Fed Up Documentary Analysis

Childhood obesity is a growing pandemic not only in the United States, but the world in total. The documentary “Fed Up” gives insight into possible causes of this, the main one being that large food companies play a major role. Most large food companies such as Kraft and Coca Cola have done much in this growing problem, and there currently is a big debate about this. There is a question about how much the food industry impacts health, and how much is done to combat this problem. In addition, the financial aspects of the industry leave much to be desired. The “addictive” properties of sugar are also a concerning issue to pay attention to.

Firstly, processed food has had a rough history with health. Many will agree that childhood obesity is

When their products are scrutinized, they, of course, go to large lengths to defend it. Many doctors who have published studies “disproving” the link between sugar and obesity have taken vast amounts of money from large processed food companies. This obviously brings in the question of special interests to the table. Moreover, the food industry also has interesting ads and ways of selling. For example, lots of processed food can be found at checkouts almost everywhere; from gas stations to clothing stores. The suspicious thing is that they are at eye level for children, who are less likely to know or care about nutrition. There also was an experiment done where children watched tv while eating goldfish crackers. When the ads in the show were about food, children tended to eat about 75% more than children who watched the program without food ads. Several large processed foods companies also use marketing ploys such as beloved cartoon characters or claiming that their food is “easy and cheap”. In fact, schools have often received "partnerships" with fast food companies. But soon the question arises “Why don’t schools do anything to stop childhood obesity before it stops?”. This is because public schools are government funded, and the cheapest options are partnering up with large processed food companies. The “nutritional value” of these foods have been twisted to fit the “health

But many also have wondered about the addictive properties of sugar. An early advertisement for formula (for babies), mentions that it contains a type of sugar, which the documentary notices, is in some ways addictive. The documentary remarks that this “gets them hooked early on”, which is concerning. To target the youngest of consumers with an addictive substance keeps them as customers, but also creates an early obesity rate. One may soon wonder why this sugar is addictive. Sugar has been known to release dopamine when consumed, and dopamine is often called the “happy hormone”. Dopamine is released in the brain when also consuming things such as heroin and cocaine. What troubles many is an experiment done with mice in a lab. 43 cocaine-addicted mice were given a bit of sugar once. Afterwards, when given the choice of either cocaine water or sugar water, 40 out of 43 chose sugar water. This shows the addictive properties of sugar. When giving this to a child at a young age, they are more likely to keep on consuming this later in life and they also therefore have a risk of losing their self control and also becoming obese at a young age. The vast marketing of sugar therefore must play a role in rising rates of childhood