Obesity and the Food Industry

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Obesity and the Food Industry
Obesity, as a health issue, is multifaceted. It involves behavioral, biological, and environmental causes. Body energy imbalance is the primary source of obesity in individuals since mass gain results from the consumption of excess calories than the body spends. In the United States, the changing environment has enlarged food choices and impacted feeding habits. The over the existence of excess foods has been made possible by food manufacturing industries whose goal is to achieve high profits at the expense of consumer’s health. Food industries are therefore responsible for the obesity epidemic.
Allen, Patricia J., et al. “Rationale and consequences of reclassifying obesity as an addictive disorder: neurobiology, food environment and social policy perspectives.” Physiology & behavior 107.1 (2012): 126-137.
The existing food environment promotes addictive food addictive manners where excessive exposure using proximity, amplified portion sizes, and advertisements are a routine. Borrowing from the tobacco experience, recategorizing common nutritional obesity as disorders caused by addiction would necessitate a change in policies. These rules could be influential in handling obesity epidemic, by directing the political headship and the nutrition industry to cooperate with the medical and scientific community in creating new therapeutic approaches that are more effective (Allen 129).
Garnett, Tara.

“Food sustainability: problems, perspectives and solutions.” Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 72.1 (2013): 29-39.
Obesity results from consuming more food joint with less physical exercises. Three areas are mainly to be looked at attentively, increase in sizes of portions, the possible legal responsibility of food manufacturing industries, and the beverages and foods provided at learning institutions, as well as the absence of physical education in the curriculum. If improvement is to be realized, consumers will need to do physical exercise and practice healthier feeding habits. Food manufacturers can make contributions to both. Some industries such as Subway and Kraft Foods are developing proactive strategies. With a change in attitude towards less-can-be-more and the quality over the amount, food expenditure might increase, which may result to a “silver-lining” of opportunity for food manufacturing industries that are savvy (Garnett 30).
PLoS Medicine Editors. “PLoS Medicine series on Big Food: the food industry is ripe for scrutiny.” PLoS medicine 9.6 (2012): e1001246.
Large beverage and food industries play an irrefutably influential role in the current global health epidemic. The primary obligation of most food companies is to make profits through substantial food sales. Nestle, in his book, Food, and Politics, documents a list of misdeeds by Big Food companies such as the illegal and deceptive marketing to young ones, strategic aiming of subgroups and evolving economies, a hostile politicization of governments and regulators, and co-appointing international and domestic nutrition specialists. Studies emphasizing on individual responsibility and behavior as contributors of obesity epidemic help in covering food companies seeking to downplay their responsibility.
Nestle, Marion. Food politics: How the food industry influences nutrition and health. Vol. 3. Univ of California Press, 2013.
The food industry has made food supply so abundant, in varieties, and inexpensive such that every American can afford. The overabundance of food availability has created competition in the food market. Thus, the food companies, to maintain their income, spend extraordinary funds to develop food products that will sell, not considering their effects on consumers’ nutrition. They carry out through advertisements to persuade consumers into eating their products and also work untiringly to convince nutritionists, government representatives, and the media the food they produce are healthy nutritionally and harmless to consumers (Nestle 1).
Novak, Nicole L., and Kelly D. Brownell. “Role of policy and government in the obesity epidemic.” Circulation 126.19 (2012): 2345-2352.
The food environment is a significant contribution to the obesity epidemic. Evidence proposes that the food environment affects the feeding behavior, especially about consumption and food selection. This concept has been verified in field and laboratory research on appearance, availability, serving of food, and food sizing. Also, it has been confirmed in learning institutions, where modifications to the food environment, for instance, removal of foods, have to lead to diet change by learners. Other environmental factors include food marketing, food prices, and the prevalence of unhealthy nutrients. Therefore, the food environment plays a significant role in the obesity epidemic both in the USA and elsewhere.
Stanish, Janelle R. “The Obesity Epidemic In America And The Responsibility Of Big Food Manufacturers”. Inquiries Journal, 2018, http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/320/the-obesity-epidemic-in-america-and-the-responsibility-of-big-food-manufacturers. Accessed 24 Feb 2018
Big Food manufacturers spend billions annually developing and packaging products, marketing and advertising techniques that lure us into buying more food and earning them profits in return. Thus, people are continually being seduced to purchase foods they don’t need. Prominent organizations such as General Mills and Coca-Cola make high profits annually through researched advertising methods similar to Burger King. Even though McDonald’s has been held responsible for luring children using their happy meals and playgrounds, no one is discussing the three billion sacks of potato sold as chips yearly in the US.
Yoo, Jina H., and Junghyun Kim. “Obesity in the new media: a content analysis of obesity videos on YouTube.” Health communication 27.1 (2012): 86-97.
This YouTube video appeared to link obesity and the solutions to persons and their behaviors. Several videos brought the idea of weight-based mocking, showing how obese individuals practiced stereotypical consumption behaviors. The video does not, at any moment hold food industries responsible for obesity. Aims to shape viewer’s insights towards obesity and to strengthen stigmatization of overweight individuals (Yoo 93).
“Who Is To Blame For The US Obesity Epidemic?”. Aljazeera.Com, 2018, http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestoryamericas/2012/05/201251072829602369.html. Accessed 24 Feb 2018.
The Institute of Medical Proposals, IoM, maintains that obesity does not happen as a result of the absence of individual willpower, and therefore critical measures must be taken to change the situation. However, the food industry and legislators are to be held responsible for the obesity epidemic, together with the farm policy of the USA. The environment of the United States plays a significant role in promoting obesity; an average individual cannot remain fit. Schools are recommended to be the focus of anti-obesity. Insurers and employers should also add more effort to eradicate obesity.
Of the eight sources used, four emphasizes food industries to be responsible for the obesity epidemic, two attributes the outbreaks to personal behaviors such as excessive consumption of food, while the other two explains the food environment to be accountable for obesity in the United States. The four sources support the central idea that food manufacturers are responsible and therefore I choose to leave out the other four sources. The weakness in the list is the absence of enough supporting references for my point and could be improved through further research.
Works Cited
Allen, Patricia J., et al. “Rationale and consequences of reclassifying obesity as an addictive disorder: neurobiology, food environment and social policy perspectives.” Physiology & behavior 107.1 (2012): 126-137.
Garnett, Tara. “Food sustainability: problems, perspectives and solutions.” Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 72.1 (2013): 29-39.
Nestle, Marion. Food politics: How the food industry influences nutrition and health. Vol. 3. Univ of California Press, 2013.
Novak, Nicole L., and Kelly D. Brownell. “Role of policy and government in the obesity epidemic.” Circulation 126.19 (2012): 2345-2352.
PLoS Medicine Editors. “PLoS Medicine series on Big Food: the food industry is ripe for scrutiny.” PLoS medicine 9.6 (2012): e1001246.
Stanish, Janelle R. “The Obesity Epidemic In America And The Responsibility Of Big Food Manufacturers”. Inquiries Journal, 2018, http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/320/the-obesity-epidemic-in-america-and-the-responsibility-of-big-food-manufacturers. Accessed 24 Feb 2018.
“Who Is To Blame For The US Obesity Epidemic?”. Aljazeera.Com, 2018, http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestoryamericas/2012/05/201251072829602369.html. Accessed 24 Feb 2018.
Yoo, Jina H., and Junghyun Kim. “Obesity in the new media: a content analysis of obesity videos on YouTube.” Health communication 27.1 (2012): 86-97.