The Dark Side of Fast Food: The Health Risks of the Food and the Unethical Marketing of the

Companies

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By Molly Zimmerman

The Healthy Lifestyle

Obesity In America
Obesity is a leading public health problem in America, with the highest obesity rate in the developed world Since 1980, obesity has doubled in adults and overweight prevalence has tripled in children and adolescents.

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Complications of Obesity
Congestive heart failure, enlarged heart Menstrual disorders and infertility Breast cancer and uterine cancer Stretch marks and cellulites Low back pain and immobility Stroke, headache, and carpal tunnel syndrome Depression, low self confidence, and social stigmatization Diabetes

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What is Fast Food?

A fast food restaurant is a restaurant that prepares food quickly and offers minimal service to its customers. Fast food franchises often ship standardized foodstuffs to each restaurant location where the food is cooked in bulk and kept warm. It was estimated that in 2006 alone Americans will spend $142 billion dollars in fast food restaurants. Because the concept of fast food is based on selling in bulk in a cheap sufficient manner, there is a great deal of food engineering done to fast food products. Additives and processing techniques take away from the nutritional value of the food. Food Engineering: chemical engineering principles to food materials, changing materials to package the food and preserve it.

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Some Fast Food Food Facts

RES TAURA NT MEAL Bu rg er Kin g Do u ble Who p p er Sa n dw ich Br e a kfa s t Del ux e Foot Long Pa s tra mi Sub Chic ken Pot P ie TOT AL CALORIES 90 0 CHOLES TER OL 17 5 m g

McDo n alds Su b way

12 20 11 40

48 0 m g 20 m g

KFC

77 0

11 5 m g

Recommended calorie intake per day is roughly 2000.

Pros and Cons of Fast Food

Low cost Easily acsessible Efficient Appeal to family: many fast food restaurants have a play area for children and meals specialized for them. Unhealthy: can lead to obesity or other health problems Unethical marketing and advertising Environmental damage Promotes exploitative labor practices Low quality

The Appeal To Families

One of the biggest appeals of fast food restaurants, like McDonalds, is its appeal to families. Along with happy meals, the McDonalds Play Place is a huge draw to children, it is also appealing to their parents because it gives them a safe and fun place to bring their children.

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Methods of Advertisement
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Television Commercials Print Media Billboard Campaigns Event Sponsorship Product Placement Internet advertisements Famous Slogans: Im lovin it (McDonalds), Taco Bell Chihuahua (Taco Bell), and Wheres the beef? (Wendy's) Examples: In 2001, Pizza Hut delivered pizzas into outer space. The next year, a 30 foot logo for Pizza hut was put on a rocket.

Who are the advertisements for?

Targeting Children: In 1996 McDonalds and Disney joined forces, offering free toys from recently released Disney movies as a part of their Happy Meals. In May of 2006, they cuts ties, and many believe it was because Disney was worried about child obesity. Teens and Young Adults: In 2005, a Carls Jr add came out with bikini-clad Paris Hilton washing a car while eating a hamburger. Even though the commercial caused outrage, sales climbed as a direct result

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japanese mcdonalds commercial

mcdonalds kids commercials

Regulating Fast Food Companies

Fast food regulations are criticized for not being as strict as for other products, such as alcohol As obesity became a growing problem in the US, talks between the FSA (Food Standards Agency) and Fast Food companies were set up to help improve childrens diets. (Burger King refused to take part.) The FSA is a non-ministerial part of the government of the U.K. In 2006 the FSA called for the banning of fast food commercials before 9pm, a dissociation between film and TV characters and fast food, and a ban on celebrities appearing in Fast Food commercials.

Legal Action
In 2003 , McDonald's was sued in a New York court by a family for causing their daughter's obesity, The family claimed that the company purposely misleads the public about the nutritional value of its product by manipulating the foods sugar and fat content and targeting children in their advertisements. The case was dismissed, as many like it are, but it still brings unwanted media attention to the practices of the Fast Food Companies.
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The Cheeseburger Bill

To fight back, the Cheeseburger Bill was given the senate in 2004 and then stalled. The bill was created to "[ban] frivolous lawsuits against producers and sellers of food and non-alcoholic drinks arising from obesity claims."

The McLawsuit
In August 2002 the Pelman Plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against McDonald's in NYC. The plaintiffs were a group of overweight children They called for three things:
Compensation for obesity related issues Improved nutritional labeling of products Funding for a program to educate consumers about the dangers of fast food.

Discussion Questions
Do you agree that, like the responsibility of tobacco companies to warn on the dangers of smoking, fast food companies have the same moral responsibility? Is this a fair comparison? Do you think that McDonalds, and other fast food chains, break the New York States consumer protection laws? Why? How? Should the link between fast food and obesity be a political issue? Can you think of a realistic solution?

Saving Face

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Bibliography
1. 2. 3. 4. Fast Food Advertising" Wikipedia. October, 2006. Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 1 November 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Fast_food_advertising>. Fast Food Wikipedia. November, 2006. Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 1 November 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_food>. McLibel Case Wikipedia. November, 2006. Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 1 November 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLibel>. Cupri, Jeffery. Eating Right." Teaching PreK-8 Vol. 37. Issue 2 (2006): p18. Retrieved 27 September 2006. <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?hid=111&sid=8bd92d61-34004699>. Mello, Michelle, M., Rimm, Eric B., and Studdert, David M. The McLawsuit: The Fast- Food Industry and Legal Accountability for Obesity. Health Affairs Vol. 33. Issue 6 (2003): 207-216. Retrieved 5 November 2006. <http//content.healthaffairs.org/>.

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