The Role of Marketing in the Obesity Epidemic
The unprecedented rise in the power, scope, and sophistication of food marketing starting around 1980 aligns well with the blastoff slope of the obesity epidemic.
26
videos
McDonalds
Topic summary contributed by volunteer(s): Randy
Each year, the food industry spends billions of dollars on advertising, which may result preschoolers preferring the taste of foods thought to be from McDonald’s that they don’t even sell. Fast food’s large budget may result in conflicts of interest. For example, McDonald’s, Pepsi, and Coca-Cola have supported The American Academy of Family Physicians. Similarly, the USDA Dietary Guidelines Committee has been made of up individuals funded by McDonald’s, Coca Cola, other processed food companies.
Fast food locations like McDonald’s offer high-fat meals that seem to raise the risk of acid reflux, expose consumers to industrial chemical carcinogens and advanced glycation end product (AGE), and harm arterial function. The actual percentage of muscle meat in burgers from fast food restaurants like McDonald’s may range from 2% to 14.8%.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons. This image has been modified.
