“According to the surgeon general, obesity today is officially an epidemic; it is arguably the most pressing public health problem we face, costing the health care system an estimated $90 billion a year.” (Pollan) Today childhood obesity is widely recognized as a global health crisis; obesity rates in children have risen dramatically over years. For the past 50 years, the fast food industries can mold marketing messages in multiple media that impacted how consumers perceived fast food. Children are often the target in the messaging and creation of fast-food brand identities. They are also more vulnerable to the marketing messages being transmitted. Fast food industries should not be allowed to market or advertise their products directed to young children that has created health dangers of excessive consumption of fast foods and how fast foods firms tried to rebrand themselves by offering healthier food option. A ban on fast food advertising to children would cut the obesity rate by “as much as 18%” (York). Childhood obesity rates are rising worldwide. Once the weight is gained at an early age it becomes very difficult to get rid of the extra weight and obesity is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, …show more content…
For example, McDonalds have changed their happy meals towards kids by giving parents and children more options to choose from. Instead of French fries, kids can choose to have apple slices or yogurt. Per Krisberg, “While most restaurants offered healthy side and beverage options only 33 out of more than 5,400 kids meal combinations met recommended nutrition standards”. There have been numerous attempts that restaurants vow to improved their menu targeted towards kids. Many restaurants have eliminated the kid’s options which were praised because it was better than marketing a meal that is not actually healthy for
Along with television came advertisements. Advertisements began targeting children and more junk food was being promoted than healthy food. Children with diabetes has become more common and childhood obesity has increased drastically. If we are so big on ending obesity, why is it we still see so many McDonald’s commercials or other fast food commercials? Patel goes on later to talk about the amount of time spent cooking and eating and how it has fallen dramatically.
The founding fathers of fast food giants, including Ray Kroc and Walt Disney, were among the first to develop and focus on marketing to children. In a response about advertising Schlosser shows just how knowledgeable they were, “Hoping that nostalgic childhood memories of a brand will lead to a lifetime of purchases, companies now plan ‘cradle-to-grave’ advertising strategies. They have come to believe what Ray Kroc and Walt Disney realized long ago -- a person's ‘brand loyalty’ may begin as early as the age of two”(43). Schlosser explains how Ray Kroc and Walt Disney purposefully targeted children to build loyal customers. Their intent was to attract children so that they would drive their parents to take them to fast food restaurants.
In the article, “ Don’t Blame the Eater” by David Zinczenko’s, he explains that it is not the children’s fault for eating fast food but the companies who keep expanding in local areas where it is-easier-for children to get a taste. Zinczenko agrees that it is not healthy for the body and it is a worldwide problem that most families are facing today. The villain in this true story is the industries that do not stop making these unhealthy fast food for children and spread advertisement all over the media. Don’t blame the eater, blame the government to make more strict rules on a healthy environment.
Child obesity is not advertised like the lastest chicken nugget meal, which need to be addressed. There has been a rapid growth in child obesity worldwide. It has now caused a major problem in the health of young children. Center for Diseases Control took a survey in 2011 to 2014, showing that 12.7 million are being affected from the ages of 2 - 19 years old. Fast food restaurants are advertising in children show commercials.
The commercials on the television, the advertisements placed on newspapers and the banners by big conglomerates have one thing in common: They are mostly geared towards children. Chapter 2 of the book Fast Food Nation, written by Eric Schlosser provides a history of two big American companies, McDonalds and Disney, and how their selfish desires led to marketing directed towards children. Schlosser’s central idea and usage of argumentative techniques along with bias define this chapter’s purpose as an educational work designed to reveal the antics of big money corporations. The central idea of this chapter is focused solely on the greed and selfishness of big corporations as they try to advance their business and gain profits while being
This statement is so true because when my little brother sees toys or junk food on television he immediately begs my parents to buy either one for him. The majority of commercials during programs aimed at children are for unhealthy high-fat, high sugars or high-salt foods with little nutritional value. Not all parents are aware of how their children are exposed to marketing campaigns that influence their children. Some top food choices for kids attack kids by their appealing commercials. The commercials use bright colors, a funny icon cartoon character, older kids, and catchy phrases.
The author of this article is Ella Paula an editor for Livestrong.com. She has written several articles related to health. The primary target audience for this article is going to be parents, children, and young adults. This article documents how children eating fast food are part of the cause of childhood obesity and the major effects eating too much fast food can do.
Is having junk food in school really such a bad idea? Does it obtain a value that some schools lack? Junk food was provided in school, before the health program came into place, banning it from schools around the country. It was proudly served and allowed in school, and also sold for many school fundraisers. Although some people might say that junk food can be unhealthy, schools should allow, or serve, some junk food because it will make the kids want to eat school lunches more, it will bring in more money to the school, and it will give the students the calories that they need.
“What Kids Know: McDonalds, Toyota, Disney.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 12 Apr. 2010, abcnews.go.com/Business/kids-mcdonalds-toyota-disney/story?id=10333145. Accessed 2 March 2018. Story, Mary, and Simone French. “Food Advertising and Marketing Directed at Children and Adolescents in the US.”
“Don’t Blame the Eater”, written by David Zinczenko, is a short article discussing how fast food is the main cause of childhood obesity. This article came about in relations to two kids filing a lawsuit against McDonalds for making them fat. He begins his piece by sympathizing with these individuals because he used to be like them. Zinczenko then informs the reader of his background and how he fell into the category of being dependent upon quick and easy meals. In an attempt to provide a valid argument, he debates on how kids raise themselves while their parents are at work and that the nutritional values are not labeled upon prepared foods.
Argument Essay Consuming is very important for many people; some are compulsive buyers that don’t analyze the products, especially food. This fact is very important for companies that want to sell their products, using media and celebrities to present their products with images that are not close to the reality. This is the case of some food companies such as McDonald’s, Carl’s Jr. and Coca Cola Company. These three companies had so many advertisings that show people happy, with nice body and making people believe that their products are healthy, if they eat or drink there products general public will look the same as the models in the commercials.
“Fast food restaurants have us hooked on to their tasty food. You See a lot of people buying fast food because how good it tastes. Well let me tell you it is not good for your health. Why do fast food places lower their prices because they know people will buy it if it doesn’t cost that much and most people buy it cause that`s how much they can afford”. Fast food places is a way to not cook every week I feel bad for people when I go to McDonald’s and ask them, do you know what you’re eating in they say
Fast food is considered popular because it 's convenient, it 's cheap, and it tastes good. But the real cost of eating fast food never appears on the menu. Fast food marketers marketing to children and adolescents has skyrocketed throughout the last century. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, funded by the government, "In the United States, the percentage of children and adolescents affected by obesity has more than tripled since the 1970 's" ("Healthy Schools"). In fact, this statistic is predicted to increase significantly as fast food restaurants are continuously being built everywhere in the U.S. Fast food restaurants are everywhere.
According to Nassar & Zien (2012) who analyzed the effects of TV ads on children in the middle east, “children pay more attention to what they see rather than to what they only hear” (p.268). Hence, fast food advertisers take this opportunity to their advantage by designing advertisements with many visual triggers along with a nice food packaging and a great displaying of the product. A study about the effects of food ads on children and parents found that the majority of children in a sample size of 75 favored to have the unhealthy advertised food item they saw on TV than a
Childhood obesity is, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) one of the most public health challenges of the 21 century, with over 42 million children under 5 estimated to be overweight (WHO). The epidemic is caused by a global trend towards radically reduced physical activity levels. This is coupled by a global shift in diet towards energy-dense foods that are high in fat, salt and sugars (HFSS), but low in vitamins and minerals, and advertising and marketing for these types of food products are argued to be partly to blame for the shift in dietary intake. There are some considerable concerns expressed about the Level of children’s exposure to brands on social networks, leading to complex arguments about children’s resulting sense of reality and feelings of self-esteem. Skaar (2009) for example argues that the constant viewing of brands and products online, and the opportunity for children to adopt the strategies and resources of professional marketers to market them, lay foundations for social competition and reinforces patterns of exclusion and uniformity.