In the prologue of his book Salt, Sugar, and Fat, Moss recounts a time when CEOs of processed food giants, including General Mills, Pillsbury, and others, gathered to address the issue that many medical experts were slamming processed food as very unhealthy. Moss uses his word choice to paint former General Mills CEO Stephen Sanger in a very bad light when he writes, “But most often, he said, people bought what they liked, and they liked what tasted good. ‘Don’t talk to me about nutrition,’ [Sanger] reportedly said, taking on the voice of the typical consumer. ‘Talk to me about taste, and if this stuff tastes better, don’t run around trying to sell stuff that doesn’t taste good.’ To react to the critics, Sanger said, would jeopardize the sanctity of the recipes that had made his products so successful. General Mills would not pull back. He would push his people onward, and he urged his peers to do the same.” (Moss xx). Moss’s phrases such as “push his people onward” and focussing on Sanger’s point that taste is king to customers, not nutritional value make readers picture him as a stubborn who does not care one bit about the health of American people. Moss tries to portray Sanger as someone who just does not give a damn unless his company is in trouble. As a solution, Moss wants the government to have stricter regulations that are more effectively enforced to prevent processed food companies from putting the health of Americans at
In “How Junk Food Can End Obesity” David Freedman argues that ending processed food is not going to help solve obesity problems. He knows that “Junk food is bad for you because it’s full of fats and problems carb” (Freedman 515). Freedman believe that we should use technology to improve fast-food by taking out the unhealthy products in it, instead of getting rid of fast-food entirely. He also talks about his experiences with food between wholesome food and McDonald’s. He discusses how McDonald’s smoothies have the lowest calories and are cheapest out of all other smoothies he had. He states that healthier food is expensive, and sometimes the cheapest way to have fewer calories is McDonald’s. Freedman argues sometimes healthy food is not
In this particular essay ”Don’t Blame the Eater”, David Zinczenko informs the reader about the hazardous of fast food by using a great balance of argumentation. Through his contention, he demonstrates to his reader that the consumer is not so much at blame the food industry is the genuine offender here. His utilization of inquiries all through the content, alongside personal narrative, imagery, and his tone, Zinczenko has the capacity adequately contend against the control of the food industry.
Novelist, Eric Schlosser, in his novel, “Fast Food Nation”, expresses how fast food has spread. Schlosser’s purpose is to make us see how addicted we are to fast food. He adopts a shocking tone through the use of diction, Logos, and diction in order to get people to make better choices.
Sara, a single mother of two kids, is driving home from a grueling day of work. She’s worked overtime all week and has some tightness in her back. Upon looking at the clock on the dashboard of her 1996 Volkswagen, she realizes that it is way too late to go home and cook a nice dinner for her two children. She turns into the nearest McDonalds, orders some chicken nuggets, and brings dinner home. Can you blame a mother who just wanted her kids to eat? In “Don’t Blame the Eater”, David Zinczenko sympathizes with those mothers. He argues that there are simply not enough alternatives to the thousands of fast food restaurants and that the lack of information about those alternatives further complicates things.
In David Freedman’s essay How Junk food Can End Obesity, Freedman makes the claim to policy arguing that instead of demonizing processed foods, Americans should instead support the idea and production of healthier processed and junk foods. He calls on the public to recognize that while many products on the market these days are labeled as “wholesome” and “healthy”, consumers should learn to become aware of the fat and calorie content in these products because many times they have the same- if not more- fat and calorie contents as that of a typical Big Mac or Whopper. In his essay, Freedman primarily places blame on the media and the wholesome food movement for the condemnation of the fast and processed food industries saying, “An enormous amount of media space has been dedicated to promoting the notion that all processed food, and only processed food, us making us sickly and overweight” (Freedman), he further expresses that this portrayal of the
In the US from since the turn of the century, obesity has been a rising and very serious issue. In the 1980’s, western culture experienced a fitness surge, and the major food corporations began producing new products that were “fat free”, but the issue was fat free food did not taste as good so people would not buy it. To compensate the taste, the food companies replaced the fat with sugar.
The main contributor, widely reported by top experts, is the consumption of cheap, and convenient foods such as fast food and the myriad of boxed foods available in the supermarket. Diane Brady asserts in her essay, “The Employer-Friendly Case for Pricer Big Macs” that “Of all the reasons why a third of U.S. adults are obese, the lure of cheap, unhealthy food ranks near the top” (519). With continual attention being given to the effects of unhealthy foods on adults and especially young people, one would think that America would wise up and stop consuming it at such an alarming rate. Again, Brady points out that, “Fast food chains have raised their game with healthier menu offerings and support for programs that encourage physical activity, but they continue to thrive by selling high-calorie food. McDonald’s salads, introduced in 1987, make up just 2 percent to 3 percent of U.S. sales” (520). So, a conclusion could be drawn that consumers will and do choose the unhealthy option a majority of the time. However, it does not address the disconnect, or why people are still consuming foods that are unhealthy for them even when given other options. One reason prominently stands out above the rest and that is the lack of education on the real effects the American diet, a highly addictive diet comprised of processed foods, high in sugar and fat, and void of fresh produce and other
Junk food is responsible for the growing rate of obesity. This is outlined by David freedman in his article of “How junk food can end obesity.” David Freedman has credited the “health-food” motion, and followers of it along with Michel Pollan. Freedman claims that if the America desires to stop the obesity epidemic, or at least reduce its effects, they must shift to the fast meals and processed meals enterprise for assist, now not the “health-food” movement.
David Zinczenko’s “Don’t Blame the Eater” is an article about the dangers of the fast food industry and their direct correlation to childhood obesity. Through his argument, he shows the readers that the consumers are not the ones at fault. He provides great detail on how the cheap and convenient places for food are the ones to blame for the continuous growth of diabetes in our youth. Zinczenko gives a well-balanced argument as to why this is true through his use of personal stories, dictation, and tone. Through this, he is able to effectively prove his thoughts and opinions, and also include the reader into following along.
Obesity is a prevalent issue within the United States. “According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) (2009-2010), approximately 69% of adults are overweight or obese, with more than 78 million adult Americans considered obese”. Today’s society is inundated with a firestorm of information regarding the types of foods that are healthy and will decrease obesity. The most prominent voices in today’s food culture, primarily the wholesome-food movement, believe eating unprocessed food is the only way to live long, healthy lives free of obesity. However, journalist David H. Freedman argues that individuals should not fall prey to these false misconceptions. In his article “How Junk Food Can End Obesity”, Freedman examines these purported claims and strives to appear credible, reliable, and emotionally appealing to persuade readers that the wholesome-food movement is impeding the near-term step’s to reversing the obesity trend.
While researching information on this project, the information I found included many things the fast food industry keeps from us that we often do even think about. For example, a food product can be labeled as “sugar free” but can be substituted with other things such as, agave which is often worse due to its high concentration in fructose syrup. Another example would be that, Gerber uses fruit pictures to claim its Gerber’s are made from real fruit when in reality they are filled with corn syrup, syrup and grape juice concentrate. These are known as “calorie distracters” and work really well on people who refuse to give up eating fast food. Whether they know that fast and processed foods are unhealthy or not, they are satisfied by knowing that a label says “sugar free” and therefore it is okay for them to consume it. They want to believe that the food is okay to consume simply because it tastes good and satisfies a hunger and therefore they process the information in a manner that suits them. Of course the goal is for fast food companies to keep selling and us to keep buying, whether the food is healthy or not. We can either keep thinking that a “sugar free” product is healthier than one without sugar and continue to consume them or do some research and see the actual reality. In the end the fast food industry alters the information in a way
“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. Thus, creating confusion on what consumers are actually taking in calorie-wise. Instead of blaming the
Daniel Weintraub, in the article, “ The battle against fast food begins in the home”, claims that fast food companies are not to blame, instead it's the parents to blame for making their children obese. “Fast food companies have no fault in this overweight situation” says Weintraub. The author, which is Weintraub, supports his argument by explaining the data and research used to show that most studies focused on “ The increase consumption of fast food and soft drinks, larger portion sizes in restaurants, the availability of junk food on campus, advertising of junk food to children and their families, and the lack of constant physical education programs in the school”. The authors purpose is to inform readers that parents need to take responsibility, so that, their children stop blaming others for something that is happening in the home. The author writes in an informal tone for adults with children in the house.
Americans today are well-known for their eating habits. With all the options the food industry gives us it makes it hard to go to the grocery store and resist picking up that bag of barbeque-flavored chips or blueberry flavored candy. Due to these processed foods obesity is a growing epidemic in our country and who is to blame for it? In an article entitled “What You Eat is Your Business” by Radley Balko, Balko argues for less government intervention. Balko believes is it our responsibility to take care of ourselves and make it a priority. I do agree that the government should stay out of personal subjects and not everyone should be punished for other people 's actions. I believe that as Americans we should put more effort into our own diet, and make our health a