The government has the responsibility to understand in detail the quality and quantity of food that citizens consume. For the sake of controlling obesity which is has recorded an upward growth in terms of reported cases, the government has adopted regulatory policies and measures especially on fast foods. Considering the trend of American citizens; most of them are either employees or students who tend to acquire their food from vendor machines and other types of fast food distributors. With respect to this, regulating food products and beverages on fast foods is a leading and an effective determinant of the American diet thus obesity is put on check through this measure.
Regulatory crackdowns on fast foods and beverages and their influence on obesity
Going as back as 2010, Boston officials banned vendors from availing sugary beverages in city municipal buildings. This controlled what employees would eat. In 2011, Francisco witnessed the ban of the same plus sodas in public vending machines and was replaced by soy milk products and diet drinks. In the same year, 88,000 restaurants in California were banned from using trans fats. The amount of salt used was also controlled. The same was adopted in Stamford, Philadelphia, New York and Montgomery County. The U.S Food and Drug Administration has been on the lookout and has ensured that fast foods avail products that are better positioned in terms of promoting, maintaining and improving human health and life. Considering this actions, American citizens were able to acquire foods with low sugar and less calories that are leading in obesity causation.
Obesity status and how it is controlled through regulation on fast foods in America
In essence, the U.S government has in most instances received a pointing finger as to possessing a long tradition that controls private behavior. However, the government has conducted research and understands reasons to control what American’s consume. One major reason for this action is the high cases of obesity and overweight concerns. In 2001, according to Surgeon General David Satcher, he stated that overweight and obesity had reached a portion that would be termed epidemic. From a medical perspective, obesity unlike other public health problems arises by a big margin from private behavior; it as a result of what people drinks and eats. It is determined by one’s diet. Therefore when regulations are put on the fast foods stores, obesity will reduce by a big margin.
Obesity then lowers an individual’s desire and ability to work and thus the country’s productivity would be on the downward curve. In the past years, obesity has recorded a mortality of up to 300,000 deaths a year. The United States actually stands as one of the leading countries that have been hit hard by obesity. The most vulnerable group is the adolescents and the youth. From the findings of research, it is reported that an obese child between the ages of 10 and 13 has an 80% probability of turning out to be an obese adult. Going by these facts, it is important to consider that private behavior comes to play when regarding obesity. When the students or employees go buying in fast foods, they most probably want to acquire the sweet food product. They in minimal circumstances give concern to their health. That’s why obesity is on the rise. When government comes in to implement regulations listed above, the fast foods end up ending healthier foods and with time, individuals reshape they diet. It is these measures that will help control the haunting statistics on obesity.
The reasons that specific groups and individuals give against these regulations are basically not scientifically or future-concerned. Some say that a certain amount of food does not consider all, individuals have the knowledge to decide on what to eat, differing economic levels and that the food the government wants to be availed as fast food is not sweet. These reasons are not convincing enough to stop the government from determining the diet that its citizens consume. Regulations on fast foods offer a solution to obesity. For this reason, the productivity of employees and the future of the country are attended to.
In conclusion, when government officials step up to propose and implement policies on the citizen’s diet, they have a positive motive; the motive might be to ensure safety of the food and obesity control. However, the people’s freedom of choice makes a wrong hasty conclusion that the Americans Civil Liberties are violated. The government should have say on what we eat and drink. It should however engage in other endeavors such as increasing tax on unhealthy products while reducing it for healthy products such as vegetables and fruits among other products. Further still, the government should offer guidelines, advice to consumers while they control and regulate food production, quality as well as quantity provided by food vendors machines and fast foods included. Looking at the reasons availed by the government, the end justifies the means.
Works Cited
Bailey, Eric J.. Food choice and obesity in Black America: creating a new cultural diet. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2006. Print.
Haugen, David M. The food industry in Eric Schlosser's Fast food nation. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Print.
Nestle, Marion. Safe food the politics of food safety. Updated and expanded. ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2010. Print.
Piehl, Norah. Should junk food be sold in schools? Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Print.
