The Case Of Food And Beverage Companies

Junk food refers to cheap food containing high levels of calories from sugar or fat with little fiber, protein, vitamins or minerals. People in the United States consume massive amounts of these unhealthy products everyday that are produced by big industries like Coca-Cola and McDonald’s. Investigative reporter Michael Moss argues that the food giants have hooked people with addictive foods that are harming our health. How do they do this? I strongly agree with Moss’s agreement because the food giants use schemes to advertise and market their unhealthy products to make them appear delectable. Thus, giving the viewer of the advertisement a high urgency to buy and eat the product that would eventually lead them to obesity.

The food industry has cleverly manipulated millions of people's minds for the simple reason, money. They convince you to purchase their products which benefits for them since they earn more money. Do you know how much the food industries spend on advertisements a year? For example, a major industry such as McDonald’s spends about one billion a year.

Obesity and being overweight are very common worldwide issues around the world, especially in the U.S. There are more than 3 million cases per year. By changing your lifestyle such as diet and exercise, losing weight can seem effortless. Desirable junk/fast food or even irresistible fast food commercials can tempt you to do the unthinkable. We are all victims of this advertising war. Quick-service restaurants (QSR) generate these advertisements in hope to attract more consumers or to increase their popularity rates around town. These commercials bombard our state of mind only to convince us to buy unhealthy food for worthless money. The increase in fast food commercials in the U.S. has led to an increase in both QSR revenues and the obesity rates. Regulating commercial frequencies will lead to a decline in the obesity rate. Our country has more than enough issues that frequently affect our population. Despite these alarming cautions, the food industries with their advertiser use every available media outlet to promote and sell their products. Pushing food and drinks high in sugar is unethical and unjust. We learn to

Commercials through television and radio aimed towards children are ethical because it helps build healthy ideals. Through commercials, children can see that doing certain things are good for you! They can see that it is what they should do. “Advertising and marketing techniques could encourage children to eat

1. In his article, “The Pleasures of Eating” (1990), author Wendell Berry says that the food industry and its consumers are analogous to Hollywood and its relationship to its consumers. His analogy states that people don't care how bad a movie is, they just care that its a movie and they finally have some form of entertainment, very much like how people tend to do today with their food, eating gross and unhealthy just for the kick of it. He claims that a person who doesn’t realize “the connections between eating and the land” is “passive and uncritical” and therefore, “in short a victim” of Although they sound similar, being a passive consumer of entertainment is different than being a passive consumer of food, because although watching bad movies watching many bad movies is not that bad for your health, eating too much junk food is really bad for you and eventually takes a toll on your body.

Television ads are arguably the most influential form of advertisement for fast food chains considering the fact that there 115.6 million TV homes in the United States, and over half of these homes have at least three TV’s. Today’s children spend on average of 44.5 hours a week in front of some type of screen whether its computer, TV or cellphone. More than any other activity in their lives other than sleeping (American Physiological Association). It has been discovered that children under the age of eight have difficulties telling apart programming and advertising and do not understand the persuasive techniques used on them, making them the main target for fast food companies. By incorporating famous people in TV commercials, people of all ages are tricked into thinking that if they copy the actions of the famous than it is acceptable to give

As many Americans know, there is currently an obesity epidemic that is sweeping the nation. With more food advertisements, bigger portion sizes, and Americans eating more calories than ever before; Linder makes his viewpoint very clear on how this is negatively affecting our nation. In his article “Fat of the Land”, Linder looks at all of the possible leading factors on who is to blame on the current situation in resulting of more than 60% of adults in America being overweight. The main contributing people to blame for the obesity epidemic is of course, the fast food industry. Linder’s main argument starts with his comparison of American’s calorie intake in the 1950’s, than comparing it to today. With stating the other side’s viewpoint on while advertisements and marketing are always surrounding the world around us; it is not forcing us to do anything. With his basic statement claiming that people will be people and at the end of the day, it’s their decision if they want to eat that 1,000 calorie filled Big Mac from McDonalds. Linder does a substantial job at informing the reader about the many dangers causing obesity, while also persuading them by giving tips to lead a well-balanced, healthier lifestyle.

The consumers have definitely done their part in terms of the obesity epidemic; however, they are not the only ones to blame. This video sheds light on how misinformed consumers are with the food choices they are making. “There is

The ad also targets children by mentioning the Playland and by saying that the happy meal “comes with a free toy.” They try to persuade kids to want to come back by revealing that a new toy is released every week. Food ads try to appeal to children because if they start eating their products at an early age, it is likely that they will remain a customer for life. McDonalds attracts children with their playgrounds, their complementary toys, and even their friendly clown mascot, Ronald McDonald. Every time that child returns to McDonalds, their liking and craving for the food is deepened until its consumption becomes a necessity into and throughout adulthood.

In Hans Taparia and Pamela Koch’s New York Times online article “A Seismic Shift in How People Eat,” posted on November 6, 2015, the current struggle that big food companies are experiencing in relation to increased consumer awareness is discussed. Prompting this article is the overwhelming movement to healthy eating by the general populace and the havoc it is wreaking on corporate companies. Highly popular among health enthusiasts of all ages, the topic of this paper appeals to a wide audience. Although easily missed at first due to the beautiful flow and structure of the paper, the opinions and claims by Taparia and Koch are primarily based in logos where facts and statistics are quoted, and a fair amount of pathos where vivid imagery is utilized to paint a picture of the scenario for the reader. Differing slightly from the normal presentation, the ethos of the paper is not so much enforced through personal titles or anecdotes, but rather through the combination of presenting the ideas and facts clearly and persuasively, all adding to the author’s credibility. When the paper comes to a conclusion, the reader is left with a solid understanding of how big food companies are finally being forced to share their dirty secrets and clean up their act in order to compete with the small scale, organic based companies and the jeopardy they are facing unless they change their ways drastically.

The film fed up is an examination of America’s obesity epidemic and the food industry’s influence on it. The film Fed Up focused on childhood obesity. This film portrayed many issues that are present in the United States today. Childhood obesity is influenced by the constant advertisements focusing on the high sugar foods; these advertisements are targeting children. Along with targeting children these advertisements use favorite characters and idols to encourage children to want these products that may not be health for them at all. Advertisements are sending out false messages, such as ‘this product is good, your idol loves it so you will too!’. This isn’t fair to children to only show them advertisements of unhealthy, sugary foods. Children follow the examples of their parents, so if a parent not making the healthy choices then the children may follow their decisions healthy or not. The United States original “cure” for obesity is eat less and exercise more. However, this “cure” may not be the true answer to losing weight. In 1977 the obesity epidemic began as well as the low fat foods. The low fat foods were low in fat but in order to make the food palatable they doubled the sugar. Scientists believe that this

Data regarding the tremendous financial expenditure involved in the promotion of certain types of food, in order to persuade the public to eat these, was initially presented. This was exemplified by a study on advertising that showed: out of thousands of ads, not one advocated eating fruits and vegetables (Mostly Magic, 2009). Through this, I surmise the public is being conditioned into accepting what a normal American diet is, thus, strengthening corporate market share and profiteering at the expense of life’s

This commercial essentially claims that, as victims of constant temptation, people of today’s culture and society cannot easily overcome the urge to eat unhealthily. According to the advertisement, this is due in part to the persuasive ability of the food industry, which instills an entitled, reward-seeking mindset into consumers through advertising techniques—for example, “It’s a special occasion,” or, “If you buy more, I’ll cut you a deal.” It also points out that the absence of eating control can be attributed to social influence: “I just want you to have a good time.” Even further, it shows the addictive, drug-like effect food can have on people by portraying the excessive availability of high-calorie snacks and meals and saying, “You’re in control. You can stop whenever you want—well, sorta—I mean, you gotta eat, right?” (“All You Can Eat,” 2015).

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

Even the Internet focuses on health—a recent Google search revealed over 46,000,000 Web sites related to the terms “nutrition advice.” Americans report that they do indeed use the media as a source of information about nutrition, and that television (72%) and magazines (58%) are relied upon more often for nutritional guidance than are family and friends (17%). (The American Dietetic Association, http://www.eatright.org) At the same time, many adults also feel that the media contain information that is often confusing and contradictory. In one recent study, adults who reported more confusion and skepticism about nutrition messages in the media also were more likely to eat a fat-laden diet.( Patterson RE, Satia JA, Kristal AR, Neuhouser ML, Drewnowski A, 2001) The authors of the study speculated that the proliferation of media information may be contributing to a nutrition backlash among certain subgroups of people. 2. Communication Analysis 2.1 New Campaign Objectives According to the current situation, McDonald’s designs a new communication campaign to change the dietary behaviors of a large number of people, including potential health-oriented customers and frequent junk food users. McDonald’s new communication Campaign called “Happy Exercise And Love Touch Health (HEALTH)” project, in partnership with WHO, nutritionists, local communities, fitness centers and various media channels, etc. This