Does Fast Food Advertising Contribute to Obesity?

Advertising: Fast Food Companies are Making Americans Obese

Advertising: Fast Food Companies are Making Americans Obese

            Growing up as a child, I was very active and for the most part pretty healthy. Even though I was healthy, I was still a little kid, and I would watch television every day. I remember watching commercials for McDonald’s and seeing that you could get a neat toy with a “Happy Kid’s Meal.” I, being a child, thought that getting a toy with a meal was incredible. McDonalds would advertise their “Happy Kid’s Meals”, their low prices, and their newest products. This targeted both the parents and the children. My mom liked the low prices and my sister and I would be happy eating our meal. My sister and I would beg our mother to take us to McDonalds, so we could get a free toy with our meal. As I continued to grow older, I learned about propaganda. Propaganda is deliberately spread widely to harm or help a group, person, or movement etc. Through my experience I have learned that fast food companies have mastered the art of advertising. I noticed that whenever I saw a fast food commercial, my mouth would salivate because the thought of having a delicious burger was ideal. Lastly, my family and I have been receiving free coupons in our mailbox that have great deals for fast food restaurants. This is a way to advertise their company, and we buy into it just for the deal. So many Americans like myself are faced with this problem, and if the way advertisements are handled are not changed, then the American obesity rate will continue to rise.

            Through my research, I have learned that fast food companies target children in their commercials because they are young and naive. Children are not as informed nutrition as the parents are. Children do not understand that advertising masks the truth. The American Psychological Association had an article called “The Impact of Food Advertising on Childhood Obesity”. This article states that, “Most children under age 6 cannot distinguish between programming and advertising and children under age 8 do not understand the persuasive intent of advertising. Advertising directed at children this young is very nature exploitative.” Fast food companies know who to target, and how to do it. They give children and adults an incentive to eat at their restaurants. For the parent’s, it is the advertised low prices, and for the children it is the toy. Their advertisements are manipulative to the public and the worst part is they know exactly what they are doing. This is important to know, because adults and children cave into the advertisements and the public should be more aware of tactics the companies use, so that they are not taken advantage of. In the same article I also found that children seven to eight years old face twelve to twenty-one ads per day. When young children are faced with manipulative advertisements they do not comprehend that the commercials are deceiving. Another example of McDonald’s false advertising is the Big. On a commercial it looks mouth watering and perfect. Except when you actually order a Big Mac, it does not look as nearly mouth watering as the one advertised. A video that I found on inquisitor.com showed how they prepare the fast food advertised to look appealing to the eyes and stomach. I found out that the burgers they advertise take up to seven hours to perfect, and the one made at the restaurant took about a minute to complete. McDonald’s has put the word artificial to a whole new level, with photo shopping the bun and enhancing the burger’s overall color and lighting.  I do want to not be a victim of advertising. I want the public to be aware of fast food company’s false advertisements and how the people can avoid falling victim to it.

            I feel strongly about this topic, because I grew up with obese neighbors and I encounter people every day that are on the verge of obesity. I want to help people deal with fast food advertisements and show how they do not have to give into it.  I want to find out how the fast food companies come up with their marketing strategies and how it affects Americans. I believe that fast food companies should not be allowed to false advertise their products at all. I believe this, because I do not think that the fast food companies should get a profit for false advertising their products. I would like to be able to inform people of this topic and maybe be their reason to get their nutrition back on track.   Lastly, I would like to maybe go further into why we give into their advertisements and the mental process of it and to see how we could change our mindset. The false advertising for fast food companies is the reason why Americans are obese and I would like to put an end to it.