Group 4 Kara and Kelly final-Obesity: Much of the Responsiblity Lies with Corporation

We are of the same mind as Yves Engler's views that corporations across the world aren't helping the obesity rates across the nation, as they are steadily increasing. We chose to focus on children as they are becoming the number one target for the food industry; the main reason that people are consuming more, especially unhealthy products, is the food industry's relentless advertising, especially to children" (Engler 175). A study in the 90's showed that over 93% of children surveyed, from a sample of 10,000 kids spanning three countries recognized and believed Ronald McDonald knew what was best for their health, that is crazy! Children spend an extensive amount of time throughout their lives in school, these schools are littered with vending machines dispensing pop, candy, chips, and an array of poor snack choices. This is very challenging to the parents who try so valiantly to keep their kids from junk food and cultivate a healthy lifestyle for them, only to be undermined when the child goes off to school the next day. In addition, our youth is not getting the proper amount of physical activity as Engler states "Cutbacks to physical education budgets have not helped" (Engler 178), instead only breeding the unhealthy lifestyle. Radley Balko, author of the article "What You Eat Is Your business" states that there is nothing more private and of less public concern that what we chose to put into our bodies (159), we find this hard to accept when 40% of McDonald's advertisement is geared directly at our youth with the promise of toys, toys, and more toys (Engler 175-176). Paul Campos argues that being overweight isn't as bad as many view it to be; and maybe what we need is to just relax (Campos 206-209). Again, we find this to be an unusual view, obesity is associated with more than 30 medical conditions, like diabetes and heart disease, and this issue should not be taken without due consideration; as these conditions don’t discriminate. We believe that the overall solution to this problem requires the reduction and/ or elimination of the intense advertisement directed at our children by the food industry. A menu and snack overhaul in all schools, increasing focus on promoting/offering healthy food choices, the benefits of physical activity and overall health. In addition, parents and families must set positive examples and continue to teach and reinforce at home all aspects of good health and the lifelong rewards.


Works Cited

Balko, Radley. “What You Eat Is Your Business.” Cato.org. Cato Institute. 23 May 2004. Rpt. in They Say I Say with Reading. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein and Russel Durst. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009. 157 – 60. Print.

Campos, Paul. "Being Fat is Okay." Jewish World Review (2001) Rpt. in They Say I Say With Reading. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein and Russell Durst. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2009. 206 – 09. Print.

Engler, Yves. “Obesity: Much Responsibility Lies With Corporations.” Z Magazine (2003) Rpt. In They say I say With Reading. Geral Graff, Cathy Birkenstein and Russell Durst. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2009. 172 – 80. Print.