Topic > The Role of Food Companies in Rising Obesity Rates in America

The population of the United States grew very rapidly because there was more food thanks to improvements in agricultural technology. The resulting overproduction of food has forced farms to find more ways to market their products, which has led to Americans gaining unhealthy weight. In the discussion about obesity in America, one of the controversial issues has been who is responsible for causing obesity. Some argue that the individual is responsible for the food choices he or she makes. On the other hand, others argue that food companies should be responsible for providing all the information necessary for individuals to make the right choices, and not hide things behind advertising. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay My opinion is that food companies should be responsible for providing truthful information. They should tell the public about the consequences of excessive food consumption and stop deceiving consumers by promoting unhealthy foods through misleading advertisements. Therefore, food companies are responsible for the obesity problem in the United States because they do not provide sufficient or correct information about the food products they market. Furthermore, their clever marketing practices cause the consumer to purchase unhealthy foods unconsciously and without hesitation, resulting in the problem of obesity. Food companies have started selling fast food using deceptive information to trick people into consuming without any concern whether the foods are healthy or not. We see it in the documentary film “Fed Up”. This film is about how food companies reinforce and support food choices that are harmful to people's health and contribute to the obesity problem in the United States. Throughout the film, the producers show us how food companies mislead the public from eating in healthier ways: by repeatedly promoting large fast food combos and large pizzas at cheap prices. Additionally, critical information about how many calories these foods contain is omitted, leading the consumer to believe that pizza and fast food may be less expensive and healthier than healthy food alternatives. Children are particularly targeted by food companies. Advertising food with attractive packaging has been a successful tactic to get children to consume high amounts of sugar. Additionally, these food companies start selling their unhealthy foods in schools. As a result, children get used to those fast foods that they will consume them habitually in the future. So, this also causes children to mistakenly think that fast food and sugary packaged foods are real food. After all, children have difficulty determining what is right or wrong, what is good for them or what is bad for them. “Fed Up” also shows us how school lunches are controlled by fast food companies, especially in low-income areas. This is important because it shows how companies are using unethical business strategies to take advantage of children's weaknesses, ultimately causing them to consume unhealthy food. Furthermore, we know that consuming fast food at an early age will lead to children becoming future customers who will unconsciously consume the food without thinking or believing that it is unhealthy. The hidden implications lie in food companies because food companies tend to trap, coerce, and trick us into buying fast food since fast food is the only choices in schools. Effectively,.