By Cameron Nyznyk

Introduction The way Americans have been making, and eating food has changed more in the past 50 years, than in the past 10,000. A large amount of the food being mass produced today is very unhealthy Most of these foods have a very high content in fat, sugars, and salts. It is okay to occasionally eat fast food, desserts, candy, etc. every once in a while, but if you are constantly eating these foods, you are doing terrible harm to your body. People that eat these unhealthy foods on a regular basis have been prone to heart attacks, or heart related problems, and obesity. … This brings us to the subject on children.

Children’s Health The number one health problem for kids in the U.S. for the year 2009 is childhood obesity. This falls above other childhood problems such as drug abuse, smoking, bullying, internet safety, childhood abuse and neglect, alcohol abuse, and many more important others… In May 2009, the poll asked adults to rate 23 different health concerns for the children living in their communities, and these were the results. I believe that the food industry has a great impact on the problem of childhood obesity. In videos I have recently watched, I have learned that the food industry purposely places sugary foods(in grocery stores) eye level so children…

Childhood Health Continued… … can see them better. Most of these sugary foods(cereal, pop tarts, cookies, fruit snacks, etc.) have cartoon characters from children's television shows on the boxes so these kids will be more attracted to the food. This usually causes children to nag at their parents about buying this food for them, and now a days, parents will usually give in. People that work in the food industry has been asked questions like, “Who do you think is responsible for children eating so many unhealthy snacks that you manufacture, and getting diabetes, or other health conditions that these kids receive?” The person from the industry will usually reply with something like…

… It is the parent’s faults for allowing their children to purchase all of those foods that make them that way. The thing is that the food industries whole goal is to get people to buy more, and more of those foods so they can become multi – millionaires.

Facts The food industry spends $34 billion a year to market their products. It is put on average that $12 billion of that 34 goes to advertising children’s snacks and foods. In 2009 studies have shown that 1 in every 5 Americans visit some type of fast food restaurant each day. In the U.S., we eat more than 1,000,000 animals an hour The average child sees 8,000 food advertisements per year Only seven items on McDonald’s entire menu contain no sugar McDonalds distributes more toys per year than Toys – R – Us McDonalds calls people who eat a lot of their food “Heavy Users”

Conclusion Humans are now in a way “hardwired” to go for three tastes, fat, salt, and sugar. The Food Industry purposely adds these cravings into their foods so you will buy their foods. ( But Most of these foods are extremely dangerous for humans to consume too much of, which makes what the Food industry is doing (in my belief) wrong.) In the end, it all comes down to the fact that The foods that the unhealthy food that the food industry makes and markets, is contributing to heart attack, obesity, and health problems in the U.S.