He is considered to be a liberal, which supports the fact that he would disagree with government regulating what food people eat to prevent obesity. He clearly states that he believes this will not resolve the issue, but only give people a reason to blame the government. I feel that Balko is attempting to persuade the government and the American public that it is our responsibility to regulate our heath. Each person should be making their own choices of their diet. Whenever the government attempts to regulate things that should be handled by personal responsibility then it takes that responsibility off the people.
Balko thinks the government must make obesity a personal responsibility. On the other hand, in an article called “Junking Junk Food” by Judith Warner, she argues that the government needs to be involved. Warner believes that in order to end obesity the government must change the way we see food. I agree with Judith Warner and can both agree and disagree with some of Radley Balko’s points. In Radley Balko’s “What You Eat is Your Business,” he argues that obesity is the responsibility of the individual not the government.
They could make laws that would protect the citizens from harmful diseases caused by unhealthy foods as well as saving money on healthcare to provide for the people that cannot afford to pay for the healthcare they need for the diseases. This is why the American Government should regulate the diets of Americans. One of the main reasons the Government should regulate diets is because of the overwhelming amount of people that are obese or over-weight, especially with the number of children that are having these problems and the parents are not doing anything about it. “Surgeon General Regina says with the Government interjecting and making some decisions on not what to eat, but how the food is made and how much they eat, America as a whole would start to become a more fit country” (Regina). Surgeon General Kooper also says, “Obesity is one of the most prevalent diet-related problems in the United States” (Kooper 277).
| Evidence | The government has given us the choice to eat what we want but we tend not to eat healthier but only junk food. The federal School was issued a new, healthier lunch dietary guideline. First lady Michelle Obama helps students from Washington with eating healthier in the schools. “Marion Nestle is the Paulette Goddard Professor in the in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University. Billions of dollars in advertising messages, food sold everywhere-in gas stations, vending machines, libraries and stores that sell clothing, books, office supplies, cosmetics and drugs-and huge portions of food at bargain prices (Par 7).” | Explanation (how it supports your argument) | If they wouldn’t sell junk food everywhere people go.
Imposing higher taxes on junk food will not encourage healthy eating. Taxes don’t stop people from buying things that satisfy them. By restricting dietary choices Americans will not suddenly know the difference between junk food and health food. The government cannot appropriately regulate and restrict improper consumption in people’s homes; they need to keep their hands out of Americans pockets and start fighting obesity through educating adults and their children on proper nutritional routines. Imposing a junk food tax draws attention to one of the most imperative questions which is how to define foods as unhealthy.
In the article “Remarks to the NAACP” by Michelle Obama she argues the position that the choice of being healthy or unhealthy ultimately relies on the choices we make in our everyday lives. Obama states “We’re working to give parents information they need to make healthy decisions for their families” (425). However in the article “What You Eat Is Your Own Business” by Radley Balko he discusses that government intervention can be beneficial but should be focusing on self responsibly. Americans need the involvement of the government to help promote healthier lifestyles. Balko states in “What You Eat Is Your Business”, “Judging by the scheduled program, the summit promises to be a pep rally for media, nutrition activists, and policy makers – all agitating for a panoply of government anti-obesity initiatives, including prohibiting junk food in school vending machines, federal funding for new bike trails and sidewalks, more demanding labels on foodstuffs, restrictive food marketing for children, and prodding the food industry into more “responsible” behavior.
So corrupt in fact that even as it is seemingly doing the right thing, like promoting healthy foods to be served in schools for example, its wellness initiatives are frequently just marketing ploys. They are always trying to sell us something. Producers of high-selling, major market junk foods have an obligation to their company’s stockholders to maximize profits to the best of their abilities. So they encourage consumers to eat more of their company’s products, not less. Americans are unhealthy and the food industry is doing nothing to change that.
Submitted by: John Kenneth J. Fernandez Submitted to: Maam Lua Burias Thesis Statement: Although junk food is convenient, inexpensive, and is basically a cultural phenomenon, we as a society need to stop eating junk food because it has increased health problems, has taken away from family core values, destroys the environment, and has created a food economy dominated by giant corporations. I. Introduction What is Junk Food? The term “junk food” is used to describe food which is low in nutritional value, with a comparatively high caloric value. Many people try to avoid or limit junk food in their diets, out of concerns that such food is not healthy, despite the fact that numerous food manufacturers produce a range of products which could be considered junk food.
Daniel Weintraub, in his article, "The battle against fast food begins in the home", states that parents are to blame for childhood obesity. The essence of Weintraub's argument is that it is the parents responsibility not the government, nor are the fast food companies bound to teach kids how to eat healthy and how to say active. He also mentioned results of statistics made on social economic status and gender, which shows that more kids are overweight due to fast food restaurants, supersizing and lack of exercise. Weintraub refutes these findings by emphasizing how parents are responsible for what their kids eat. As a result, his own recommendations include: limiting the consumption of sodas, junk food as well as avoiding a sedentary lifestyle.
He showed some causes of childhood obesity, and he thought that people should care more about the other causes. The aim of this essay is to analyze this article. First of all, the article was written by Pierce Hollingsworth who is the director of Stagnito Communications Inc. This company is a food, beverage, packaging and integrated marketing communications company, so he might give some biases about the food marketing. According to Pierce Hollingsworth (2004), the parents and school should not blame the food marketing for being the main cause of obesity rather than teaching and helping the kids to have good habit of eating.