Why Do Companies Promote Unhealthy Foods?

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.

In “Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food” by Michael Moss is about the rising numbers of obesity in both adults and children throughout the United States. On the Evening of April 8, 1999, some of the biggest food industries CEO’s ad company presidents come together for a rare, private meeting. Discussing the emerging obesity epidemic and how they should deal with it. Big time companies food is lacking the nutrients that a person needs and is more concentrated on how to make it more desired. Keeping the customers coming for more. While the industries are gaining a profit, the customers are gaining a big belly.

“Although many health authorities insist that there is no such thing as junk food, consumers find it a useful term for distinguishing nourishing food from products whose chief appeal is fun, convenience, and addictive taste; ‘bet you can't eat just one’ ”(Junk Food). Americans are spending about $4.6 billion a year on potato chips, and 23.5 billion a year on candy and gum. 46 Percent of adult Americans eat out on a typical day, and one third of them choose fast food. That is because the fast food industry has slowly become one of the symbols of American culture and is spreading to other cultures as well: McDonalds has 26,000 locations in 119 countries, Pizza Hut has more than 10,000 in 86 countries, and Subway has 14,500 in 75 countries. Commercials, signs, and huge advertisements are pushing junk food at us every day; people cannot even go to the grocery store without candy bars being lined up right by the checkout. The junk food industry realizes how appealing it can be. When a person is in a rush, they can easily eat a large meal without having to make a lot of decisions, work, dress up, or get out of their car. The speed and convenience fit Americans’ pressured lifestyles. It does not fit, however, to our health and wellness. A fast food meal, such as a Burger King Double Whopper with cheese, contains 965 calories, more than double the amount of fat, and as much as 750 grams too much sodium

One of the main effects marketing take effects on youth is they're health. According to the documentary The Myth of Choice: How Junk Food Marketers Target Our Kids. 1 in 3 kids each day eat fast food, causing cancer, obesity, and diabetes type 2. This shows that if advertisers don't care about kids health or they're oblivious to the affects. And it's most likely not going to change. Also from the documentary, The Myth of Choice: How Junk Food Marketers Target Our Kids. It states “engineered to target parts of your brain that want fat and sugar”. Junk food companies hire scientists to like it said, target the parts of the brain that want your body to have that type of stuff. So is basically addicts you to the food so you'll always want to have

Schlosser’s ‘Fast Food Nation’ and Wendell Berry’s ‘The Pleasures of Eating’ have undeniably altered the manner in which I will forever view fast and processed foods. After reviewing the two readings, I am convinced that fast and processed food consumers are the victims of large franchises seeking to make a quick buck at the expense of the consumer’s health. Fast food and processed food consumers are ignorant of the quality of the food that they choose to purchase, solely depending on franchises for the information. Franchisees, on the other hand, choose to conceal this information as revealing it would spell huge losses. They manipulate and decorate food items so as to get consumers to purchase them, with no regard for the health implications they subject their consumers.

America has been faced with the growing obesity epidemic. This is becoming very wide spread among all races and class levels due in part to the abundance of inexpensive food available and how easily people are becoming persuaded to but things they do not need. David Zinczenko published article “Don’t Blame the Eater”, Zinczenko argues that fast-food industries are not doing their job to provide clear enough nutritional information for hazardous food.

“They (Food Production Corporations) may have salt, sugar, and fat on their side, but we, ultimately, have the power to make choices. After all, we decide what to buy. We decide how much to eat.” (Moss 346). In today’s society, junk food needs no introduction as everyone enjoys the taste of junk food because it is fast, tasty, and affordable but not everyone knows what all goes into their food. Over the years the food industries have drastically changed how food is produced and manufactured. Moss reflects upon the motivations and practices by the food industries which have transformed the American food supply by the use of the three key ingredients, salt, sugar, and fat. Through Michael Moss’s use of rhetorical appeals in his book Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us, he discusses the extraordinary science behind what is considered tasty food, how multinational food companies use the key ingredients, salt sugar, and fat to increase sales and how other literary elements can help create trust between the author and audience thus increasing the effect of his arguments.

Throughout the years in the United States, fast food has become the prominent diet of citizens. Many people do not realize the harmful effects of eating fast food on a daily basis. Many people in the United States are use to consuming foods that are processed with sugars and other chemicals, without being aware of eating a unhealthy diet can increase the risks of being obese ;as well as, having numerous health issues. Although people try their best to eat healthy and more productive they do not know what foods to eat or whether if it is healthy for them. In the articles “Don’t Blame the Eater by David Zincekino and “Escape from the Western Diet” by Michael Pollan. There were a number of similarities and differences in the details highlighted in these two articles.

They consistently advertise products that are appealing to certain age groups because of their sweetness, tang or whatever, and evidence suggests that children exposed to junk food advertising express greater preference for these types of food (Khullar 127). It’s no wonder that people struggle to think for themselves when it comes to eating. They have no room left for thought when they are constantly exposed to what the media and food companies want them to buy. Plus, when the food tastes good as advertised, there’s no need to try and bite the hand that feeds them. Unfortunately, by killing the need to decide their own diets, they are contributing to a country overrun by obesity. The processed foods being marketed are filled with ingredients the body isn’t meant to digest and as such the body barely can. And it’s not just that, but the large volume of foodstuffs available has given people the opportunity to over-consume. They no longer eat to sate hunger, but to continue gratifying their taste

Michael Moss wrote in his book “Salt Sugar Fat” the effects of our nation’s increasing choice of unhealthy eating and the effects following that decision. The book defines the actions food giants like Pepsi or Kraft perform in order for more people to come back and purchase their product. By appealing to ethos, logos, and pathos, Moss achieve his goal in presenting and persuading the readers the growing problem American people have today.

In "Don't Blame the Eater," David Zinczenko responds to arguments that overweight people are to blame for their health problems. However, Zinczenko forgets to mention that fast food joints fail to uphold their responsibilities of providing healthy and nutritious foods to the public. In other words, they merely only care about making money and by doing so they make cheap, unhealthy products and sell them at reasonably low prices. Furthermore, this leads to more and more people purchasing their foods and an increase in health problems. While fast food places do a splendid job in advertising their foods using the words "juicy" and "delicious", they fail to show their consumers just how unhealthy their products actually are. Many people, such

As a nation, Americans revel in the consumption of junk food. These extremely unhealthy foods are often present during many various occasions, such as sports events, movies, and parties. When a person craves a quick snack, junk food is the ideal solution. However, beyond the satisfying taste of foods such as Doritos and potato chips lies a very serious problem. These foods can lead to physical disrepair, sickness, and even death. Yet many Americans remain oblivious to this nationwide issue and allow it to remain unaddressed. The crisis of junk food in America needs to be resolved immediately. To go more in depth, it is imperative that the nation resolves this issue relatively soon, primarily because the excessive consumption of

In today's society, fast food has become a large part of many American's lives. With the rising numbers of obese people, it is hard not to draw a correlation between the increase in fast food and obesity. Most obese people don’t want to be obese and wish they could lose weight, yet they continue to struggle with their fast food intake and obesity. This is due to the advertising done on the consumers, the highly addictive food itself, and most importantly, how advertising and addiction combine with children to form habits that are kept once they become adults. These factors are the reasons that fast food restaurants are to blame for the rising obesity and health risks across America. The government needs to step in and place regulations on

Traditionally, the fast food industry has been associated with the cause of this health-related issue (Boyle 2004). Major fast food companies have been called to Federal Government summits to improve the quality of junk food (Wright 2007). While most of these major companies have now taken

Since fast food first emerged in the United States it has become a large and successful industry, netting billions of dollars every year. This rapid expansion of fast food has put a fast food establishment within reach of almost every American. In Adam Chandler’s “What if Consumers Just Want to Buy Junk Food” he claims that although a majority of Americans believe they eat healthier today than in the 1970’s, but in fact studies show the very opposite. Chandler associates this to the consumers preference of unhealthy foods, but there is strong evidence that this rise in unhealthy consumption in American society can be attributed to the marketing and business tactics of fast food corporations, the availability and ease of access to fast food, and their socioeconomic status.