...Alexa Pierre English 1102: Food and Representation 2 May 2012 Controversies of the Fast Food Epidemic In today’s society, when it comes to food, consumers want the best of both worlds. People desire instant gratification meals such as fast food, but also want companies to be good citizens. Statistics show that 85% of Americans think that consumers should get more than just the product for their money; their support should go to companies that don’t harm the environment or hurt people (Clark, “Fast Food Shake Up”). Is it possible for fast food companies to provide quick, satisfactory food without the health risks involved? Do fast food companies really have any correlation to obesity? Are we taking it too far by blaming fast food companies? When is it individual responsibility, and when is it appropriate to place blame? Regardless of the actual cause of obesity, the major health epidemic in America needs to be addressed (Clark). Before addressing the fast food products, it is important to start with the basics. Does fat in foods actually make you fat? This is a very simple, yet extremely controversial question. Back in the 1860s, an Englishman named William Bantig was so overweight that he didn’t dare doing simples tasks such as walking face-first down a flight of stairs because he was afraid of falling over. His doctor advised that he start a diet that was high in meat and alcohol, and low in fruits. Within months of this new diet, Bantig lost over 35 pounds....
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...Fast food is quickly becoming Americas cigarette, causing more death related illnesses than a pack of smokes. Before you judge your friends for lighting one up, take a look at the food your ingesting and what its doing to your body. Fast food has rapidly become a staple in our society but to really understand the fast food epidemic we must understand the leading causes, what effects it has on our population and what we can do to solve this crisis. Fast food is popular for a multitude of reasons, including its abundance and price. Fast food is largely consumed due to its accessibility and competitive price. As an illusion (T), people often find themselves in a hurry and don’t think they have time to make a full meal or stop at a restaurant for a long time. Fast food is quite literally “fast”. Ultimately, (T) this (PW) convenience can often lead to be a habit forming activity for an individual with a fast-paced schedule. “They're (PW) quick: 92.3%, They're easy to get to: 80.1%, I like the taste of fast food: 69.2%, They're inexpensive: 63.6%” said Louise Chang MD. Along with those reasons there (PW) is also the simple fast that fast food tastes good. The products are loaded with carbs, sugars, and salts to appeal to are taste buds. In prehistoric times humans developed a taste for foods rich in fats and carbs because they were a good source of energy in a time where food was less accessible. In other words,(RD) todays world we are surrounded by easy access to foods and...
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...success in the food industry is marketing. The food industry is the best at manipulating and altering perceptions and persuading its customers that their product is a necessity. Big food corporations have had a major influence on the spread of obesity in America. Fed Up argues that if we want to see change we need to be the change. According to the film, kids watch an average of 4,000 food-related ads every year; that’s about 10 per day (Fed Up). Additionally, 98% of food related ads that children view is for products high in fat, sugar, and sodium (Fed Up). Fast food companies are targeting kids in their marketing strategies and it is leading to kids developing bad habits and ideas about food at an early age....
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...The Earth is Round and So are Americans Is it too late to fix America’s obesity epidemic? Ever since the 70’s Americans eating habits and lifestyle has changed. Fast food industries is the major reason why America has become one of the most obese countries in the world. Women rights also changed, this meant that women now were able to have a job which made a huge difference in families. Fast foods took advantage of this situation to target the kids due to the fact that women had less time at home to cook homemade meals. Ever since those years not only has fast foods become an everyday meal but is causing huge health problems in America. The most Epidemic problem is obesity and has increased over the years, and is killing thousands of Americans. Back in the 1970’s before fast foods, life expectancy of people was...
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...at how well the fast food industry is growing. Quick-stop food franchises like McDonalds and Burger King allow overworked moms to feed their children dinner in between soccer practice and dance lessons. While the fast food options may be a time saver, there are many downsides that can lead to an abundance of physical and mental health problems. Some of these potentially harmful problems could be early respiratory issues, depression, and acne. To avoid the negative effects of a bacon cheeseburger, it is important to find a healthy balance between junk food and healthier options. Implementing more education about healthy food choices in schools and making it readily available to overworked parents and their hungry kids could begin to end the epidemic....
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...The convenience of fast food in our society has caused us to become blind to the health effects of indulging in that type of food. According to the website stateofobesity.com, 34 % of all Americans are overweight. Obesity is rising at a steady rate of nearly one percent a year, while Americans are eating larger servings of food than in the past. In my personal experience, the root cause of the obesity epidemic is the “Dollar Menu” offered by many restaurant chains. Fast food restaurants can pump out a multitude of menu items for “dirt cheap.” This sounds great, right? Not when you see the calorie count and also where they get this meat! Let's take a “Big Mac” for example from everyone's favorite golden arches. A “Big Mac” on average with medium fries and no drink, has a calorie count of 1080 according to to the website livestrong.com. This to is half of the daily intake of calories recommended for the average sized male or female. Also take into consideration, normal American’s wash down their “Big Mac” with a favorite soda poured into your extra large cup, which adds additional calories. Of course, many restaurants also contribute to the epidemic that is obesity, but they are not the only problem. Often times, the advertised healthier choices and/or healthier restaurants (i.e, Subway or Panera...
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...Weight gain remains the most discussed topic in modern conversation because everyone wants to uphold a certain image, but still wants the luxury of convenience and affordability. Due to the busy schedule that most Americans have, they want to squeeze out as many hours in a day as they possibly can without burning a hole in their pockets. Fast food restaurants may be the best option for those speeding in life’s fast lane, but it does come with a health cost. Health is one of the keys to a longer lifespan, but that health is at risk when you are consuming foods that will result to the leading epidemic of obesity. McDonald’s is America’s number one fast food restaurant notorious for their low prices and convenience. McDonald’s French Fries, Big Macs, and the dollar menu are often the go to for most Americans. This advertisement is intentionally pointing the finger at McDonald’s and correlating them with weight gain. The red box with the word “Weight” inside is a pretty simple...
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...Many issues are drastically affecting people's weight through fast food. There does seem to be some debate on what we as citizens should do about it, yet still nothing seems to change. Let's start with the location of these fast food restaurants; Mercedes White, the author of the article “How the Whole Foods Movement Hurts the Poor”, leads a discussion that entails today's society and the fast food industry that has turned food-processing science loose, and let the engineers get Americans addicted to fat, sugar and salt. This is especially true in high poverty areas, White herself states, “there is not reasonable scenario under which these [healthy] foods could become cheap and plentiful enough to serve as the core diet for the population.”...
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...oblivious to their addiction to fast food and the health risks that are involved. Fast food companies make it easy for the general public to skip the old fashioned home cooked meal and go out for an inexpensive, fast, and (for the kids) fun meal. Fast food companies are being blamed for their role in contributing to the growing epidemic of obesity in Americans because of high calorie foods, high fat beverages, and super-sized servings. The fast food community does not realize what they are eating and what health problems can arise from eating fast food. According to Andrew Martin of the Washington Bureau, “Hardee’s restaurants recently scrapped almost its entire menu to focus on hefty sandwiches called Thickburgers–including the Double Bacon Cheese Thickburgers, weighing in at two-thirds of a pound and 1,148 calories.” (“Obesity” 1) Fast food companies do not warn fast food eaters of the many calories that are in just one hamburger. In a recent lawsuit against Burger King, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and KFC, a 56-year-old New York maintenance worker named Caesar Barber argued that “because of eating fast food five times a week the high fat, grease, and salt he became sick with obesity, high-blood pressure, two heart attacks, and diabetes” (“Food” 1). Kelly Brownell, director of Yale University’s Center for Eating and Weight Disorders, says “fast food is in the same league with cigarettes” (“Food“ 2). Meaning that once people start eating fast food, it is hard to stop. On the other...
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...Fast food restaurants are everywhere in today’s society. They are found in hospitals, attached to fueling stations, in grocery stores, and inside major sports complexes (such as Great American Ball Park). With the many locations of these restaurants, the question must be raised… are fast food restaurants making people fat? That question can be answered with a resounding yes! In 1968, McDonalds was operating 1,000 restaurants (Schlosser 3); Taco Bell was just getting started and Wendy’s opened its first restaurant in 1969 (About Wendy's). According to Pearson Education’s Info Please website, 13.3% of adults were obese in the 1960s (Info Please). Today, 35.5% of people are obese (Flagel et al. 491). That’s an increase of 22.2%. In the 1970s, Americans spent 6 billion on fast food (Schlosser 3). In the year 2000 alone, Americans spent more than 110 billion (Schlosser 3). Today, there are over 50,000 fast food chains in America according to Google Maps. What is obesity and why is it a problem? Tabors Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary defines obesity as “an unhealthy accumulation of body fat” (Tabors Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary 1504). Obesity is clinically manifested (diagnosed) when the body mass index is ≥30 kg/m2 (Lewis et al. 2: 1035). Obesity is a problem because not only does it put more strain on the person during physical activity, but it also leads to decreased lung volumes from the heavy abdominal area placing pressure on the diaphragm (Potter et al. 826). ...
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...Swanson 1 Kevin Swanson English 101 Dr.Polliard 3 May 2015 Fast Food Doesn't Cause Obesity? Fast foods have been around for decades now. Every day in America people turn to fast food for a quick meal. As the craze of fast food spread across the country people are starting to feel the negative effects of the quick meals and are blaming fast food for their health problems. But is it really the fast food companies' fault or the customers who consume their food? In modern day society the quickest meal someone in a rush can get is either some fruit or food from a fast food restaurant. Due to the fact that they want a cheap meal that will fill them up, they will go with the fast food restaurant. In a video titled "The Dollar Menu," a family shows that going with the smart choice of fruit instead of fast food will be more expensive than a burger from the dollar menu. The family blames their busy schedule for the unhealthy choices of fast food. The dad from the family in the video has diabetes. Everyone in the family is now immensely concerned that the youngest daughter might be stricken with the debilitating disease next. Swanson 2 Fast food restaurants are the prime suspect today in the obesity epidemic. The human body needs a minimum...
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...overweight to having to buy some more jeans. Facts announced by Dr. Neil Hutcher (2011) “Obesity is a disease that affects 34 percent of adults age 20 and over in the United States, which amounts to more than 72 million people. About 32.2 percent of American men and about 35.5 percent of American women are obese.” Gaining weight drastically is a good sign of obesity. For a person to be considered obese his or her body mass index has to be over 30 or weight is 20 percent or more above normal weight. Researched by the Control Disease Center (2010) mentioned that one-third of U.S adults are obese as of 2010 and rates remain high; “Obesity is common, serious, and costly. In 2009, about 2.4 million more adults were obese than in 2007. This epidemic has affected every part of the United States. In every state, more than 15% of adults are obese, and in nine states, over 30% of adults are obese.” There are many dangers to being obese because it may influence your risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, gallbladder disease, age-related macular degeneration and breast cancer, and other types of cancer such as; prostate and colon cancer. Obesity is very common amongst Americans and has been for some decades now, but why the sudden increase? I have personally experience this condition of gaining weight due to lack of exercise, overeating, and Depo-Provera. Many say obesity comes from genetics. Have you ever heard someone say, well look at his mother...
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...TARGETING Burger King’s primary target customers were families where both partners were working. As the pace of American lifestyle increased, people did not find enough time to cook their meals. Because most of the fast food was quite tasty, cheap, convenient and readily available, consumers preferred them to regular meals. Even Children of up to 16 years of age played a major role and they were the secondary targets. They had the power to convince their parents to take them out to such fast food restaurants. They enjoyed specialised kids meals and were a key part of the dining experience for families. In 1990, an average of 997 commercials was aired during Saturday morning cartoon hours compared to 225 in 1987. Two thirds of these advertisements promoted candies and fast food. Also, the ‘super-size bags’ and ‘value meals’ became popular since consumers got a great quantity of food at a comparatively lesser price. Getting more for your money is ingrained in the American psyche. Consumers were getting accustomed to bigger and heartier meals as fast food was usually bundle priced i.e. a hamburger, fries and soft drink cost less if bought together than separately. SOCIETAL MARKETING? A study undertaken by “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” in 1999 revealed that 30% of US adults who were 20 years and older (59 million people) were obese and had increased their calorie and carbohydrate intake over the past 30 years. Increase in this intake resulted in an average gain...
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...TARGETING Burger King’s primary target customers were families where both partners were working. As the pace of American lifestyle increased, people did not find enough time to cook their meals. Because most of the fast food was quite tasty, cheap, convenient and readily available, consumers preferred them to regular meals. Even Children of up to 16 years of age played a major role and they were the secondary targets. They had the power to convince their parents to take them out to such fast food restaurants. They enjoyed specialised kids meals and were a key part of the dining experience for families. In 1990, an average of 997 commercials was aired during Saturday morning cartoon hours compared to 225 in 1987. Two thirds of these advertisements promoted candies and fast food. Also, the ‘super-size bags’ and ‘value meals’ became popular since consumers got a great quantity of food at a comparatively lesser price. Getting more for your money is ingrained in the American psyche. Consumers were getting accustomed to bigger and heartier meals as fast food was usually bundle priced i.e. a hamburger, fries and soft drink cost less if bought together than separately. SOCIETAL MARKETING? A study undertaken by “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” in 1999 revealed that 30% of US adults who were 20 years and older (59 million people) were obese and had increased their calorie and carbohydrate intake over the past 30 years. Increase in this intake resulted in an average gain...
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...gathered would be unsupportive or too broad for the audience to understand. The interviews alone would have only portrayed assumptions and not proof to back up his thesis. If Spurlock solely relied on the experiment, individuals could question the probability of the results happening again or to other people. Interviews are conducted with average Americans and experts to medically explain and prove how fast food meals contribute to the U.S. obesity epidemic. The experiment is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the fast food industry’s influence to encourage poor nutrition, and to physically show the correlation between fast food and an unhealthy lifestyle. Both methods serve to validate one another because the responses from individuals supply the audience with data and information to better understand Spurlock’s experiment, while his personal experience provides data to support the information the interviewers give. Throughout the length of his experiment, experts are interviewed multiple times, which is crucial to reveal and explain the negative effects of fast food to the human body. As Spurlock prepares himself mentally, he sets appointments and interviews with a cardiologist, gastroenterologist, general practitioner, nutritionist, and personal trainer to examine his body and inform him of their predictions of the experiment. The doctor assumes that the McDiet would have a small affect on the patient’s triglycerides and an increase in weight gain. Spurlock’s plan...
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