Fast Food Companies Target Children

“Congress should ban advertising that preys upon children, it should stop subsidizing dead-end jobs, it should pass tougher food safety laws, it should protect American workers from serious harm, it should fight against dangerous concentrations of economic power (Schlosser). People must wonder how is it that a fast food company has so much customers. Advertising is the answer. The power advertisers have to be able to influence so many people 's decisions and affect people’s lives especially the lives of young children is incredible. Advertisers know just who to target and they research how too. In Eric Schlosser’s book Fast Food Nation, Schlosser explains to the readers how advertisers use techniques to draw in customers. A technique used is the “cradle-to-grave” which focuses on children to make them lifelong consumers. Like many researcher, Schlosser, has found that advertising to children when they are younger makes them be loyal to the company, and a child 's “brand loyalty” may begin as early as the age of two (43). Fast food advertising reaches out and harms families everywhere. This is why it is crucial that the people to make changes in their lives and change the way fast food is affected us.

Obesity has become increasingly more prominent in American society. It is also a major health issue affecting many adults and children in the US every year. In his article "Don't Blame the Eater," David Zinczenko sympathizes with children who are suing McDonald’s making them fat. In his own experience as a “latchkey kid”, he knows how easily fast food makes teenagers put on weight with a steady diet of fast food meals. Zinczenko argues that both lack of fast food alternative companies and lack of providing nutrition information contribute to childhood obesity.

The availability of fast food has become an easy access to the youth of America, due to an increase in fast food marketing and restaurants being built on nearly every street corner. In David Barboza’s article, If You Pitch It, They Will Eat, he explains that

The fast food industry both feeds and prays off the young. Pioneers in developing marketing strategies to target children, the fast-food chains have even infiltrated the nation's schools through lunchroom franchises and special advertising packages that answer public education's need for funds; in every way possible, giving the children a loyal friend to rely on. In many franchises, teenagers are perfect candidates for low-paying, low-skilled, short-term jobs and constitute a large part of the fast-food chains' workforce; and often practically run individual locations, having more responsibility than most adults.

This article incorporates essential realities about the fast food industry. Likewise, has late news and moves made by well known fast food organizations. The site likewise has tabs that clarify the wagers and most noticeably worst kid’s meals and after that another tab that includes the calories in kid’s meals. The site additionally discusses the different advertising to children and adolescents that the fast food industry does. Most of the data

Fast-food industries may try to “target children in their ads”, but it ultimately comes down to the adults-the parents- choosing to dine at these places and pork up their kids on the high-sugar sodas, salty French fries, and greasy burgers. If they would just take the time to look out the window, they would see the healthy alternatives to fast-food, and how the alternatives are literally right in front of

The author talks more on the problems on the fast food and blaming the fault of the problems caused by fast food to the government. Besides, the author states that “market research has found that children often recognize a brand logo before they can recognize their own name.” (Schlosser, p.22)I agree with what he said,the methods employed by the fast food companies to attract kids include targeting kids as young as possible, advertisement directing at kids with a specific goal, studying children’s fantasy, and working with media. These methods are very effective due

Is Greed actually not of a financial use rather than a emotional use. If so would employees who work at fast-food establishments or even major corporate heads of these billion dollar fast-food chains allow their own children to indulge themselves in them, knowingly aware of the vast risks they could embark on later in life due to their unhealthy choices? David Zinczenko brings up valid points on how fast-food is harmful to one’s body in “Don’t Blame the Eater,”. Zinczenko is able to effectively argue against the manipulation of the food industry by showing the reader that the consumer is the victim while the food industry is the one to blame. His use of questioning, personal appeals, imagery, direct tone and colorful diction results in a compelling case that supports his accusations of manipulation by the fast food industry.

The fast food industry has been growing dramatically during the last few years. For this reason, we should try to find out what are the several factors why fast food consumption keeps growing among young people and adults. Therefore, as we have seen, the popularity of fast food is spreading rapidly among many people due to the following three main reasons: good taste, convenient time, and price. Personally, working for a fast food restaurant for a brief moment in my life, I can attest to this. Marketing also plays a big part to more people eating fast food. It’s in our culture in America to expect fast food companies to market and strategize their ways to make us, the consumers, to buy more food and consume more food so they can make more profit. Especially now with commercials and social media. The fast food industry has thrived in the modern era. It’s thriving so much, the industry is growing faster than the U.S economy, at

Fast-Food chains are a big industry for everyone, but their target audience may be for the worst. Fast food companies mainly aims their target audience towards children. Fast Food has had many links towards childhood obesity. Developing obesity as a child can damage the person for the rest of their life. According to the article "Burger Battles," Jennifer Harris states, "The number of teens who are overweight has tripled since 1980, and the number of overweight kids younger than 13 has more than doubled in the same period." Harris continues with "Childhood obesity is known to increase the chances of heart disease and diabetes later in life" (Harris). Children mainly go to fast food joints for the

As of now in the United States there are 22 fast food franchises. McDonalds was the first franchise to open in 1940 and since then they have been the leading and most successful franchise in America (“The Raw Prawn” n.p.). Other franchises include: Burger King, KFC, Wendy’s, Arby’s, and Taco Bell. Each of which target young students and children. Most of them have a value menu where items to purchase are cheap and tasty but very unhealthy. Some fast food restaurants provide a toy for children with their meal which attract them to come again and again ( “Eating Yourself to Death” n.p.). In addition, some restaurants contain an indoor play ground which attracts small children even more. The fast food industry mainly brings customers for their tasty food and simple convenience, they attach a drive thru to their building making it faster for customers to purchase and collect their food which is also less time consuming. Recently in the past few years, fast food franchises have begun to change their restaurant and attempt to become healthier as a whole, in some fast food restaurants they have a nutritional menu to choose from which generally contain healthier food compared to the regular menu (“The Raw Prawn” n.p.).

Fast food advertisement agencies take advantage of the ignorance of children to scam them into wanting unhealthy meals. Each year, the fast food industry spends over $3 million of advertising targeted towards children. Half of television advertisement is used during children’s shows and with cartoons. Out of all the factors

In the article, Allison Aubrey points out the fact that fast food has been an indispensable part to American culture. According to CDC report, the percentage of children and adolescent who

ant to acquire it. We often get fooled by a product being advertised so well that we don't even think twice when acquiring or purchasing it. Some people believe that children are the center target for the fast food restaurants which may be the result of the increase of obesity rate. Fast food restaurants don’t provide the best foods even when they look acceptable and advertise as healthy, but they're no good to anyone, doesn’t matter if it’s for adults or children. A a great deal of people don’t realize what they’re receiving from these fast food chains which causes the customer to not realize how it’s affecting them and the future generations. We people really need to better educate ourselves and watch what food we consume and look out for the delicate foods.

Fast food is a common meal for many families across the United States. Several millions of people visit McDonald’s each day. This is not too much of a surprise when the fact that, as a whole, fast food restaurants spent 4.6 billion dollars on advertising in 2012 alone. As a result of this advertising, there are people of all ages that see dozens of ads every day, be it from television, billboards, the internet, radio, and more. Most fast food restaurants cater to a lower-class family, with their low prices and quick access. Meals from these places have enticed people from every age group with their cheap nature and availability.