Food: the Succulence in Deceit

Professional triathlete, Sally Edwards said “If we will not settle for junk living, we certainly shouldn’t settle for junk food” (Don’t ask). Suggesting that we consume so much processes food without thinking twice, but wouldn’t in other aspects of life. In today’s society, these harmful foods are easily accessible to the general public. One might find it easier to purchase a pre-made meal rather than cook at home. Advertisers are well known of that preference and use it to their benefit. With the movement of healthy eating many companies are falling behind to provide that clean eating many of their customers are asking for. Instead they try to deceive customers with their ads seeming to be healthy. In the February issue of

For instance, customers make the choice of purchasing food that is known to be harmful to one’s health—it is not the restaurant’s responsibility to alter the judgment of the consumer. Barbara Mantel states that “even if restaurants do put healthier items on the menu, it doesn't mean people will order them, or if they do that they will lose weight” (805). Many individuals do not have a tolerance for vegetables or fruits, so they settle with meals that satisfy their cravings. However, indulging in unhealthy food is acceptable if it is occasional; what harms the consumer’s body is the fact that they continuously eat fast-food that contains unhealthy substitutes. According to Food, Inc., the average consumer has the power to influence the food industry. For example, Wal-Mart now offers synthetic hormone free-milk due to customer preference. These

The comprehensive assortment of convenient processed foods high in sugar, salt and fat, frequently marketed in large serving sizes with excessive sides, has ultimately made selecting healthy eating choices more difficult for the average consumer and policymakers. Various health experts maintain the onslaught of advertising and promotion surreptitiously and unfavourably influencing ingestion patterns and food partialities of individuals further complicates the issue. There has been substantial encouragement, which has pressured governments and politicians to implement restrictions on the publicising of unhealthy foods, particularly those targeting children. (Jolly, R. 2011)

Many people care about their health, however they might not be fortunate enough to afford healthy foods. People all over the world are being deprived of healthy foods because of the price. Individuals would say that the food companies are selfish and just care for the money. Companies don’t care how they get their money, whether it is through advertisements, tie-ins, or super-sized products. They need to be stopped with mostly everything, however we can’t stop them from making money. So they should be regulated with certain things. Advertisements need to be changed, their farming methods need to be changed for the good, and maybe even use less sugar than they already do. We need to make a change, a change for the better, a change for the well

Throughout this article David Zinczenko calls out fast food companies, such as McDonald's, for manipulating children into becoming obese. Mr. Zinczenko claims that unhealthy fast food, was the only affordable option when growing up. Zinczenko joined the Navy Reserves and got involved with a health magazine, so he managed to avoid obesity, unlike some of his friends. Since the year 1994, Type 2 diabetes has risen over 25 percent. Finding healthier alternatives to fast food is difficult. The big fast food chains such as McDonald’s, have a monopoly, with over 13,000 restaurants in North America alone. Additionally, there is little to no information about the food being consumed. When there is information on the label, it is often manipulated.

Without the knowledge included in articles and films such as these, most consumers would be blindsided and continue to purchase and eat these products without a second thought. Konefal and Hatanaka highlighted three key points in regard to our foods. It is important that we know what we’re consuming. As well as how corporate is responsible for producing the majority of our foods and its marketing. It is critical that we recognize the consequences of how our food is produced and sold to the consumer before more damage is

Companies utilize many different techniques to unethically advertise their food towards consumers. It’s incredible what companies are able to get away with! Food can be unethically advertised in a variety of different ways. Fast food restaurants are notorious for doctoring the way their food looks in advertisements to wrongfully reflect how it actually looks when purchased by a consumer. It is also extremely unethical when junk food products or unhealthy food items are advertised towards obese people, or people with eating issues, and young children. It’s important to review the different types of unethical advertising that are utilized and also the laws and regulations that are in place to protect the consumer from the unethical advertising.

Too often, shoppers mindlessly shop for food in local super markets. Throughout the grocery store, we may find food in lively and amusing packages, maybe with a picture of a farm on the front, and sometimes the label even has the word “farm” in it. This food sold to hungry buyers actually comes from corrupted factories that literally mutilate processed meats and produce. There is a lack of understanding of what it takes to produce healthy food. Namit Arora further explains the effort necessary stating that, “Treating animals humanely requires natural diets, open spaces for living, eliminating the use of hormones that explode body weight . . . together with more stringent training for caretakers, surveillance cameras, professionals who enforce laws . . . and so on – all of which make meat more expensive” (Arora 31). Leaving aside any humane concern for the well-being of the animals before they’re slaughtered, the inhumane treatment of animals makes for a less-healthy meat, which can negatively impact the health of those who consume it. Also, regarding the laceration in

As the breadth of our scientific knowledge and understanding continues to grow, the corporate world is faced with the challenge of responding to unfavorable results. For example, sodas were originally marketed to the public as health drinks, appropriate for the smallest baby. As a result of recent scientific research, the public has instead come to view the soda industry as one of the key players in the obesity epidemic facing western society. How has the industry responded when faced with increasing evidence that their product does the exact opposite of its original claims? To answer this question I have analyzed the evolution of ads marketing sodas, particularly Coca Cola. In addition, I’ve researched different marketing and health articles written about the soda industry and its affect on public health., and what the industry’s responses have been to the changing landscape. Through this research I’ve found conflicting results. While the soda industry has made an effort towards producing healthier products, they have also, in part, refused to take responsibility for the health effects of their sodas, constantly shifting the blame onto others. In order to properly combat obesity, it is necessary to see what the manufacturers of products proven to be harmful to our health are doing to combat this issue.

According to the JAMA Network (jamanetwork.com), in response to increasing rates of obesity, many food companies have announced policies of corporate responsibility. McDonald's claims, “[we] empower individuals to make informed choices about how to maintain the essential balance between energy intake....and energy expenditure...." Coca-Cola states, “we have launched new broad-based physical and nutrition education programs that reach even the least athletic students.” PepsiCo says, “we can play an important role in helping kids lead healthier lives by offering healthy product choices in schools, by developing healthy products that appeal to kids and by promoting programs that encourage kids to lead active lives.” Kraft says, “helping children and their families make healthy food choices while encouraging physical activity has become part of how Kraft gives back to communities.” These convincing and powerful statements lead us to think that the food industry should be welcomed as a constructive partner in the campaign against obesity. However, this is not the case. Marketing agents and managers of leading fast food chains think that they can minimize and gloss over the impacts of their food by ramping up corporate social responsibility efforts. By claiming to develop healthy options and supporting active campaigns, restaurants cleverly cover the eyes of the public whilst still offering terrible products and bad food choices. Companies like McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Kraft cannot fully battle obesity whilst continuing to offer the products that they

Further expanding on the idea that food companies impose health risks on its consumers, there are many other negative aspects of the production process as well. For instance, Moss explains another harmful tactic used by companies, “What I found, over four years of research and reporting, was a conscious effort - taking place in labs and marketing meetings – to get people hooked on foods that are convenient and inexpensive.” (Moss 262). In this case, companies have complete control over its consumers. With an addictive sense for a specific product within a consumer, their demand soars as well as the company’s profit. Overall, this represents the unethical tactics being it manipulates people to keep buying foods that are unhealthy and cheap, giving them a distorted sense that, since they are saving money, it is the best product for them. As a college student, I understand where these people are coming from considering, on a tight budget, there are only a select amount of foods that are available, most being unhealthy. To add, people are subject to “play the game” of these companies in that, in some cases, when

A small number of mega food companies dominate the food industry in America, and the world; they’re committed to increasing profits and market share despite known health risks such as cancer, obesity, and diabetes, which are associated with the processed foods they produce. In fact, they chemically engineer their food to ensure consumers crave it. Newly developed Sustainable Development Goals aim to reduce non-communicable diseases such as cancer, obesity, and diabetes by the year 2030. Consumers should support legislation requiring cancer and other health risk warning labels for processed foods and begin to make more informed choices on what they purchase.

Junk food has been a part of America’s history since the 1900s and its desire will be growing throughout the future. Junk food can is counted as any unhealthy food which includes: cookies chips cakes and fast food. The first ever fast food restaurant opened in 1947 and more and more are blossoming throughout the country. With this explosion of fast food and junk food consumers have been wondering why companies advertise this horrible products. Companies feel like they should not stop promoting and believe it is the consumer’s decision to decide. While consumers believe that buyers are entitled to a warning to not over consume these products or lethal health risks will follow. Junk food has gotten so bad that companies put sweeteners in their food to make it taste like fruit but in reality they are loaded with lab made chemicals. When presented to the public eye most people could care less about this issue, but eat unhealthy has not just affected our past but it will affect our future.

The food industry is a lie packaged in nice wrapping paper. A picture of a pasture with grazing cows on a happy farm on our cartons is the lie of the century. The marketing on food is a ploy in order to entice the public to eat what they are selling. People ask why they eat the way they do.The first example why they eat poorly is how the media affects people’s food habits. People sit late in the evening watching commercials, unknowingly famished, until they see a Domino’s pizza commercial appear. Consequently, recognizing a hot cheesy pizza popping out of an original Italian oven reveals just how hungry they feel; they are ready to order. Commercials are not the only media capturing people’s sights and stomachs. TV shows with the peppy blonde cheerleader singing as she pops hot crispy fries in her mouth, making people crave fries just like their idols. People want what they see on TV, so they get up off the couch and hike to the nearest fast food restaurant. A convenience people have, which is the

Thanks to current technologies, it seems that healthy foods are easily within reach. Multiple food companies now offer products that encourage a nutritious diet, such as dairy products with reduced fat or pastas that are protein enriched. However, these enhanced foods are not as beneficial as countless consumers believe. For example, foods with added or reduced nutritional qualities, such as ‘protein enriched’ and/or ‘all natural’ are highly processed which makes them detrimental to the body. Hence why, marketing ploys that certain food companies use, are the most harmful kind of American bullshit since they create major misconceptions of what is and what is not healthy foods. Such companies are labeling their products with abbreviations,