Obesity+in+America+Benchmark



Obesity has become a big issue in the United States. Who's to blame? Fast food companis or their consumers? I have chosen to closely examine the effects of both and come to a conclusion of my own.

Fast-food restaurants can be found almost anywhere in the United States. McDonald's, the biggest fast food company, has over 13,000 restaurants and has spent about 1 million dollars on advertising. Their advertisements can be found almost anywhere; freeways, television shows, local businesses and in some rare cases, schools. Their advertisements are appealing to people of all ages, but especially children. Children are the people fast-food restaurants target the most because they are vulnerable. They have no knowledge on what nutritious eating is, they just see a toy included and the are begging their parents to get them one. Since the advertisements they see show people smiling when eating the restaurant's food children are not aware of all the harm fast-food can cause. "Fast-food companies are marketing to children a product with proven hazards and no warning labels," says David Zincenko, author of an article titled "Don't Blame the Eater", Advertisements don't carry warning labels the way tobacco ads do," he adds. This is true. Tobacco ads have warning sins on their advertisements about their products because they are harmful, why don’t fast-food advertisements have warning labels too? By tobacco companies exposing their product's harm they lose many customers, customers that did not want to put their health on the line due to an unnecessary product. So, if fast food restaurants were to expose their product's harm to the public people would stop consuming their products, but since they don’t they still have many customers and continue to gain more. By making their food cheap they are also targeting people of lower income that cannot afford fresh food.

Aren't people the ones that are responsible for what enters their body? Fast-food restaurants do not force people to consume their products, it is a choice. Sure their advertisements are appealing to children but "Parents are responsible for their children's diet ," stated an article titled "Not So Happy Meals" and it is true. Parents have a large impact on what their children eat. They are not obligated to please their children by feeding them what they want. They should know that children will always want something new and not everything they want is safe for them. It is their job as parents to look out for their children and give them healthy food. However, they have to eat healthy themselves. It is not only advertisements that influence their children, it is parents as well. "....teens are more likely to consume fast food, soda if parents do." If children were thought by their parents the harmful effects of fast food there is large chance they would not consume it "Good dietary habits start at home."

In my opinion, fast-food restaurants are not to blame for the high obesity rates, their consumers are. People are not being forced to eat anything, they are making the choice themselves. They may argue that fast-food restaurants have advertisements attracting them and it is true, but it is their choice of whether they want to fall in their trap or not.

Overall, everyone has their own opinion. People have valid points on who and why someone is to blame, but this topic will always be controversial and not everyone will ever agree with someone's opinion.