How Junk Food Can End Obesity: Challenges in Transforming to Healthier Options

Introduction

Recently, l have read two essays about junk food. The writers David Freedman and Moss said that some food companies are trying to make junk food healthier in order to solve the obesity problem. They also gave some examples. The most interesting one was McDonald's. They said they wanted to decrease the fat, energy, and sugar in their food to achieve the goal of 'healthy food.' However, l have a different idea. I strongly believe that there is no way to change what junk food really is.

Because of the profile for junk food companies, the costs and how fast to make them

Body

The Profit-Driven Nature of Junk Food Companies

First of all, junk food companies need to make money. There are a lot of junk food companies in this world, like Chipotle, Wendy's, KFC, and so on. Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia are the top three places where the junk food industry is growing the fastest. Based on the data of Millward Brown, the ten biggest fast food companies are worth 240 billion dollars. Only in America, we have 275,000 fast-food restaurants and fast-service restaurants. The income is 225 billion dollars. It is a really big money. At the same time, the competition between companies is huge. Under the influence of needs and income of customs, the profile of each company relies on how they are going to sell the food and the way they make food. Many of those companies only focus on selling one product. Hamburgers are about 40 percent, but sandwiches, pizza, chicken, and Mexican restaurants are 10 percent. So they have to make people want to buy their products. The most important thing is taste. It is sugar, salt, fat, a lot of meat, and MSG that makes junk food so delicious. If they are gone, junk food isn't tasty anymore. After that, junk food companies have no money to make. That's why I don't agree with Freedman.

The money they spend on seasoning and raw materials is two-fifths of the price they sell them. On the other hand, the good and healthy materials are much much more expensive than them. That causes those companies to refuse to use healthy food, which will cost them more money. At the same time, the reason why junk food is so delicious is because of those unhealthy materials. And people love this kind of taste, so they are willing to spend money to buy them. Unluckily, if junk food companies took those things away, there wouldn't be so many people buying their products, and they would lose money. It seems impossible to let junk food companies produce healthy food. This is not the only reason why I disagree with them.

The second reason is that it is not a way to save money on food for people. Moss said that junk food has a lower price in order to make the poor able to afford it. As far as I think, it is totally wrong. In Chicago, at the Taco Bell restaurant near Logan Square, a grilled corn pancake sells for more than $5, and a steak taco is larger than the Mexican restaurant near the more expensive meal.

Although the price of fast food is often because of differences among regions, the more expensive trend seems to be the common trend in the United States. Since 2009, whether in a grocery store or in a restaurant, all food prices have risen at a rate of similar. However, according to the United States Department of Agriculture data, since around 2009, the growth model has divided. This is because, unlike supermarkets, restaurants are mainly made up of Labour and rental prices. A lower cost of agricultural and food commodities in grocery stores helps keep food prices, but not catering enterprises feel the benefits. Dining out is very expensive. Pentallect Food Service Consulting Inc., a partner at Bob, Golding, said the fast food restaurant menus in the past ten years have experienced continuous upgrades, 'The upgrade is mainly in terms of price, of course.' In fact, fast food menu prices are close to the more modern, like selling 'from farm to table' food chain of restaurants. In 2012, as a Habit Burger or Shake Shack Inc., and another recreational fast-food chain, Burger was more expensive than fast food out nearly 30%, but due to the fast food Burger prices rose faster and faster, with a median of the gap narrowed to less than 8 3% societe generale, senior U.S. economist omar sharif said that with the increase of wages and workers spending, franchisee has to raise prices to maintain profit margins. The price of the fast food chain competition is more intense than full-service restaurants. Arkansas has 23 Burger King restaurants. Dominique Vries says he might raise some food prices in January 2019. The state minimum wage rose 75 cents, and he must face the problems in the adjustment of food prices. Although junk food looks much cheaper than other healthy food, people will feel hungry for a short time after they have eaten junk food. They need to buy more and more. If people do a calculation, they will find out they spend more money on junk food. What's more, eating lots of junk food is harmful to human beings. As we all know, it is super expensive to go to hospital. Poor people do not have that much money, so if they keep eating junk food, they will get sick, and then they will spend plenty of money in the hospital. Moss' thought is not right, and even it is a bad idea.

In the end, another reason why people buy junk food is it can be made really quickly. It requires the use of a lot of oil, salt, sugar, a big fire, and many other things. All of those things make junk food have fat and extra energy. Although fast food has the characteristics of convenient, efficient fast food, the health impact is obvious. Fast food nutrition disequilibrium.

Health Impact and Nutritional Imbalances

Only pay attention to meat, carbohydrates, and fat. And the lack of supply of vegetables, fruit, and other food. Long-term consumption of fast food can cause human nutrition imbalances, which suffer from a variety of diseases. Fast food contains a much higher energy supplied by grease and monosaccharides. It is easy to make the human body take too much energy. If people consume too much fat, particularly animal fat, it can lead to high cholesterol and heart health hazards. Researchers published in Science, the report says, from the fast-food chains in Jackson, Mississippi, to buy two chicken nuggets, after a test, found the actual ingredients were not all chicken. The study found that the first chicken content of about 50% and the other 5% is composed of fat, blood vessels, and nerves, especially with the nerve cells in the majority of the skin and gut parts. The second chicken content is about 40 % F, and the other is 60% fat, cartilage, and bone. A member of the team, a professor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center Wear Thurzo, said, judging from the results, some of the fast food industry chickens do not have low-fat plain white chicken but add a lot of chicken giblets and other artificial ingredients, and then Fried, but still call it a chicken. Actually, it is a byproduct of chicken, with a high quantity of heat, high salt, high sugar, and fat, and is a very unhealthy food. Wear Thurzo says Prof chicken is one of the best sources of protein; physicians often encourage patients to eat chicken; chicken is one of the children's favorite foods because chicken is delicious, and the price is relatively low, but often eating chicken will lead to childhood obesity, and may even suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure, bone arthritis or its complications. As early as ten years ago, American society used chicken nuggets for composition and processing.

In 2003, a group of obese adolescents against fast food giant McDonald's junk food damaging their health; the New York federal judge dismissed the case, his judgment that McDonald's chicken nuggets had a new definition: chicken Mc Nuggets more than a pan-fried chicken, it is 'McDonald's creation science monsters, including a variety of ingredients can not be used in home cooking.' In addition, the seasoning in most fast food is very thick and contains a lot of salt. The diet for a long time can cause vascular and kidney damage. Then the food will turn into junk food. For employees, students, or anyone in a hurry, junk food is a good way to save time. So junk food makers like KFC and Mcdonald's are marketing to these people. Junk food often has a connection with fast food. If junk food is not fast anymore, people buy other food to replace it. I think this is a good reason why junk food will never become healthy.

Conclusion

All in all, there are only two ways for people. One of them is getting rid of junk food; the other one is don't pay attention to health issues. I think Freedman and Moss have the same points and are wrong. In the present days, The profile of junk food, the price of junk food, and the time of making junk food are the three important reasons why junk food wouldn't be changed.

Works Cited

1. "Fast-Food & Quick-Service Restaurants Industry Profile." First Research, www.firstresearch.com/Industry-Research/Fast-Food-and-Quick-Service-Restaurants.html.
2. “???????????10???????.” ?????-??????, www.kejipp.com/xingyesxinxi/6455.html.

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