have food allergies. Beyond changed the recipe and didn't mention it. Happens so often I just always check labels no matter what. 😑

[@anthonydelfino6171]

this is definitely a thing that's happening and not just with burgers. it's called shrinkflation, and it's when companies give you less product for the same or higher price, especially during a time of general inflation. You can see this with all sorts of products too, like if a bag of chips now has more air in it than before or a tub of ice cream is as tall and wide on the shelf as it was before, but not as deep, tricking you into thinking you're buying the same volume of product as before when they're actually giving you less.

[@gzcirccalcs]

"Additionally, just because I expect someone to lie doesn't mean they should be allowed to lie or that their lies should not be held to account in a court of law. The argument that because lies are commonplace means they should be permissible is ridiculous and not the world I want to live in." Well said!

[@ByHerHand]

Just because I expect them to lie doesn’t mean they should…..very true.

[@lisathaviu1154]

I used to work in advertising back in the days when food styling was more like sculpture. They used to put clear glass marbles in the soup bowls so that the vegetables sat on top, making it look like there were many more of the featured ingredients in the soup. And once the food was reconstructed and photographed, it would come over to the studio where I worked for extensive retouching. I would like to say that the reason I left advertising was that I was incensed by the lack of morals. Truthfully though, broke me left to go to law school so I could make better money without having to deal with art directors who were high on cocaine most of the time.

[@gwennorthcutt421]

i remember reading an article for kids in the 90s about how food styling worked. some of it was just like "they fake steam" bc yeah they're taking pictures they ant just reheat the food all the time, and others were lke "they use glue to make cereal milk whiter and more opaque" which.... idk where the line is.

[@marcusu3261]

​@@gwennorthcutt421 To me personally neither of those seems to cross the line. They're not altering the characteristics of the actual food being sold to you; faked milk may just show the cereal off better. To me those are the same as, say, having plastic oranges as props for an orange juice ad, so long as the juice being photographed is the real deal. What DOES cross the line is using shortening as a stand in for ice cream in the product photos for ice cream. At that point, you're not making the environment around your product better and you're not just artistically arranging your product. You're lying about the appearance of your product. (Because ice cream requires cold to photograph well and photography studios tend not to be cold, yes, but it is still deliberately using a photo of something that is NOT actually the product at all.)

[@gwennorthcutt421]

@@marcusu3261 yeah, thats why im having a hard time deciding where the line is.... this isnt my area of expertise so i appreciate the input. that sounds very reasonable!

[@dbmag9]

Another important feature of food marketing photos is that the photo has to show everything in the item - a normal McDonalds burger can put a pickle inside, out of view, but the food stylist will make sure that a pickle is visible from the side so that those who buy it know it's there. That naturally means that food styled for promotional photos might end up lopsided for a good reason.

[@tomy8339]

"A blowtorch is not melting the cheese". 🤣🤣🤣 Oh good grief, what sort of industrial cheese is that?

[@Fironnathedarkelf]

I mean other cheeses also burn under the torch. Its just the makeup of the cheese / cheese-like product

[@lizzfrmhon]

@@FironnathedarkelfI don’t want cheese product… I want CHEESE.

[@Jasmixd]

It doesn't mean it's fake cheese or anything, whether cheese burns or melts depends on the fat content. Ann made a video about that, even.

[@xxPenjoxx]

Cadburys here in the UK hasn't been the same since it was taken over by Kraft. They market all products as good British chocolate but moved their factories to Poland(they are also part of the Mondelez group like Toblerone). Worst part was them reducing staff at the established Bourneville factories, creating job losses and full on closing the Somerdale factory. I've chosen not to buy them for years now. I'm sure my one person's money doesn't make a huge dent in their profits, but I choose not to fund job losses and cheap labour.

[@lochlochy3452]

Exactly! And they also changed the recipes for classics like Dairy Milk and Creme Eggs. I remember the year when I took a bite out of my long-anticipated first Creme Egg of the season and somehow didn't enjoy it as much as usual. Same with the next two I tried over the next few weeks. I wondered if there had been a rogue batch. Or maybe I was unwell?Or had I (gasp!) gone off Creme Eggs??? Then came the news that Kraft had altered classic Cadbury's recipes after taking over, no doubt to use cheaper ingredients and increase profits. And I realised what was so weird about the chocolate on the new Creme Eggs and even in classic Dairy Milk - it tasted cheap and waxy, like pound shop chocolate coins or American chocolate (my apologies to any American Hersheys fans here!). There was a small but nation-wide campaign of outraged Creme Egg fans demanding a return to the beloved original recipe, but of course that went nowhere and most of the public just ended up buying as usual. Except me, I just don't enjoy Cadbury's chocolate much anymore. Considering how milk chocolate isn't generally the healthiest snack out there, if I'm going to treat myself to a sugary calorie bomb then I'd rather use up my recommended daily intake on something I really enjoy 😋 Owned by a US food giant, manufactured abroad to a multinational corporation's cheapened recipes and standards but sold at ever inflating prices... can Cadbury's be called British anymore?

[@Jasmixd]

Oh wow, I'd never suspect them to have a factory in Poland. I'm Polish and it's extremely rare to see any of their chocolate on the shelves here, I think the only thing I've seen was Picnic (which is really quite good imo), once or twice, since it's not stocked by most super markets, convenience stores etc.

[@xxPenjoxx]

@Jasmixd it seems it's under the Wedel brand in Poland, and they moved to Warsaw, although Google ai says Silesia province) good shout Picnic bars were delicious, a favourite of my Dad's 👍

[@swedishhousemfia]

I'm saddened by this. In canada, we have American Cadbury's in most stores, and British Cadbury's in specialty stores... but now that you mention Kraft took over anyway, there likely isn't a difference at all. I really liked the Freddo chocolate I found here, allegedly imported from the UK. But if Kraft made it anyway, wtf. When did this buyout happen?

[@iris4547]

never had much of an issue with fast food advertising making the burger look perfect. as you alluded to in the video, as long as it is an accurate representation of how the burger could look if a teenager didnt slap it together in 0.25 seconds, then im happy, or at least not feeling ripped off. but if the back of the burger is empty to make the front look full or other deceptions are used then thats not on. i have actually ordered from a couple of hungry jacks where an ultimate double whopper arrived to me just as good as the photo, so i know its possible. im pretty sure mcdonalds is lying when they claim theres been no shrinkflation on the big mac though.

[@dietotaku]

the best example of the difference i can think of is actually mcdonald's, especially their triple cheeseburger. the pictures look like they're using quarter-pound patties, but what you actually get are quarter-inch-thick patties. those patties look like if you took a meatball and put it in a hydraulic press.

[@Kaspleen]

I think it is funny to imagine, these poor Chillies using their capsaicin as a defense mechanism to prevent predators from touching or eating them. However, humans have decided that is the exact reason to eat them.

[@polyhedraldreams9905]

"A mechanism to prevent predators from touching or eating them"? More like a mechanism that selects for most mammals to ignore them, letting birds eat their tasty fruit and poop their seeds far and wide.

[@hanifarroisimukhlis5989]

Also funny that methyl anthranilate is used by plants to deter birds, yet we taste it as grape flavor.

[@soneil7745]

We humans often are like "Your defense is delicious!" Onions, peppers, mint, garlic.... We're kind of like land catfish that way. 😂

[@catelynh1020]

I do think it's more a product of early humans going "well, it didn't kill me and it keeps the food safe (from other animals eating it and from spoiling/bacteria)" and then just working to build a tolerance for it. Like how regions that required milk to survive the harsh climate maintained a higher tolerance for lactose for their whole life. And hotter regions tend to have spicier foods since those spices would keep food from going bad longer. Is all very facinating

[@inventiveusername5191]

It's also meant that they have been cultivated in vast numbers when perhaps they otherwise wouldn't have been, so maybe not such a bad evolutionary after all.

[@ajwinberg]

As a reasonable consumer, I expect to be bamboozled by all companies at all times. Everything is shrinking, and we are paying more. It is wrong for companies to do.

[@M.Datura]

Yeah. "As a reasonable consumer I do no trust the companies in question, and I think they should be legally obligated to stop lying to consumers to any degree."

[@valeriiaspytsa6572]

Honestly, I'm from Europe and I find it very confusing when packaging gives me calories per serving and not per 100 grams. It's useful, but per 100 grams allows me to compare food products. That's the same with spiciness levels. They can just give the Capsaicin per 100 grams.

[@stylethe8]

Here in Brazil we had that happen with BurgerKing, they released a burger called King Costela (King Rib, in English) but it didn't have any rib meat! It was just a sauce with rib flavor. The public was very upset and reported the chain to our consumer authority, Procon, that made BK stop selling it. but it has a plot twist! BK re-released it now with actual rib meat and in their advertising, they were "specially dedicating the release to Procon"

[@ElizabethJones-pv3sj]

I really think that food advertising (like most advertising) is as deceptive as they can legally get away with. It's not in keeping with the sort of ethics I would expect from another human individual I wanted to spend any time with, but I expect it from corporations. I remember a quote from a British journalist about politicians saying you can analyse what they say through the lens of 'why is this lying liar* lying to me now?' i think that's also a useful way to think about advertising (probably even more so than politicians). *for the sake of the robot censors I used liar instead of the original word.

[@HowToCookThat]

😂Dave worked as a political journalist for some time. I read out your comment to him and he said, 'very true'. With very few exceptions.

[@actual_corpse]

Ethically, advertisements should be as truthful as possible... but we don't live in an Ethical world (which is why we have laws... which is why 99% of American ads have a fine print full of legalese)... It's illegal to lie in an advertisement (you see blatant lies on food adverts bc there's no legal precedent for food pictures yet). It's hammered into us that we do not lie, not even a little, bc it spells out major disaster... It's early in the morning and I'm still asleep or else I'd have something more to say about how part of your statement about ads is false. *I study advertising

[@M.Datura]

This truly feels like one of the cases of "it's true" but it's also absolutely awful. I do agree that it's a useful way to think about how advertising works, but I do think it should never be an assumed standard, nor expected of anyone. Requiring people to essentially figure out professional lies every step of the way throughout their life is, in my opinion, absolutely unacceptable, and anyone who advocates for that (not referring to you here, rather corporations who claim this is how people should be expected to think) should be required by law to stop. I grew up in Europe, with "notoriously strict food laws" and thank the gods for that. I do unfortunately also live in a wildly americanised country now and I dread the possibility that our laws might get changed before the US ones get stricter. I do also agree that doing this is in many cases, breaking the law as @actual_corpse said. Though I suppose there was never a disagreement there, just a wording difference. I also fucking hate trying to figure out the manipulations of politicians, despite or perhaps exactly because I've spent my entire life dealing with manipulators and covert liars.

[@Ineddiblehulk]

The amount of back and forth between the Swiss certifiers and Toblerobe over that mountain design and whether it was different ENOUGH would have been massive

[@Naeddyr]

I feel like food advertising should also take into account how standardized the food is. If you're getting a McDonalds burger, that one is going to be measured and cut down to the millimeter of patty and milliliter of sauce. There's not excuse for big brands in this case, they're not showing what they're selling, because what they're selling is a thing that already exists and won't change. The rules should be stricter for them.

[@godrickstockwell1505]

Exactly! These chains want everything completely standard so the customer gets the same experience no matter where they are. It's not like a family diner hand making the burgers, with something like that irregularity is expected. Fast food places train their employees on exactly how much of every ingredient is allowed and they audit these places frequently with mystery shoppers.

[@dietotaku]

on the flip side, it would be nice for food service employees to have the leeway of going above & beyond the corporate specs to give the customer a satisfactory product. i used to work at pizza hut and they had a meeting in the corporate R&D kitchen to see how we were measuring toppings - spoiler, i wasn't. i would just go by looks, if it looked like it had enough toppings on i would put it in the oven. they picked off every individual ingredient and weighed them and told me i was putting on 4 times as many toppings as i was supposed to. i was like "...well sorry but that's how much it takes to make a good pizza." i'm not handing anybody a naked-ass pizza to save corporate a buck.

[@Duraludon884]

I never thought you'd do a Cake Rescue with a fast food hamburger!

[@LiarraSniffles_X3]

The main problem with Toblerone moving away from the Swiss badge is that they now no longer have to meet the minimum quality requirements of Switzerland. To call it Swiss chocolate meant more than simply where it was made, the Swiss laws themselves forced them to meet higher quality standards than a lot of other countries have. It's the same reason "locally made" stuff is generally higher quality, so long as you live somewhere with effective food and labour laws. It's a long-time running joke here in New Zealand that, for a time, Cadbury's chocolate could not legally be called chocolate when they swapped to palm oils and reduced the cocoa content. They had to rebrand to Cadbury's confectionery instead. Of course, people didn't want to buy worse chocolate, and so a local competitor, Whittaker's, sprang up to fill the gap, and by the time Cadbury's pulled their heads out of the sand, they'd basically guaranteed that no kiwi will ever think of Cadbury's when they think about fancy, luxury or high quality chocolate again. TL:DR Now that Toblerone isn't being held to Swiss food laws, they can make their chocolate as crap as legally possible to save as much money as they can, all while not changing the sale price. Sooner or later there won't be a point buying their stuff because it'll be the same junk every other international chocolate brand sells.

[@TheNiczolai]

Dane here: I'm still a bit dissappointed that I can't get a hold of those 3x Spicy noodles in my local grocery store anymore. A lot of what I've seen online is mockery towards Danish people saying that we can tolerate spice at all and that we're being "wimps" by banning the food. However, the reason why the gov here banned the food was due to a lawsuit where the victim was attempting a noodle challenge and the gov wants to put an end to this. (there's also an ongoing discussion right now about influencers getting a promotional "meal combo" at fast food restaurants whether that should be allowed or not. Since we do want kids to eat healthier) Great video Ann, and great breakdown of the capsacin showed in noodles

[@ninjalectualx]

Then you should ban "noodles challenges" not the noodles

[@davidhoward4715]

@@ninjalectualx Yes!

[@droe2570]

@@ninjalectualx I have a better idea. Leave it alone, and let the darwin awards fly.

[@billyeveryteen7328]

Well, you've got the double whammy of Danes being seen as too wimpy for the noodles, but also the "nanny state" of it all. Someone with a previously undiagnosed heart condition could run into serious problems with spicy noodles, but the same is true of a standard cup of coffee.

[@mariejacobsen4956]

Fellow dane here: Does anyone truly care? I have not met a single person who eats these nor care about them. Also who cares about online mockery 😂

[@ellengrace4609]

2:29 I am so impressed by how you illustrated the tropical cocoa belt!

[@kidShibuya]

This is one of the reasons why I love fast food in Japan. McDonalds here might not know what a quarter pounder is but at least when I am forced to get either a big mac or cheese burger they are always well made.

[@iris4547]

try MOS Burger, picture perfect, everytime.

[@meatmeatmeatmeatmeatmeatmeatme]

the hell is a quarter pounder

[@AshleyFromTX]

I’m so jealous 😢 I’d love to try out Japanese food of any kind especially fast food lol 😂

[@gothicMCRgirl]

I believe Japan has very strict advertising laws when it comes to food products, so if you say that your meal looks a certain way, it HAS to look that way, point blank. To the point that many restaurants have mockups of their dishes behind glass windows so that customers will visibly see what the dish is gonna look like. It’s wild, but it’s very helpful.

[@spookypixels]

When I got McDonalds in Japan my sandwich looked EXACTLY like the image on the box it came in; down to the exact bun shape. I was so happy to eat it! lol, it was also delicious. It was the Salt and Lemon chicken sandwich for anyone interested.

[@roxcyn]

As for your question at 7:04, I expect the pictures to reflect what you would get when it’s served to you. No restyling or camera tricks.

[@Andrew.Harrison]

The dude who spoke the words "I can't even talk" brilliant

[@DelphineDofain]

I just read the title "How To Cook That Ann Reardon" and I was like: "who would cook -that- Ann Reardon?"

[@dietotaku]

you mustn't make the mistake of trying to cook THIS ann reardon, only cook THAT ann reardon

[@LeafyK]

Nice. Thanks for the chuckle, friend

[@LeafyK]

Nice. Thanks for the chuckle, friend

[@Llyander]

I stopped buying toblerone when they changed the shape to give you less chocolate for the same money, haven't bought one since.

[@anondimwit]

Bro they shrunk it down so you could keep buying it for the same price and since changed it back

[@Imtheonewholetthedogsout]

@@anondimwitthey shrank it out of greed and when public outrage hit they backed tracked.

[@anondimwit]

@@Imtheonewholetthedogsout nope

[@LordDragox412]

@@anondimwit yep

[@anondimwit]

@@LordDragox412 nah

[@TaraYourArmOff]

I adore how educational this channel is, I truly love learning new things from you because you are polite and easy to understand.

[@jasonpatterson8091]

Those famous Swiss cacao groves on the mountainside are too precious to allow crass advertising to dilute their prestige.

[@booskie4316]

For me the unpleasantness of spicy foods is not going down, but when they need to come out. I have no interest in experiencing flaming hot toilet ever again in my life.

[@barret-xiii]

Indian cuisine... Spicier coming out than it is going down!

[@drg598]

Indian Thai Korean cuisine says hii

[@kaerligheden]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@ludditzthrell2061]

Ah, yes, spicy food, the only food you get to "enjoy" twice, and I say that as a fan of spicy foods; good on ya for trying, though!

[@kaerligheden]

@@ludditzthrell2061 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@LogCabinNick]

This is why I love In-N-Out! I never even see or hear ads but the burgers are always stacked well and delicious! The burgers actually look like the pictures on the paper mats! They don’t need deceptive ads to keep people coming back, they just make pretty and delicious food! 😋

[@Imtheonewholetthedogsout]

I also like In-N-Out but they’re also more expensive but at least you’re getting what you pay for 👍

[@missequestrian3448]

Yes! I didn’t think much about it but there’s no screens blaring ads around every corner. And the food is always well put together. Makes a huge difference.

[@ninjalectualx]

Is it worth sitting in your idling car for 45 minutes to get through the drive thru though?

[@LogCabinNick]

@@ninjalectualx It definitely is for me! 😍 I prefer to save the gas and just go in when the line is long but sometimes it’s nice to not have to deal with people and just sit in the car! 😂

[@ninjalectualx]

People like you are so weird. You're more addicted than heroin users I know

[@Marcus-lu9fk]

Food stylist purposely undercook the beef patties so they do not shrink as much as they would fully cooked.

[@danielalaatz57]

Yeah and newbies in the kitchen (or underpaid teenagers who don't care) always overcook them. So you get extra small ones from them. 😂

[@gabrieldias3479]

Exactly

[@anthonydelfino6171]

@@danielalaatz57 I worked in a McDonald's kitchen... I can say this isn't entirely a choice, at least not at the location I worked at. You put the patties on the grill, closed the hood, and the timer set by corporate determined how long they cooked, and typically they do over cook them a little on purpose because they don't want to get into any lawsuits over ecoli contaminated burgers making customers sick. Someone certainly can miss when the grill hood opened on its own and let one side of the burger over cook but given how surprisingly short the cook times actually are, this would be less likely (we're talking less than a minute on the grill, so if you're putting the patties on, it didn't make sense to go do anything other than wait for them to cook since you literally couldn't do another task before having to remove them from the grill)

[@WeekdayWeekend]

3:03 I would pay more for the potential higher quality and exclusivity of Toblerone being solely a swiss product.

[@Poscarable]

I love the way you explain things. Objectively, approachable and simply so, so well

[@nahida12345]

it seems as if Ann has several jobs… A food scientist… Great mum… KZbinr… Researcher… chef.. the list goes on!! ❤️❤️

[@sarumatsu3698]

A food historian,, and a mini-food chef,,

[@nahida12345]

Dietitian and author of a cook book!

[@TuriGamer]

These companies arguing that "reasonable people know food adverts are fake" is hilarious Its like the thing you hear complains about the most You cant go a day without somebody complaining about a product being shrunk down

[@anthonydelfino6171]

you're not wrong about shrinking products but they're talking about things like most people who understand food photography understand you can't do things like keeping lettuce looking fresh and crisp under the hot lights on a photo set, or that you can't keep a bowl of cereal looking appetizing when it's been soaking in milk for over an hour. Or for frozen foods like ice cream, that you literally can't photograph the actual product because it would be destroyed before you could even get a shot. There's definitely a reasonable amount of lying we have to expect from food advertising... but McDonalds here has absolutely gone too far. They're shrunk the size of their burgers while falsely portraying them as bigger than I've ever seen. This isn't a reasonable accommodation to the medium of studio photography, it's a deliberate attempt to mislead the customer.

[@SocialDownclimber]

I'd love to see a "reasonable people would just steal the food at that price" argument from a consumer.

[@Noctilionidae]

I wish food ads were more accurate. I know it's gonna be crap because it's fast food, but it'd be nice if they were just honest.

[@swedneck]

small non-chain places tend to just straight up take half-assed photos of their meals and put that on the menu, it's very honest but also hilarious because it often looks significantly worse than what you actually get.

[@Eventide215]

Yeah give an ad of the slop on a bun (assuming most of it even makes it onto the bun) we're going to actually get. Trust me, people are still going to go get fast food.. people are disgusting.

[@Eventide215]

@@swedneck I would love to order something and be surprised by it actually looking far better than the ad lol

[@gothicMCRgirl]

This is why I go to smaller restaurants and hole-in-the-wall places more and more as I age, because usually these places are very much “what you see is what you get”. They’re not super concerned with appearing trendy or fancy, they just make the food for you to eat it lol that’s it.

[@Eventide215]

@@gothicMCRgirl Yeah that's why diners have always been so popular. They just make good homemade food. They survive on literally just making good food and word of mouth because of it. A local diner here has been open for 100 years and is still doing absolutely fine. They don't have fancy food, gimmicks, etc. It's just good food.

[@outtaspace1566]

Ann is such good teacher. It’s easy to understand.

[@nickheim4452]

I love that I learn something new every time I watch one of Ann's videos. Very information and well researched

[@DemMedHornene]

As a Dane, the Buldak case is really stupid. It's literally made to be spicy, and there is no general capsaicin rule in Denmark. It was also just one person reporting the spiciness which got it investigated and banned. They'd have to ban basically all authentic Chinese and Thai restaurants in the country since most places have food spicier than the 3x Spicy Buldak noodles

[@Doorisessa]

I would have expected better from the country that gave us Chili Klaus.

[@platinumhawke]

Packaging on spicy food items really sucks though. It's always a crap shoot as to whether something is actually 'hot' hot or 'I dont season my food' hot.

[@pqlasmdhryeiw8]

There's a whiff of racism/Orientalism going on too. Because Danes, you know, you're not famous for flavour. I've watched "Babette's Feast" - I'm still shocked by the beer bread soup ølbrød.

[@ninjalectualx]

@platin then don't buy it, that doesn't mean to ban it for everyone else

[@dietotaku]

@@platinumhawke when it comes to korean foods, you can be pretty confident they mean "melt your face off" hot. their traditional staple food is kimchi which is just cabbage fermented in chili sauce. underestimate their tolerance of heat at your own peril. i'm much more of the "i don't season my food" heat intolerate (although i DO season my food, i just season it with like garlic and salt, not fucking carolina reapers) and i've learned that pretty much anything above a mild salsa is going to be too spicy for me. as a general rule, you always start with the least spicy and work your way up to determine where your threshold is. only an idiot would chow down on some korean "3x spicy" buldak noodles without knowing for certain how spicy it would be.

[@spellbinder3113]

I grew jalapenos in my garden. They came out beautifully, but they are at least three times spicier than any jalapeno that I have store bought. Distributed them amongst friends and they said the same thing. I still don't know why they were so spicy, but it goes to show that not all jalapenos are created equal.

[@platinumhawke]

Jalapenos these days literally have no heat. It got bred out of them, so companies can get consistent heat by adding in capsaicin in the manufacturing process. I just buy serrano peppers if I want the kind of heat jalapenos used to.

[@13myrrh]

It depends on where you got the seeds and breeding. My chocolate habanero is hotter than any other I've bought in a store. It's on par with ghost peppers. I got them from a local farmer.

[@droe2570]

Seeds, soil, climate. All produce is affected by these things.

[@Zeelian]

It's the one you get in the store that are abnormally mild because of how they are grown. Most of the commercially grown peppers are grown in greenhouse environments where they are made to grow a crop extremely fast, and are usually harvested long before they are properly ripened, before they can develop flavors, and collect nutrient, then they are force ripened, for instance using gas, in storage warehouses

[@Zeelian]

@@platinumhawke Grow your own from the seeds and you'll get a completely different heat level.

[@lich109]

I expect menu food to be restyled but true to what I'm getting. Anything other than that is opening the door to let companies lie about their products.

[@flateo334]

if anyone's curious since I've seen this debated, the correct pronunciation of buldak (불닥 - the 3x spicy noodles anne is speaking about) is pronounced almost the same as "pool dock". It means "fire chicken" :) source: im korean 여러분 안녕하세요

[@ShinyStarfire]

Thank you! I'm Geman and always pronounce it like "bool duck".

[@chavem]

I got a McDonalds ad literally seconds after you talked about the Big Mac 😅 also: warm greetings from sunny Switzerland ❤❤

[@TheSilveryew]

Same!

[@Clawdragoons]

As someone who loves spicy food, I'll also point out that there's a lot of things in food that change the intensity or overall experience of heat. I find if something has added oil, it sort of... rounds out the heat a bit. It can take what is a very sharp peak of heat and stretch it out over a longer period of time. Dairy and other products can act to reduce the feel of heat, so if the product naturally contains those things, it will be less hot. The temperature that a particular meal is served at has an effect; capsaicin works by making heat receptors extra sensitive, so combining it with a higher temperature exaggerates the spiciness. The state of the peppers has a big impact, where leaving big pieces leaves less capsaicin free to interact with your tongue, compared to finely chopping or grinding. Also worth noting that spice preference is a combination of multiple things. First is the sensation itself, which differs not just from person to person but also across time, particularly because capsaicin has a desensitizing effect, and people who frequently eat spicy food will feel the heat less. Then there's also spice tolerance, which is the highest degree of sensation that someone can still enjoy. And spice preference, which is the ideal level of that someone will maximally enjoy. As an example of these things, my mom and I. My mom has a fairly high spice tolerance, but a low spice preference, and as a result she rarely cooks spicy food and so probably has a low degree of spice desensitization. I have a much higher spice preference, in that I enjoy sensations and experiences that she doesn't. There's other factors than those are some that come easily to mind. And they are part of why I don't think a scoville rating is really... workable as an actual measure of heat, and I don't think adding a total capsaicin measure would solve the problem. As simple and unscientific-feeling as it may be, I find that the best measures tend to be the subjective ranking of individuals about their experience eating the product.

[@hanifarroisimukhlis5989]

Capsaicin is hydrophobic so oil makes it easier to bind to the taste receptor. Also oil tends to be more viscous so it'll linger for longer. Are you sure that spicy and (actual) heat has synergistic effect? IMHO both sensation competes, as in heat masks spice. It makes sense as the receptor that capsaicin binds also detects heat.

[@itsrickyschannel.]

You must be new to the channel as Anne actually made a video explaining what you are saying here about oil and milk both affecting the heat, she even had her and her family try some spicy chocolate and the reactions are golden. You have Anne dying of the spice and her son is like "there is a little heat there". XD

[@neffers9708]

8​@@hanifarroisimukhlis5989

[@deanolium]

@@hanifarroisimukhlis5989 But oil also helps move the capsaicin from the taste receptors and into the stomach. Without oil/fat to bind it, it stays on your tongue and will hurt for a lot longer. Which is why a glass of milk is ideal for taming the heat.

[@Clawdragoons]

@@hanifarroisimukhlis5989 As I understand it, that's how it works? Capsaicin works by affecting the TRPV1 receptor, as I understand it by making it much more sensitive to temperature, lowering the threshold that the receptor triggers at. Anecdotally, applying something that cools or warms my tongue has an exaggerated effect while my tongue is under the effects of capsaicin.

[@l.p.7585]

"We've been false advertising so long the reasonable customer expects us to lie" okay bro explain that to the jury lol

[@anthonydelfino6171]

to be fair here... there's a reasonable amount of lying in food advertising. I work in photography (though not food photography) and I can tell you this much. The studio is hot, and it can take a really long time under the lights to get a shot you're happy with. So trying to keep food looking fresh and appetizing if you're just using an exact version of the food you sell would be literally impossible. Like try keeping lettuce looking good under a heat lamp... I think most people when they think about the environment that food has to be photographed in realize there's a bit of false advertising or deception when it comes to what the photographer actually shot compared to what is being sold. But the difference here is that the photography team is lying to try to create an accurate reproduction of the food... while what McDonald's has done here is outright deceive people into thinking they're getting more food than they actually are.

[@Angelsilhouette]

The only dangerous thing about those Buldak noodles is the amount of sodium you end up consuming. In regards to the burger adverts, here in the US the pictures make the burger look huge and juicy, but you get something that looks like someone ran over a hat.

[@icarusbinns3156]

The ‘quarter pounder’ mcdonalds burger… that’s just the weight of the patty BEFORE it’s cooked! Big macs are made with 1/6th pound patties, and the single cheeseburgers are made with 1/10th pound patties.

[@OtakuNoShitpost]

​@@icarusbinns3156Big Mac's use the same patties as the regular burgers. McD's only stocks two sizes of patty

[@icarusbinns3156]

@@OtakuNoShitpost in your area. In my area, it’s three

[@AshleyFromTX]

I mean sure if you’re used to foods like that. Not everyone’s bodies are the same. I guarantee you that I’d have an easier time with it than an older person who gets sick eating jalapeños. 😂 bodies are not all the same!

[@Toxicity1987]

@@icarusbinns3156 Usually its 1/10, 1/4 and 1/3. The Big Mac is always made with two 1/10s patties.

[@КсенияСавкина-й6х]

Hi Ann! Thank you for your hard work and your videos, we all love them SO MUCH ❤

[@user-wk9gu]

5:13 “The rushed slapped together job done by the teenager trying to get the orders out as fast as possible” 😂😂

[@Botruc]

I'm Swiss and I've never really considered Toblerone as representative of swiss chocolate. It's more like a candy bar. I don't see a problem with it being produced abroad if they make it cheaper for the customers.

[@nicanonymus2491]

Das ist aber wahrscheinlich eher nicht der Fall. Es geht doch immer um Profit. Ich muss mich nächstes mal achten im Coop ob der Preis anders ist. Mir wäre nicht mal aufgefallen, dass die Verpackung anders ist. Ist schon ewig her, dass ich Toblerone hatte. Liebi Grüess us dr Schwyz

[@littlebear274]

@forgingstrength6119 I feel like with chocolate it actually sort of *indirectly* is, in that they're not literally lowering the price, but they're making savings without increasing the price and the cost of cocoa is indisputably going up and has been for ages. Shrinkflation sucks, inflation sucks, food is so expensive now compared to when I was first living away from home, but I don't necessarily think it's the fault of any single company. (Though some of them certainly deal with it in crappy ways and there definitely are companies that take advantage for the sake of profits, eg we have a supermarket duopoly here where both parties are making record profits while people can't afford to eat three or sometimes even two times a day. Just that it's not *always* quite that simple.)

[@droe2570]

@@littlebear274 Yes. People like to forget that companies can only respond to laws and regulations and inflation. A lot of choices businesses make are forced on them by governments. This does not mean that companies never make bad choices, but we cannot assume everything a company does is decided in a vacuum. Governments have massive control over businesses.

[@mattymerr701]

​@@littlebear274 they have made Toblerone smaller yet increased the retail price, even after plummeting their cost price. So no, they haven't passed on the savings to the consumer.

[@KyleRDent]

I'm really fed up of people using "homemade" when they mean handmade (and even that is sometimes a lie). Unless you live and cook in your shop don't say that.

[@pammasheppard1338]

the phrase homemade really get me for all the reasons you mentioned. There are so many more accurate ways to describe how something is made.

[@alanacat7787]

I used to work at McDonald's in America for about 9 years and one of the things that I did was work in the grill. Now working in the grill was not anything like what they show in those commercials, basically in the grill in a McDonald's, it is frozen thin patties that you put in a 3 * 3 or maybe more depending on how busy it is in the restaurant, on a hot flat griddle, another flat heavy lid sort of object over the top that you pull down and press it until it locks, and then it will actually cook on both sides, the top and the bottom no flipping the meat, and as it's doing that you can see that the mechanism is pressing the meat downward squeezing the meat during the cooking process making them quite thin and most of the time pretty overcooked. Nowhere in the cooking process are there grill marks or charcoal marks or charcoal of any kind unless you overcook the meat to the point where it's burnt. Any of the beef patties in any of these commercials are completely misleading, and of course they use all sorts of artificial enhancers to boost the image of the food, which I believe iirc, you've made a video about in the past where they use things like glue or motor oil and such to make foods look more appetizing in images and commercials.

[@aprilapeys]

Last week I purchased a sweater from a well known brand that was advertised as 100% cotton. It arrived and it was 50% polyester. I contacted the team asking them to change the description, as some people are allergic to polyester. And they did!

[@jabaro2]

I recall several years ago McDonald's being sued over their Quarter Pounder because the pattie did not weigh a quarter pound. Ever since, they specify it's "pre-cooked weight."

[@AlanDanielJackson]

In the US I expect food pictures to basically resemble food that got plastic surgery

[@ocarinacat4690]

One tough thing with spicy food is that different cultures or just people will have totally different views on what they think is “spicy” 😂 a Korean friend made a spicy Korean dish that he said he made hardly spicy at all, and there ended up being some people crying after eating it

[@davidhoward4715]

In Australia "hot" usually means "mild". I have stopped buying sauces that are advertised as hot or very hot. They are anything but.

[@jongmassey]

More annoying than the change to ingredient provenance and manufacturing location is the "missing mountain" shrinkflation changes with toblerone

[@eRe4s3r]

Yeah, but they are not the only ones doing this shit. I import sometimes Lucky Charms so I have some historical data, 2020 = 453g | 10g sugar and in 2024 = 422g 12g sugar so they made the product contain less and have more sugar for higher price.

[@dylnpickl846]

​@@eRe4s3rWe've noticed this trend with a lot of products over the past 5 years or so. I'm getting to the point of removing foods from my diet because I can't trust manufacturers/brands to just make a consistent product (nevermind a good one). Personally I am trying to cut back on sugar, and yet most prepackaged foods are only increasing sugar content. 😓

[@indigo0977]

Agreed. I do try to shop by price per ounce anyway, but I especially hate opening a package and seeing an excessive amount of empty space inside. Sure, things settle and sometimes extra air or structural packaging is there to help the stuff inside not get crushed, but there's a limit.

[@krissflavoredx]

Ive always looked at food ad's as being designed for you to see whats in the product, you dont always see the onions sometimes on a burger or pickles, but the way they design them for ads, shows all that, so thats what i use them for.

[@hieronymusnervig8712]

It's very easy. I don't "expect" that the images are fake, I KNOW that they are fake. But my brain doesn't. Fake images work. Regardless of whether you know or not. You're more likely to buy the product due to fake images and that's why that garbage marketing needs to be outlawed.

[@Erichwanh]

As always, Ann, it's good to see you and I hope you're well 8^) In the 90s, our (US) motor oil boasted "No MSG". In the '00s, our motor oil was low carb. Today, our motor oil is gluten free. I've made the same joke for decades, and yet our system of advertising has not changed.

[@notamanstudios4408]

the legal argument that a reasonable consumer wouldn't be misled by something as blatant as the false advertising of these commercials is such a cynical and complacent ruling

[@ladymacbethofmtensk896]

Maybe the real problem is activists working as regulators giving companies more incentives to be deceptive?

[@M.Datura]

I agree. The idea that a "reasonable consumer" has to be extremely disbeliving, do incredible amounts of research (in cases of other things than say food), distrust anything they are directly told, as well as often it seems, have insider knowledge of how trades manipulate the information they're given is to me the thoughts of a cynical lawyer with the information already at hand and not a representative of a "reasonable consumer". It feels to me like it again falls back to what is expected to be the norm for people. I would wager that the average person is neither cynical, informed, nor in possession of the neccesary tools to make decisions about the fascietousness of ads for example, on the fly, which is how ads are seen, hence "the reasonable consumer" should not be assumed to be any of those things.

[@ladymacbethofmtensk896]

@@M.Datura Or a reasonable consumer can just disregard all that FDA/USDA junk and just eat regular meals at a table according to a schedule, like people USED TO DO.

[@M.Datura]

@@ladymacbethofmtensk896 Quite. I suppose you believe things were generally better "back then"?

[@ladymacbethofmtensk896]

@@M.Datura Not always, but then past generations did get SOME things right. The key is to identify what past generations got right and adopt them, then throw out what they got wrong. Aesthetics are among the things that the Victorian generations generally got right.

[@letsbounce101]

I learned something about the scoville scale. I didn't realize it was by concentration, but that makes a lot more sense. Good one, Ann!

[@pikachuchild]

I'm so out of the loop with the HTCT meta, but it brings me so much joy to know Dave has books out! I need to look those up!

[@carynpinkston1939]

I wish that McDonald's lawsuit hadn't been dismissed. A few weeks ago, my family and I were out of town, and we were really hungry. Because McDonald's was close, we went there. I virtually never go to McDonald's. I don't know the menu, so I was forced to go by the advertisement images to figure out what size of burger I needed. The advertising image suggested a big, hearty burger. The price suggested a big, hearty burger. Instead, what I got was a sorry, deflated thing that left me hungry. According to the judge who dismissed the case, what was I supposed to do to get a more realistic idea of what I was buying? Loom over someone else's table until their order arrived so that I could see it? Demand to go into the kitchen to see the size of the patties? Yes, I am getting sarcastic. I'm seriously ticked off. I was so tired that day I got sick later, and struggling with food made everything worse.

[@allisone7472]

I always thought the pictures of the food looked that way so all of the ingredients are more visible 🤔, so you can see what will be in your meal.

[@Magmafrost13]

With the price of cocoa having been increasing for a long time and not likely to go back down, I think it's probably for the best for consumers if Toblerone sources less important ingredients in cheaper ways, to hopefully keep shrinkflation to a minimum (Toblerone of course having already been a particularly severe poster child for shrinkflation). We can only hope they don't follow industry-wide trends in making the recipe worse

[@Vickie-Bligh]

Thanks for this information, Ann. This was very informative. The ability to eat spicy food depends on the person as well. A KZbinr I follow was challenged to eat spicy wings at a specialty wing restaurant. He did fine, the guy who challenged him was taken to hospital and was ill for a couple of months.

[@Standinthegap4ever]

When I worked at McDonald’s as a teen things had to be precise. IE: on a cheeseburger the mustard & ketchup had to be placed in the correct spot. The pickle had to be exactly placed in the center of the burger. The bigwigs from the company would come in a few times a year & inspect the restaurant. I can remember them checking the temperatures of fryers, grills, warming bins & coolers. They would take a fry from the bin & hold it up--one time they even dumped the fries in the bin because they thought they’d been in there past time. I remember thinking it was pretty cool they could tell just by looking at them. They would also open up one of the extra burgers (we cooked up a few extra during rushes so customers didn’t have to wait) if that pickle wasn’t centered in the middle of the burger & the patty wasn’t centered in the middle of the bun it was a fail. Same sort of exactness during breakfast. I don’t think they care as much as they used to now, sometimes it seems as if they just slap it together. The peanut butter cup company was sued recently because the pumpkin shaped cup didn’t have a face on it like the package showed. I haven’t heard if she lost or won. I hope she lost because it’s a dumb thing to sue for.

[@nihilismistheonlyway4680]

Capitalistic greed is winning out on all aspects of our society (worldwide sadly) I'm not surprised they aren't as fastidious as they used to be

[@greatestbear]

Another factor missed by the scoville rating is how readily the capsaicin interacts. It isn't very water soluble, so low fat soups or breads feel more mild, while greasy foods can absolutely napalm your mouth.

[@Shane587]

I think because of how spice tolerance works it’s mostly up to the consumer to determine how much they can handle. Nobody is gonna force them to finish it after the first bite 😂

[@jenniferelyse5134]

Have you never met teenagers?

[@jameshodgetts7541]

But with labelling when it says "spiciest thing ever" and a true spice lover gets it and its disappointingly mild, or the opposite when something looks mild but for a non-spice lover its painful to eat. That's the issue, and contributes to waste. Personal tolerance is fine, but lack of knowing just how hot something until AFTER you've spent money on it is just frustrating.

[@Bionickpunk]

Could say the same with alcohol. Someone can drink a lot, even high percentage alcohol and be fine, while others can't drink even one glass before they get tipsy or drunk.

[@lenas6246]

@@Bionickpunk yeah the fact that alcohol (and tobacco) is freely available is not a good thing either. you are the type of people to not understand why casinos and betting have to be banned

[@billymeyer99]

Just finished deep enders such a great book

[@HowToCookThat]

awesome! glad you loved it!

[@billymeyer99]

@@HowToCookThat Unfortunately, book 2 is not yet available in South Africa..Also interesting how the setting in Broome gave me echoes of Tim Winton and Dirt Music

[@HowToCookThat]

Oh Dave would be so stoked to hear that! Tim Winton is one of his literary heroes!

[@desperadox7565]

@@HowToCookThat It needs more reviews/ratings on Goodreads. That's where I always look first before I decide to pira...ah...buy a book.😎

[@SnowyRVulpix]

Really wish my mum wasn't 90% blind because i think she'd love Deep Enders.

[@DarenJana]

I'm aware that advertisements exaggerates a little and that's not limited to the food industry. Even the makeup ads do it. Even at my local supermarket, they use a different lighting to make the meats look more red and fresh. I don't mind a little food styling as long as the cost and taste meets my personal standards.

[@ellengrace4609]

I feel the same. It’s a given “styling” happens, and not just fast food, so I take that into consideration. I think any lawsuit on this would be frivolous. Even with the Big Mac comparison before Anne remodeled hers, it would have been an acceptable representation for me (if I ate Big Macs.) Fast food has lost my business NOT because of their pictures but because of how bad the product is for my health.

[@KhanaHatake]

The difference between the Australian burger picture and US picture is WILD!! I had no idea how unrealistic our menu pictures are over here in the US!

[@user-ew2rr2ew4x]

I love your videos so much, Ann. ❤ Every single time I see a notification telling me that you released your newest video, I get so excited!

[@DMacB42]

When something sacrifices all its flavour in the name of being spicy, it’s no longer food

[@jmarshal]

Hard agree. What’s the point of just tasting hot? And suffering later. Especially because a dish that is well spiced with an appropriate amount of heat is delicious. People are always going to have different levels of spice tolerance but when a person is physically in pain…why eat that? May as well just have the capsaicin powder.

[@mean7404]

​@@jmarshalsome people just want to eat something super spicy for the experience of it. It's literally up to them. The packaging has a chicken whose mouth is on fire on it surrounded by flames, it wasn't falsely advertised. That brand of noodles has trended on social media in the past solely because of how hot it was. People eat it because they want to see how hot it is and if they can handle it, not because it's fine dining. And that's just up to everyone to decide for themselves. Banning it from the entire country is dumb.

[@GuntherGlesti]

Every company these days engages in wilful and deliberate deceit!!! Marketing and advertising companies should be held to account!!!

[@mediaaddict3997]

I find it hilarious they state only Swiss ingredients can be used in order for it to be called Swiss chocolate when the main ingredient for chocolate is not from that country.

[@Saraho7.7]

I absolutely love how scientific and accurate your videos are!! Thank you so much for putting in so much time into research for these videos!!! It must be so tiring!

[@norwaytoday]

Fellow Slovak here, did not expect to hear you mentioning our little country on your channel. Funny thing is that I don't ever remember to see Toblerone on store shelves. I only noticed it last week at Action, which is like a Dutch version of Dollar Store that opened here recently. Anyway, regarding the food advertising - I don't really mind that - I guess I am one of those "reasonable" customers who understands that one thing is to style a picture perfect burger for a photoshoot (done by a food-styling expert) and another one is to assemble it at a break-neck speed required of a fast food establishment (by often a minimum wage worker).

[@mathewst3979]

As a Swiss citizen I never buy Toblerone. I don't like it, it tastes too sweet and what I'd call acidic, just generally unpleasant. The consistency is also softer than what I'd expect from milk chocolate, as if not properly tempered.

[@nicanonymus2491]

Echt? Ich habe mir als Kind immer den Gaumen aufgerissen wenn ich die Spitze abgebissen habe. Hatte schon ewig keine mehr. 😂 Liebi Grüess 🇨🇭

[@mathewst3979]

​​@@nicanonymus2491 Als chind hani au gern toblerone gha... Aber jetzt chasch mi demit jage 😅 Ich glaub Mondelez het am rezept irgendwas umegmacht... Edit (translation): I used to love it as a child, but hate it now. Mondelez must've modified the recipe.

[@nicanonymus2491]

@@mathewst3979 Vilecht heimir eifach a weniger süesse Goume? Es isch aber durchus möglech dass si am Rezäpt umegcharet hei. 🤣

[@lyn6768]

With the spicy noodles; I eat a lot of spicy food, and the Buldak noodles are just...not tasty. Theyre only spicy, there is no underlying flavour.

[@P51mus]

Maybe for the 2x or 3x spicy ones(I've never tried those), but their other flavors are pretty good. I think the black bean is the one I like the most out of what I've tried.

[@CapnCrimson]

Danish here! I'd like to provide some input on the noodle situation 😊 Ann actually did a great job at explaining it. A lot of people clowned on Denmark for banning these noodles, making jokes about white people and mayonnaise and all that. However what's often not reported on abroad, is exactly what she also mentions, that the spicy challenges are extremely popular online with kids. That's what led them to look into and ban these noodles. Even if the average adult can handle the spice in the noodles, children can't necessarily. And they're the ones who are going to try these challenges and possibly get hurt. Even if Samyang themselves don't encourage these challenges, they're still very much associated with a challenge aspect. There are 3 other products that have previously been banned for being too spicy here - including one of those chip challenges - and those products specifically encouraged it to be a challenge. And kids are way more likely to engage in challenge behaviour and get hurt than an adult is.

[@AshleyFromTX]

It’s nice to see a country stepping in to protect its children. The US would never do that, they just say everything “should be up to parents” but what we fail to realize is that not every kid has an adult looking out for them, and even when they do, kids are good at keeping secrets! Good on Denmark for prioritizing people over a company! Wish the US did that more often.

[@ByHerHand]

As an Aussie Grandma, I don’t expect fast food to look like the advertising photos. Maybe I’m just a cynical old lady 😂.