Karen, there sure was a lot of difference between the advertised ones and the take home foods.

Back in 1985 when I was working with a lot of other people on the start up of a particular new cereal we were told that the picture of the cereal in the bowl used in advertising took hours to produce. The flakes, fruit and nuts were strategically placed with tweezers. I don't know if that's a fact, but I wouldn't doubt it.

Oh I believe that! Big companies hire "food stylists". I saw a show on it once. They will go through hundreds of hamburger buns to get one that looks perfect with the sesame seeds just right. They will construct the burger so it looks good from the camera's angle only, it's held up with sticks and props in the back. The mustard and ketchup are squirted on from the front and often times the meat and cheese are fake. When photographing ice cream, they use lard because it doesn't melt under the hot lights like ice cream does.

Isn't this false advertising? We all know that we aren't going to get what is pictured, guess that is why they get away with it. Vique.

A sadness in my life. To see something mouth watering only to open the package to a stale lifeless chunkofood. Sigh.