Trans-border reformulation: Us and canadian experiences with trans fat

Food managers are engaged in altering the nutritional quality of diets. They do so directly through product innovation strategies (food manufacturers) and the selection of products available in stores (grocers and restaurants) and indirectly through distribution and promotion strategies and prices. Decisions to alter products, menus, assortments and marketing strategies are drivers of supply, which interact with consumer demand to impact the nutritional quality of food available, purchased and eventually consumed. The sequence of managerial decisions leading to product-level marketing mixes is explored. This case-study provides a comparison of monitored industry self-regulation of trans fat (Canada primarily) and more autonomous firm strategy (US primarily) on the nutrient quality of new cookies launched between 2006-12. Cookies were selected for this case-study given that they are commonly consumed and have traditionally contained trans fat. Differences between food labeling policies in the US and Canada are then compared to explore the merits of a conceptual model.