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Keen Kaur

LaFond

Advanced Sophomore English

17 May 2017

Targeting the Youth

Diseases linked to an unhealthy lifestyle and diet are increasing every day, especially

among the youth. The worst part is foods high in bad fats and sugars are not only promoted by

advertisements on TV, billboards, etc., but at schools too. These ads target a group that are not

aware of the effects of the products shown. Fast food industries should not target a younger

audience when they advertise and promote their food.

FDA demands that trans fat be removed from the American diet because it is not

recognized as safe in food for humans. Food manufacturers have been given three years to

remove the trans fats from the foods. It cannot be added in the future unless it is approved by the

FDA. This is due to the fact that consuming a diet that is rich in trans fats can lead to higher body

weight, heart disease, memory loss, and can raise bad cholesterol in blood which leads to

cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in America, and the

FDA wants to prevent this from happening. By doing this, thousands of fatal heart attacks can be

prevented and greatly diminish.

The effect of their food roots from persuading their set audience and in this case it's

children. Thomas G. Pickering states, "...alarming trends in the school system have contributed

to the epidemic of childhood obesity". Unhealthy foods, such as Pizza Hut, are being served and

promoted at schools. Children are exposed to an unhealthy life style outside of and at school.

This adds and contributes to the rise of obesity among young Americans. Persuading children to
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follow a path of eating foods high in fats, sugars, and so on in schools needs to be eliminated.

Instead of reducing physical education classes, more or them should be taught to inform the

youth and emphasize the importance of healthy living. Obesity can be a result of consuming

fatty/junk foods, "Obesity puts children and adolescents at the risk for a range of health problems

such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and depression" (Dhar and Baylis).

Shockingly, cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United

States. lives should not be put in danger because fast food restaurants are feeding junk to the

mouths of America's youth. Depression can ruins ones image of self and is a gate to easily built

stress and anxiety. It affects the child's personal, social, and school life. Children are blind to

what is in the food they consume and how it can directly harm them. Meat can be contaminated

with bacteria such as E. coli which settles in ones intestines. Although E coli is normally found

in the human body, E. coli O157:H7 specifically harms the body greatly. Children are not

immune to it, "Children under the age of 5...are the most likely to suffer from the [illnesses]

caused by E. Coli" ("Fast Food Nation") This harmful disease causes permanent disabilities such

as blindness and brain damage Along with that, they are at risk for kidney failure, Anemia,

Hemolytic uremic syndrome, internal bleeding, destruction of internal organs, and even death.

Meat, specifically beef, is advertised in many commercials that target children. For example,

Burger King includes a cheeseburger in their kids meals. They grab the children's attention with

the toys provided but still they eat the food they serve without being aware of what they are

really consuming. In America alone, children between the ages of 7-13 ate more hamburgers

than anyone else, making them the largest consumers of foodborne pathogens found in meat

causing illnesses as stated before. One out of every thousand hamburgers contain the organism E.
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Coli and yearly Americans consume over 20 billion hamburgers a year. That’s about 20 million

hamburgers carrying this organism and directly effect children the most.

By eliminating fast food advertisement that targets children, many of the deaths and

illnesses caused by fast food would greatly diminish. Many young lives would be saved in the

process.
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Works Cited

Christensen, Jen. "FDA Orders Food Manufactures to Stop Using Trans Fats Within Next Three

Years". CNN. 16 June 2015.

Dhar, Tirtha, and Baylis Kathy. "Fast-Food Consumption and the Ban on Advertising Targeting

Children: The Quebec Experience." Journal of Marketing Research 40.5 (2011): 799-813.

Advanced Placement Source. Web October 2011.

Pickering, Thomas G. "America the Fat: Fast Food and Fructose". Journal of Clinical

Hypertension 5.4 (2006): 298-299. Academic Search Premier. Web July 2006.

Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation The Dark Side if the All-American Meal. Boston: Houghton

Mifflin, 2001. Print.

Weil, Andrew. "Surgery With a Side of Fries". New York Times. Web 6 July 2006.