The Extraordinary Science Of Addictive Junk Food

In the article “Don’t Blame the Eater”, author David Zinczenko, the editor -in-chief of Men’s Health magazine comments on the lawsuit against McDonald’s which is initiated by the overweight children’s parents. He claims that fast-food industry should accept full responsibility for a serious public problem: leading American kids to obesity. Zinczenko supports his claim with his personal experience to show how the fast-food chains marketing on them with low price. He also said it is not easy for those obese kids to turn their lives back. He believes this should be considered as a public health problem because their obesity causes the society huge public health losses. Zinczenko insists that if fast-food industry doesn’t take actions quickly, it is only a matter of time for them to become the next tobacco industry.

Michael Moss a investigative reporter for New York Times also the author. The Extraordinary Science of Junk Food was first appeared in the New York Times Magazine on February 24, 2013. On April 8, 1999, C.E.O from Nestle, Kraft and Nabisco, General Mills, Procter and Gamble, Coca-Cola, and Mars gathered to talk on the obesity epidemic. The vice president of kraft named Michael Mudd. Mudd gave a presentation about obesity, he told them to cut the use of sugar, salt, and fats. Also to change the manner they advertise their products. After the presentation was over the C.E.O of General Mills rose and said that people chose freely that if they wanted a healthy product then there it was.

The “individual consumer” can be taken to be a group of unique personals who each have a distinct idea on any specific topic, and in this case, junk food. The “collective demographic” is defined as the common opinions formed within the “collective demographic”. Even though these two entities are related, the individual way of thinking for the “individual consumer” is much different than that of the “collective demographic”. On the topic of junk food, the “individual consumer”, will report to being cautious about the effects of such foods, for they are aware of the epidemics involved with intakes of excessive sugars and fats. Watters explains the Japanese’s view on a factor they perceived as an illness, “the people’s attitude toward depression was very negative” (Watters 515). This can be used to better understand the “individual consumer"; a group of people who were trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The “collective demographic” held a different viewpoint on the subject of junk food. The posture of the “collective demographic” however is antithesis of that of the “individual consumer.” The “collective demographic” deemed junk food as unhealthy, but still allowed themselves to become addicted to such delicacies. Moss describes a very ironic circumstance with this way of living, “While people like and enjoy potato chips, they feel guilty for eating them” (Moss 272); a scenario in which a demographic would conceive something as harmful, but

Whether or not a person wants a burger and french-fries’ or a salad from the salad bar, the decision should be up to him/her. Two articles share views on food, “What You Eat Is Your Business” by Radley Balko and “Junking Junk Food” by Judith Warner. These two authors wrote articles about how they felt about food and how it’s related to obesity. However, Radley Balko would not approve of Judith Warner’s views on food for the reason that the two authors have different viewpoints on the aspect of the government helping people to make better food choices. Warner and Balko also has different views on the ideas which are that eating is a psychological matter; and eating healthy should be a personal matter.

Michael Moss, an investigative reporter who enjoys reporting on food, wrote: “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food” (pages 471-494). This article reports on the ways that prepackaged food, especially junk food, is being designed to fit the customers’ needs and wants, as well as being something that the body craves. Moss provides multiple accounts throughout the reading in which people who have worked for or created corporate companies design foods just so they will sell. Moss expresses his thought in a clear manner to the reader so he or she will understand that Moss worries about the growing obesity in America and places the blame on junk food corporations. Though junk food corporations have a great part in the growing obesity,

The health of both overweight and obese people lies in jeopardy due to the extra stress placed on the body, especially the heart, due to the high amount of excess fat they carry with themiv. Being overweight or obese increases a person’s risk for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, some types of cancer, stroke, and several other devastating ailments. The percentage of the obese population in the United States has risen from 23% to its present day rate of 30% in only eight yearsv. This skyrocketing trend is most likely related to the increase in portion sizes and calories at many American restaurants, the rising level of stress and expectation during the average workday, and the logarithmic increase in fast food restaurant options over the last 20 years. To understand how the Japanese diet supersedes the typical American diet in numerous health issues, several aspects of the diets must be evaluated.

In today’s society a huge issue is that we constantly hear about the food industry in America. We often hear in the news that obesity rates have increased, or that Americans have many diseases that contribute to being obese. “What You Eat is Your Business” by Radley Balko expresses that people are at fault for making such unhealthy food choices. Others argue that the food industry is to blame for being so unhealthy. According to David Zinczenko in “Don’t Blame the Eater” he blames the fast food industry as well as the consumer. Zinczenko asks “shouldn’t we know better than to eat two meals a day in fast food restaurant’s?” (392). So, who is to blame for American’s eating so much unhealthy food? Should it be the consumers’ burden or the fast food companies? On one hand, as consumers we continue to purchase foods that we know are making us overweight. On the other hand, fast food companies continue to offer high in calories foods.

Throughout the articles, each one discussed the author’s perspective on food industries. Two articles argued whether the food companies should be blamed for the health epidemics or it should be a personal responsibility for consumers. While others discussed how food industries manipulate consumers into buying more of their food. Along the same lines, all the articles mentioned how the health epidemic is increasing and who must be fault for the growth. As well as finding a solution and who should help. Although the articles emphasize how obesity rate has grown, the public seems to blame food companies for manipulating consumers and others insist it is a consumer’s personal responsibility.

We live in a world that is in a continuous process of transformation, considering that progress manages to control all the aspects of individual's life. Being part of a society which is always changing makes it essential for people have to adapt to all these aspects. One of the biggest problems for the American society is that it has no time to eat, since it is always on the run. Fast food came as the greatest solution for this problem. Since the process of modernization of the American society is accelerated day by day, the fast food industry has gained its place on the market. Even if individuals are well aware of the problems they can and will encounter if they eat fast food, they are forced by the circumstances to fall back on it.

Ask any person on the street what is the one issue that consumes more than half of the nation and the answers will vary from cancer to the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Most Americans are blind to the modern day plague that consumes even the nation's youth. What is this black death that promises health complications in the future, obesity affects more than two-thirds of American adults and one-third of American children. The term obesity is defined as the condition of being grossly fat or overweight. The “American diet” of processed foods is the root of the problem. The nation's health conditions have declined since the 1970’s and reached an all time low in the early 2000’s. The solution lies within the 18-27 year olds of the country

In “Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food” by Michael Moss is about the rising numbers of obesity in both adults and children throughout the United States. On the Evening of April 8, 1999, some of the biggest food industries CEO’s ad company presidents come together for a rare, private meeting. Discussing the emerging obesity epidemic and how they should deal with it. Big time companies food is lacking the nutrients that a person needs and is more concentrated on how to make it more desired. Keeping the customers coming for more. While the industries are gaining a profit, the customers are gaining a big belly.

In the recent years as technology developed, manufacturing begin to play a big role in human’s life. They make lots of products to serve human needs. In the nowadays people are preferring to live effectively, so more and more food industries developed and produce “fast food culture” to satisfy people’s taste. Those junk food have already influenced human’s lives and brought unhealthy lives. Even though these junk food are delicious, but high salt, sugar and high caloric make more and more people get obesity and diabetes. In an investigative journalism Michael Moss’s article “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food”, Moss talks about the junk food in both scientific and marketable ways. He joins the meeting of famous food company to

Jefferey L Fortuna is a professor at California State University and received a PhD in public health at Loma Linda University. He wrote an article for the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs concerning the Obesity epidemic and its similarities to the drug epidemic. Initially, Fortuna addresses the contributing factors to the obesity epidemic and how overweight individuals has increased almost sixty percent since 1959. Fortuna concludes that fifty-eight years ago soda and fast- food restaurants were not as prevalent as they are currently and can be considered responsible for such a heightened increase for the

Media plays a massive role I the epidemic, the sheer amount of advertisement that the public see for fast food and unhealthy foods have an effect, especially on children. Health risks are growing and psychological problems are rising. Obesity is weighing heavily on the country’s healthcare system and economy. Society’s perspective on obesity is unlikely to change, its understandable that some think it is self-inflicted but its important we shed some light on the medical issues that can also cause obesity. One of the biggest problems seems to be how accessible and convenient unhealthy foods are. At this present time obesity is killing three times as many people as

Obesity is a global public health problem that has become an epidemic. Poor financial status and inequality lead to lack of access to healthy foods and the genetic modification of food increases the chances and risks of becoming obese. Major dietary changes in this system include a higher energy density diet with greater roles for high-calorie artificial substances that are sold to the public. Food advertising ads are major marketing tools that are prevalent around the world, increasing the availability of ready-made, non-time consuming, high energy food. Our environment does not support healthy lifestyle habits, it encourages obesity. In addition to reinforcing unhealthy behaviors, weight stigma poses a significant threat to psychological and physical health. Psychological disorders which obesity may trigger include depression, eating disorders, distorted body image, and low self-esteem. Public health approaches to develop population-based strategies for the prevention of excess weight gain is of great importance. However, not much has been done to counter obesity. Obesity is still on the rise. The goals of the food industry are to maximize profit. The solution is the imposition of taxation on food companies/major corporations and the introduction of household mini farms