by Matt Weik, BS, CSCS, CPT, CSN
This article is a rant, so you may want to hold on tight. But that being said, I have a feeling while reading the article, you’ll be nodding your head in agreement over my hatred of supplement brands who edit pics of their protein snacks.
Look, I’m a consumer just like you. Sure, I live in the supplement industry and work with a bunch of different brands, but for the love of everything holy, it annoys me to no end when brands edit pics of protein snacks.
Now, it could be ANY protein snack out there. The majority of them use the old fast food restaurant edits and fake products to make it look not only appealing but appetizing. After all, would you want to eat something that looks dry and boring? Heck no.
But in this article, I’m going to present my point along with my opinion and thoughts. Some people may agree with me and hate the fact that brands edit pics of their protein snacks, while some of you may not care one bit.
No matter what side of the debate you’re on, it’s all good, and I respect your opinion.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to treat or diagnose any condition. It is recommended that you speak with your doctor before starting any exercise program, making changes to your nutrition plan, or adding any new supplements into your current routine.
We Are Visually Stimulated by Images of Food
Do I really need to dive deep into this? I mean, we go to a restaurant or even the grocery store and purchase what looks good, right?
Unfortunately, the images of food are leading to people overconsuming on calories, eating things they shouldn’t, and leading us further and further down the path of obesity.
If you don’t believe me, check out the two studies below that I found to back up my statement:
- Visual Stimulation with Food Pictures in the Regulation of Hunger Hormones and Nutrient Deposition, a Potential Contributor to the Obesity Crisis
- Eating With Our Eyes: From Visual Hunger to Digital Satiation
You may still be eating fast food like Wendy’s or McDonald’s, but I remember the commercials and images back in the day where the burgers looked so good that your mouth would literally start salivating just looking at the imagery.
The sad news is that when you went to the restaurant all excited and received your order, it looked like Helen Keller made your burger. Condiments were all over the place, the lettuce, tomato, and onion were all falling off the sides of the burger, your cheese was melted and all over the wrapper or box, it looked like someone stuck their thumb through the top of your bun, and your burger patty must have come straight from the movie Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.
Sure, you ate it. But you were definitely disappointed, right? Well, it’s the same thing with protein snacks today!
Protein Snacks Do NOT Look Like THAT!
Now, before you say, “But Matt, it’s their job to make the protein snacks look good enough to eat.” And you’d be right. But if you sell me on an image that the protein snacks look amazing and after biting into it, you realize it looks and tastes like cardboard, you’re going to be a little pissed off.
That would be like hitting up a hot chick on the internet to go on a date, and according to her profile, she’s a 10, full-blown supermodel status, and then when she comes up to you at the restaurant, you find out you’re dining with Shrek.
I’ve purchased a few different products lately based on the images they have published online and on their social media (I won’t name brand names) — one of the products was a protein cookie, one was a protein brownie, and the other resembled a Pop-Tart only with protein.
In all honesty, after taking a single bite of them, I don’t even think my dog would eat these things.
In today’s age, not having a delicious product is completely unacceptable. We have so much to work with at our fingertips, and I’ve had some amazing protein snacks over the years. But if you can’t put out a quality product that looks and tastes good, I have no idea who you hired to manufacture your protein snacks and who approved the final product, but they should all be fired.
Of the three products I mentioned, not a single one looked appetizing after opening the packaging. The protein Pop-Tart-looking thing had a weird color that looked nothing like the image and the filling was non-existent while the image showed it gushing out. The cookie was dry and basically crumbled into a million pieces when you took a bite. And then you had the brownie that looked like rubber and tasted like a truck tire that was just driven from coast to coast.
None of the three products were edible, in my opinion, and not a single one looked like the images they used in their marketing.
It’s frustrating to say the least. Again, with today’s flavor systems and people who specialize in creating and manufacturing protein snacks, there is no reason things can’t look and taste amazing.
If I purchase from a brand and the product doesn’t look anything like the image, I’m done with them. They’re dead to me. I’ll never buy or recommend their products ever again.
So, for you brands out there reading this wondering if I threw you under the bus, if you got this far and are sweating bullets, shame on you and you need to do better.
And for those brands reading this whose protein snacks not only look like the image but taste amazing, bravo. You are one of the few brands who understood the assignment.
But what say you? Do you agree with what I’m saying, or do you think everything looks just like the marketing images and tastes amazing?
