How we talk about food

Two stories from the last week have highlighted the complexities regarding communication about food. The Corn Refiners Association is looking a new word for high-fructose corn syrup, preferring the name corn sugar. But there are a lot of skeptics about the reason for the rebranding, as seen in the comments in the New York Times Health blog. While the Corn Refiners Association says they are looking for a more accurate name, some health advocates think the move is an effort to confuse consumers into thinking corn syrup is healthy.

The other story is about carrots. The baby carrot association is spending $25 million on a new advertising campaign to market the bite-sized carrots as a fun snack, even as fun as junk food. But it seems no matter how much health advocates push vegetables, it seems we are not eating them.

So why is communication about food so difficult? What strategies would you suggest to communicate about healthy food?