• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, June 24, 2011

Now I know why most of these Cannes Lions presentations do have audience Q&A periods. I realized it when one of the audience members asked Nestle chief Paul Bulcke about the food industry's responsibility for healthy eating.

As sensitive as that question was, I think Bulcke did a pretty good job of disarming it, acknowledging that food marketers have some responsibility in the healthy eating habits of their consumers, but noting that the problem is more "complex" than any marketer can address on their own.

He said there are many reasons for the rise in obesity, for example, including the fact that much more of the world's population has more food – including higher calorie foods – available to them.

"We see obesity going up, because people start having more caloric diets," he said, adding, "As an industry, we can and should be part of it."

However, Bulcke took issue with the way some governments are addressing the problem.

"I do feel it is a little too easy for governments to say we have a problem, and we are going to tax every calorie," he said.