The Federal Government Must Regulate the Food Industry

The American consumer environment changes constantly. New flavors and products surprise the palate which makes fighting those oncoming cravings and preventing excessive weight gain a struggle. Food choices multiply incessantly, and the food industry’s offerings that create an unhealthy consumer environment transform people’s eating habits. We blame the food industry for its contributions to the American obesity epidemic because the food industry negatively affects consumers’ dietary decisions, therefore affecting their quality of life. Strategies the government must take to alter America’s obesogenic environment and promote healthy eating habits include educating consumers; limiting sodium, sugars, and fats; and restricting marketing to children.

First, understanding what an “obesogenic” environment entails is important. An obesogenic environment ensues from distinctive societal characteristics such as surroundings, opportunities, or conditions of life that influenced obesity in individuals or populations.1 The consumer lifestyle of America includes: eating fast food that contains excessive sugars and fats; lacking portion control; and having an unbalanced diet. The current consumer lifestyle inadvertently influences obesity. The fast food industry contributes to America’s obesogenic environment by dramatically influencing consumer decisions.

Taste, quality, convenience, and price of food motivate consumer purchasing decisions. One would assume that an obesity epidemic would scare consumers into concerning themselves with the nutritional value and/or quality of food. However, with the nation’s economic instability, most adult consumers were left looking for less expensive food options. Consumers over the age of 18 began working through lunch and grabbing “lunch on-the-go,” consisting of fast food or packaged, processed food that can be found in a vending machine. Fast food receives a notorious reputation for providing cheap meals; therefore, in an effort to save money, consumers turn to less healthy food options such as McDonalds, Wendy’s, and Taco Bell. When price and convenience become the primary concerns of consumers, the quality of food becomes inconsequential. Fresh produce is expensive, and maintaining its freshness becomes difficult with large quantities. The fast food industry can offer low prices because its food is mass-produced, frozen, and fried. Fast food contains excessive levels of sodium, sugars, and fats that lead to weight gain. The food industry does not abide by proper portion control for a 2,000 calorie diet, which directly impacts the consumer’s unbalanced diet and leads to weight gain.

Every day, the food industry bombards consumers with advertisements that influence their purchasing decisions. Marketing ploys pop up everywhere—billboards, bus stops, computers, benches, flyers, magazines, television, and radio. However, the fast food industry continues to argue that it is not to blame for the obesity epidemic because consumers have the ultimate choice to eat or drink fast food products. Wiping its hands of responsibility for obesity, the fast food industry claims the government cannot place restrictions on portion control since it is not making consumers eat its products. However, research conducted by the American Medical Association concludes that the food industry’s branding of foods and beverages significantly influence children’s dietary and taste perceptions. These findings suggest that marketing to young children should be regulated and that “branding may be a useful strategy for improving young children’s eating behaviors.”2 Dietary habits form at a young age and current research argues that the food industry holds responsibility for obesity because its targeted marketing distorts children’s eating behaviors. Neither adults nor children have the capability to self-regulate their diet because of the food industry’s persuasive marketing and addictive foods. The federal government has an obligation to act in the interest of public health.2

Considering the oversized portions, excessive levels of sugar, sodium, and fat found in fast food products that lead to the addictive taste, the government must take control by enforcing regulations that place limits on acceptable portions. Some states have already done so successfully. For example, New York City Board of Health banned the sale of beverages larger than 16-oz in restaurants. According to Forbes, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg said that this ban would reduce obesity because it would, “act as a tool to help people better understand how much sugar they consume.” Placing a ban on 16-oz beverages would not restrict consumers freedoms, “We’re not taking away anybody’s right to do things, we’re simply forcing you to understand that you have to make the conscious decision to go from one cup to another cup,” said Bloomberg. The federal government should follow Bloomberg’s pioneering decision to place a restriction on portion size.

The government needs to set limitations on the acceptable amounts of sodium and fat because people may not realize what they consume. Despite their claims about health interests, monetary goals motivate the food industry because it is only interested in maximizing profits. The food industry bombards media outlets with advertisements for highly caloric food product in the interest of making money. Healthy menu options can also be misleading. For example, the Premium Caesar Salad with Crispy Chicken from McDonalds contains 740 mg of sodium and 18g of fat. The amount of sodium in one McDonalds salad represents one-third of a persons recommended daily sodium intake. A federal ban on distorted marketing that targets children is necessary in order to combat the current obesogenic environment that stimulates unnatural cravings.

In addition to consumer decisions, the increasingly inactive consumer lifestyle contributes to the obesogenic environment. Technology has become ever present in our society, and it has transformed the way people watch television by introducing new, seemingly flawless technology, which permits almost effortless accessibility, and enables video streaming to virtually any device. The ability to easily obtain television shows impacts the number of people who watch them, contributing to the sedentary American population. Over half of the US adult population is sedentary, and one-fourth do not engage in physical activity. An inactive consumer lifestyle contributes to obesity because people consume more than they burn off. Also contributing to America’s sedentary population is societal fear of the outdoors. People who watch the news or listen to the radio hear crime reports that depict dark cities lurking with danger around every corner. The result of such a fearful outlook causes less leisure time spent outside, less walking and a decrease in physical activity, which makes government involvement even more important.

To address this health concern, the government needs to educate the public about the benefits of exercise and physical activity as well as ensure public safety. Doctor Thomas N. Robinson of the American Medical Association reports that, “Reducing television, videotape, and video game use may be a promising, population-based approach to prevent [obesity].”4 Collective utilization of federal, state and local organizations is necessary for promoting an active lifestyle in adolescents and adults.

Dietary responsibility should not lay on our shoulders alone. The government should look out for our best interests and regulate the food industry’s nutritional value and marketing ploys.

Footnotes:

1.Townshend, Tim, and Amelia Lake. “Obesogenic Environments: Exploring the Built and Food Environments.”Perspectives in Public Health 126.6 (2006): 262–267. SAGE Journals. Web. 02-12-13. <http://rsh.sagepub.com/content/126/6/262.short>.

2. Sharma, Lisa L, Stephen P Teret, and Kelly D Brownell. “The Food Industry and Self-Regulation: Standards to Promote Success and to Avoid Public Health Failures.” American Journal of Public Health 100.2 (2010): 240–246. The National Center for Biotechnology Information. Web. 02-10-13. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2804645/>.

3. Robinson TN. Reducing Children's Television Viewing to Prevent Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial. JAMA.1999;282(16):1561-1567. doi:10.1001/jama.282.16.1561.

4. Robinson TN, Borzekowski DG, Matheson DM, Kraemer HC. Effects of Fast Food Branding on Young Children's Taste Preferences. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med.2007;161(8):792-797. doi:10.1001/archpedi.161.8.792.

5. Don’t mention the “F” word. (2004).Nature , 428(6980), 239. Retrieved from http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v428/n6980/full/428239a.html

6. Ludwig DS, Nestle M. Can the Food Industry Play a Constructive Role in the Obesity Epidemic?.