It would not be a surprise that television, internet, and any other kinds of ads of big fast food companies such as McDonalds® or Subway® have successfully advance their ideas of healthy foods in many of Americans. Yet all of these wealthy corporations, along with many other smaller companies, have many ways to sell their products. These methods could be underhanded loaded with jargon. Information of simple knowledge overfilled with confusing and sometimes random information that otherwise will be too insignificant for people to put an effort to learning about. There are also times where information is overly simplified and have no real background to make a worthy judgment. Amidst all of the fallacies in the fast food industry, there exist reliable sources of information. In recent years, there has been an increase of connecting ideas of the transformation of fasts foods. Although some arguments claim the reason is one clause over the other, some will divert and stray off topic. They exert random facts to either make the claim reasonable or by overflowing them with sources that seems reliable from authoritative figures. Rabin article “Proximity to Fast Food a Factor in Student Obesity” goes to say: Ninth graders whose schools are within a block of a fast-food outlet are more likely to be obese than students whose schools are a quarter of a mile or more away, according to a study of millions of schoolchildren by economists at the University of California and Columbia University. (Rabin) The basis of proximity and obesity are non sequitur ideas. The field of study was limited and difficult to draw a conclusion because there is no reliable comprehensive connection. Researching related concepts such as types of foods, productions, and manufacture, connect with fast food resulting in student obesity are better. Although there is relevance to the idea of proximity with fast food which results in obesity, production concepts offer better connective experimental data. The study was done on ninth graders and on schools that are a quarter of a mile or more away. This creates weak rationalization. The study, also, could have easily added variety of data than just ninth graders because if they extended to elementary schools, high schools, and even college students, in addition with different distances, it gives a reliable and diverse scope. Broadening to different people, race, age groups offers a more detailed conclusion.
Kushner, Jason, ed. "Fast Food and Obesity Epidemic."Nutra Legacy. Nutralegacy.com , 12 Nov 2008. Web. 16 Jan 2014. .
Rabin, Roni Camryn. "Fast Food a Factor in Student Obesity." New York Times. n.p., 25 Mar. 2009. Web. 29 Jul. 2013.
Zinczenko argues that because of the availability of fast-food restaurants in major American cities, childhood obesity has significantly increased. He explains that “according to the
In “Don’t Blame the Eater,” David Zinzcenko illustrates a very valid argument. His conflict seems to be with the food industry and its horrible variety of products. The results have been staggering to the public’s health, especially teenagers. Fast food restaurants are Zinzcenko’s primary target for causing this epidemic. Zinzcenko stated, “lunch and dinner, for me, was a daily choice between McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken or Pizza Hut. Then as now, these were the only available options for an American kid to get an affordable meal” (pg.241). This statement is very true and has been for a while. Fast food is very convenient, especially for teenagers. People are reaching obesity at a very early age and remain that way throughout their lives.
She then claims that fast food should not be considered healthy based on the number of healthy options provided but rather on which food options the consumers regularly purchase. To support this claim she provides an example of Subway’s marketing strategy using Jared Fogle which rebranded the restaurant as a place for healthy food. She then compares the consumer purchases between Subway and McDonalds and claims that despite Subway’s brand image as “healthy,” the caloric content of their sandwiches is not significantly lower compared to the food at McDonalds. Therefore, while consumers have low calorie options, most of the food at Subway contain a significantly higher caloric content than the options highlighted in the marketing strategy. She concludes her argument by arguing that all of this evidence shows that there is no relationship between menu options and healthy eating at fast food restaurants. She suggest that people should focus on changing consumer reactions to fast food and therefore eat fast food less often rather than looking for fast food chains to provide more
How many Americans do you think eat at fast food restaurants daily? How many Americans have experienced weight gain and health issues of the years? We as Americans are overweight and unhealthy who is to blame? We want to believe that McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Wendy’s etc. is the reason why we are fat. But the truth is that we are becoming overweight and unhealthy because of the lack of responsibility over our own diet and eating habits. In the essay, “Don’t Blame the Eater” by David Zinczenko he, believes that the fast food industry is responsible for the health and obesity epidemic in America. He argues that there are not many healthy alternatives to fast food for consumers, “particularly teenagers” to buy food. He goes further
Unhealthy foods are what make the money for schools and that is why they serve them for students. (Schlafy) Schools feel like they need the extra money in the budget, even though it is at the student’s expense. Data shows that nearly 60% of all middle schools in the US serve soda from vending machines. (Schlafy) Soda is very high in sugar and is not at all good for children, but it is still sold in school vending machines. The ways food in schools is now are way too high in fats and sugars. This is not good for the children and very bad in the long run. Elementary schoolchildren have an estimated $15 billion of their own money that they can use to buy whatever they want in schools, and parents have almost another $160 billion to give students for food money. (Schlafy) Big businesses see this as a big source of profit and therefore encourage children to buy their products, and want them to be offered in school because of th4e likelihood of children buying the business’s product. All in all, obesity in the US is greatly influenced by the foods offered in schools
David Zinczenko assumes that fast-food restaurants have been consider guilty for obesity . On the one hand, he argues that they are inexpensive and favorable ways of eating and not to mention how fast and closed they can be to our homes. From this perspective, children today are victims of the cheap prizes and irresistible meals that are highly bad in calories as a result of gaining so much weight. On the other hand, however, he argues that it is the parent's fault by working long hours and not being able to pay enough attention to their kids especially on what they eat. In my own view, I agree that there is plenty of food for sale at grocery stores that are both nutritious and convenient. Though I concede that fast food is fascinating, but
Buchholz, Todd. "Are Fast-Food Establishments Making Americans Fat?." Journal of Controversial Medical Claims 10.4 (2003): 1-10. Print. 1 Feb 2011.
Holguin, Jaime. “Fast Food Linked To Child Obesity.” Cbsnews.com. CBS News, 5 Jan. 2003. Web. 8 May 2011.
“For someone not to know that a big mac is unhealthy is ignorance, and ignorance is not the responsibility of the fast food industry,” (Daniel Speiser). The amount of fast food joints has largely increased which has become a problem for many people throughout the United States. Several people place the blame for the rising obesity among children on the rising fast food industries due to its convenience, price, advertising, and somewhat un-nutritional content. Some people even take it as far as court to place blame on the fast food industries and for those industries to make changes to their restaurants. The high percentage of obese children in the United States is not caused by the fast food industry. The obesity epidemic has other outside influences, the fast food industries have changed dramatically, and people should take responsibility for their own consumptions. It is time for people to stop placing the blame on others and take responsibility for themselves and their actions.
One way that fast food effects obesity is by advertising their products to children (Miller). In her article Food Advertising Contributes to Obesity, Patti Miller explains that the fast food companies are targeting kids and teenagers by advertising on television. The fast food advertisements are promoting unhealthy products as acceptable food which influences children to choose those meals. The American Psychological Association, an organization focused on improving the lives of individuals, expressed that with the exposure of different fast food commercials, children request to purchase these unhealthy products and cause the parents to be influenced by these requests. This concludes the idea that once children are encouraged by the commercials, they opt to consume the fast food advertised on television. Today, fast food companies are even advertising through schools by offering pizzas and burgers as school lunches, which consequently becomes a daily meal for children and teenagers to consume (Wadden, Brownell,
Obesity is a big social issue in America. Due to the popularity of fast food and other unhealthy foods, more and more Americans are developing health diseases and disorders. We should be getting the correct daily nutrition amount, but because of our fast paced lifestyles we sometimes do not have enough time. Fast food restaurants make it possible to grab a meal and go. We often do not pay attention to the nutrition amount, but are simply looking for a quick bite to eat that will fulfill our hunger. Fast food is assisting in the increase of obesity in America (“Phrase” par.2).
Is fast food to blame for the growing obesity in America? Obesity affects more than half of the population. With so many Americans gaining weight and so many health problems the matter has to be addressed. There is no one would argue that obesity, especially the children is considered a problem. In any case the cause of childhood obesity is fought about daily. Many people will say that fast food restaurants are to blame. In my research, I will explain the argument that who is to blame for the obesity in America: fast food restaurants or common laziness from the obese society.
Throughout the world fast food has made a tremendous impact on the marketing world and the people that are consuming the food. Marketing has been directed towards the children and adolescents throughout the world and has benefited but also harmed the fast food companies that are using these marketing techniques. The use of toys and catchy tunes attract these young people to want to buy the food from that company. But the examination of the healthiness of the food has also harmed the profit margin for these companies. Overall, the fast food industry has taken significant damage in the way that they currently run things from the way they market to the health concerns that is caused by the food.