Friday, October 18, 2013

Junk food dealers push product



Austin American-Statesman
Category: Nutrition
Level: National
This article is concerning an issue that families/individuals face. 

Why this is important:
Parents are having to fight against more and more mediums in which junk food is being promoted for children. By allowing these companies to target children with their ads, we are providing one more hurdle we must leap in the fight against obesity. 

My views:
Obesity is a hot button topic in this country. It is an epidemic that has been on the rise despite our efforts to combat it. Those efforts get squandered more and more with the frequency of junk food ads that are targeting children. Advertisements that appeal to children do an excellent job of making those children want that product. As effective and skillful as it is, the effects are really only negative. Parents are having to fight against the pleading and begging for sugary, fatty, over processed food and in turn deal with looking like the bad guy in their child's eyes. These companies, Kraft and McDonald's, are attempting to pass their unhealthy foods under the healthy reputations of sports teams and the promotion of healthy habits. While they are not technically breaking any rules, they are misleading children as well as uninformed parents. If companies put this much effort into targeting children with ads for fruits, vegetables and whole grains we might begin to see a decline in childhood obesity. Parents shouldn't have to work so hard to get their children to eat healthy; if it became more of a national effort this issue may not be so hard to combat. 

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