Whose Fault Is It? Obesity and Marketing Food

March 29th, 2006

We’ve seen a lot of people trying to pin the blame on someone else for their food problems lately, and it seems the issue isn’t going away. It kind of burns me when someone sues Mcdonalds for hot coffee, but you still have to wonder how much marketing appeals to the kid in us. It’s pretty clear we have an epidemic of obesity and diabetes rolling over us, but whose fault is it?

We’ve had a spate of high profile anti-fast food media, starting with Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation (read a review) and moving on to the me-too Don’t Eat This Book by Martin Spurlock. Spurlock’s book is the one that led to the docu-attack called Supersize Me (official website here).

Mcdonalds elminated the supersize option on burgers, but I think you can still buy a Big Mac there—read the nutritional info sometime. Still, it’s just a business and you don’t have to walk in the door. Read Mickey D’s response on their website at this page – it is big on choice and options: Mcdonalds offers “all the right sizes to fit every active lifestyle”. (I wonder about inactive lifestyles…)

The debate moves on. Glass and Feldhahn argue (published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and a bunch of other newspapers) about whether soda makers are responsible for obesity, with Glass pushing personal responsibility and Feldhahn pointing to a study that says high school kids get 15% of their total calories from soft drinks! It seems that the corn syrup soda makers use to sweeten their drinks may not be processed like glucose in our bodies, leading to greater weight gain. Do they know this, and if they do, should they stop?

Take a look at this great article by AP writer J.M. Hirsch (you may need to register for free access, but it’s worth it). It turns this debate over very carefully. Read and what do you think: are food companies responsible for our collective weight gain? And to what degree? Or, is it just up to you?

Glenn Silloway

Entry Filed under: Making Choices