NEWS > HEALTH > DOCUMENTS REVEAL JENNY CRAIG SPIKING FOOD WITH FAT

DOCUMENTS REVEAL JENNY CRAIG SPIKING FOOD WITH FAT

August 5 2009

New York, NY – As the waistline of America continues to expand so too does the diet industry. With literally hundreds of fad diets and organizations promising a solution to obesity there seems to be no limit to the number of new ideas. Despite that there have only been a handful of organizations that have managed to hold the
public’s attention when it comes to dieting. Those few have turned the obesity epidemic into a full-fledged industry that has thrived even through rough economic times.

A recent document obtained exclusively by Scrape TV indicates that that success is not exactly an accident, particularly for one weight loss company who just happens to be the most popular. The document details an increasing amount of fat content in much of the food Jenny Craig provides to its users, part of an apparently orchestrated plan to keep the weight of the users high while simultaneously ensuring increasing profits. It’s not immediately clear if the fat being added to the food is product has been directed by Jenny Craig or is being added by the company who manufacturers the food for the company.

“Fat content must be added at the manufacturing level in order to ensure quality of
taste and limited weight loss. Fat requirements are listed on the attached document (A-11) and must be adhered to precisely in order to ensure maximum weight gain with limited potential for discovery. These quantities have been scientifically derived and must be followed precisely,” reads the document. “In order to ensure that customers stay under our care it is essential that their weight continues to fluctuate. This added fat content will not adversely affect the health of the clients but will in fact keep them in our program thereby ensuring that they are eating the proper food and are receiving hands-on counselling. This effort is an essential part of our business model and must be followed. Any questions can be directed to your immediate supervisor.”

Jenny Craig is operated by Nestle Nutrition and maintains over 550 weight loss centres throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Calls to representatives for the company went unanswered.

“It’s really not surprising that something like this occurs. The diet market is very competitive and Jenny Craig has been lagging behind bigger names like Weight Watchers for years. They also take a hit, and feel it all the more profoundly, when new fad diets come onto the marketplace. That means they have to hedge their bets and maintain the customer base they have in order to stay competitive,” said Scrape TV Business analyst Ken Green. “After all, this is a business. They have employees to pay, rent, taxes, insurance; all those things add up to a significant dollar value and they can’t put that at jeopardy because a handful of people decided to get skinny. The diet is like any other. They
need repeat customers and they need loyalty in order to stay fluid. The best way to have that is to ensure that their clients stay overweight.”

Jenny Craig has been one of the most prominent weight loss companies in the United States but has seen a significant drop in traffic after the increased weight of former spokesperson Kirstie Alley.

“Especially in this economy companies need to do whatever they can to keep the dollars flowing. When a company like Jenny Craig needs to tighten their belts, especially in America, you know things are really bad. By adding fat they will go a long way towards ensuring that they continue to be around for a long time and help people that really need it,” continued Green. “This of course could be seen as a simple money making scheme but they are still reducing the overall size of the population and still maintaining fiscal viability. Really it’s a win-win and clients still get great tasting food. Of course they aren’t getting what they paid for and that will result in more than a few lawsuits. Hopefully for the company there aren’t a lot of fat lawyers out there looking to get a piece of the pie.”

We also contacted Weight Watchers to determine whether or not they employ similar methods and received a breathless no.

Lauren Hebert, Health Correspondent

NEWS > HEALTH > DOCUMENTS REVEAL JENNY CRAIG SPIKING FOOD WITH FAT