The Problem of Obesity: The US Food Policies

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Problems Associated with Obesity
Recommendations and Ethical Stance on Obesity
Existing Laws and Policies
Recommendations
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Cases of obesity have risen in the recent past in America. The above could be linked to the various current changes that have taken place in processing of meals, daily practices, lifestyle choices, surroundings, and social interactions during the last half-century (Engel 6). Cheap calories in the form of sugar, unwalkable distances, and the fading cooking skills have made Americans confront daily the challenge of not adding weight. Food is anything solid that can be consumed by living organisms, particularly by eating, to sustain life. Over the years, foods have undergone changes that have led to most foods being enhanced by chemical compounds. On the other hand, a policy is a principal of behavior or action that is considered fit and is explicitly articulated by a government or other official authority. This research seeks to establish food policies in America, their challenges, and recommendations that the state should put in place to ensure people consume healthy foods, thereby reducing obesity.

Problems Associated with Obesity

Obesity is a health condition in which someone has harmful amounts of body fats or unhealthy body fat distribution (Walker and Wolfe 1650). It is generally caused by overconsumption and little exercise or physical movement. It can also be attributed to poor diet, genetics, and medical conditions. Obese people risk developing health problems including diabetes, heart diseases, stroke, high blood pressure, liver diseases, some cancers like gallbladder cancer, depression and pregnancy complications. This condition is considered an epidemic in the United States.

Recommendations and Ethical Stance on Obesity

There are several ways that, if followed, will help reduce obesity. Eating more fruits and vegetables helps to keep calories in check, therefore, reducing overconsumption. Consuming foods rich in fibre plays a role in maintaining weight. Eating slowly and when hungry helps digestion and ensures someone does not overeat. People are encouraged to exercise regularly and avoid too much screen watching, especially kids—ingest a smaller amount of bad fat and much extra good fat and eat fewer processed and sugary diets.

Some programs have been put in place to prevent obesity and improve individual and public health. They aim to help people make informed choices and reduce societal costs associated with being overweight. Obesity is associated with low-income people and minority groups (Lobstein 7).There are also cases where overweight people are stigmatized and called lazy or lacking self-control. Questions have been raised about whether public concern with obesity is primarily for health or bias against overweight people. Increased food industry regulation also seems to infringe on people’s choice of what to eat and what not to (Wilkinson 325). Food provides comfort, sustenance and aesthetic pleasure to individuals. Eating patterns express not only personal but group identities as well.

Existing Laws and Policies

A country’s food control system makes sure that available food within the country itself is safe for human consumption, adheres to regulations governing food safety and quality, and is accurately labelled as needed by law. These systems protect the safety and health of consumers and ensures quality and safe foods are sold within the country. In the United States, there is no defined food policy; however, food regulation is controlled mainly by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). There happens to be many federal organizations that deal with food policies, like advertising food and regulating agricultural lands and practices. Local governments also determine to some extent what people eat and farm. Implementation of food policy programmes takes place at the federal agencies. These policies are supposed to ensure everyone has access to safe, affordable and healthy food as well as support farmers. These policies sometimes fail, creating an opportunity for change.

The American government has implemented rules such as labeling calories on fast meal options. In addition, these guidelines prohibit the use of trans fat, as well as enhancing the amount of supplemental nutrition assistance program advantages whenever it is spent at farmers’ marketplaces (FoodPrint). The federal government initiated this programme to assist low and no income people. The Food and Drug Administration has initiated a Nutrition Facts label on packaged foods and drinks. This will enable consumers to know the calorie and nutrition information on products. Companies have to show the number of calories on menus and menu boards for standard items. Cumulative calories, caloric density, saturated as well as Trans fat, cholesterol, salt, carbs, sugars, fiber, and proteins are all included in the nutritional information. They should also indicate daily calorie intake and general nutritional value advice.

This policy may not be effective as many people are reportedly ignoring the labels. There has also been no reduction in the calories that restaurants order. Most people still consume foods high in calories, so the policy does little to change their behaviour. There can also be wrong labelling to attract customers. Also, the healthiest foods were more likely to contain higher calories than reported. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program introduced by the federal government aims to assist children and low-income earners with access to healthy food. SNAP benefits are given depending on household size, income, and expenses. For someone to benefit from this programme, however, they must apply in the state they live in and must be able to meet the requirements like resource and income limits which are updated annually. There may be people who want to benefit, but they are well off; thus, the government must always check on fraud.

Another policy put in place by the government is the ban on the use of Trans fats. Trans fats are a type of naturally occurring unsaturated fat found in limited amounts in meat and milk. The FDA deemed these fats unsafe for human consumption. These fats are high in content in baked and fried foods. Consumption of too much Trans fat causes weight gain leading to obesity. A major problem facing this ban on Trans fat is the labelling regulations. The US system provides for rounding off in that foods with less than 0.5g of Trans fats per serving can be labelled as having 0 fats. This is a loophole that enables these fat containing products to have zero fat content. Rounding off is necessary to avoid many decimals, which can even confuse the consumer (WHPRS). However, there must be rules that control this activity to ensure honesty in the fats content per item, so consumers do not underestimate the trans fats they consume.

It is also not clearly stated what the serving size of these trans fats is, making it difficult to judge their fat consumption accurately. Using reference amounts for serving potions misrepresents the actual amount eaten per sitting. These varying serving sizes will allow companies to lie to consumers by making them believe they are on a trans-fat-free diet. In reality, they may be consuming much more than the amounts recommended by the World Health Organisation. Trans fats are more harmful when consumed in much smaller quantities than other fats like saturated fats.

There needs to be accurate and transparent labelling of trans fat content nowadays. This is so because many Americans rely on labels on products to select healthier foods, a good number considering products with zero per cent trans fat serving. The current nature of labelling is deceptive as many people following a zero trans fat diet and relying on this to select their foods may be taking dangerous amounts of fats without knowing. Labelling regulations for Trans Fats in the U. S. A should allow for minor rounding off and adhere to the right content per serving. This will enable consumers to make informed choices about their diet.

In as much as these policies promote good health and wellness that positively impact human health, they allow the government to have too much control over food and people’s choices of what they consume (Moragues-Faus 7). This, in turn, limits dietary options, conflicts with cultural, ethnic, and religious traditions, and exacerbates socioeconomic disparities. These fears are not unfounded, given the societal and political demands for further food controls. There is a need to respect rights of the citizens and other cultural norms by implementing rules that drastically curtail food choices only if scientific evidence demonstrates such prohibitions.

The solution to these concerns can be in the form of conditions that will promote public health if adhered to. These policies will be fully achieved if there is substantial scientific evidence that it is essential in achieving public health goals. The potential health gains in the public arena should overshadow the contrary social effects as well as other ethical concerns. The policy ought to prove that it effectively achieves essential public health goals. It should impose minimal restrictions on freedoms people need to promote public health goals. They should be made known to the public, justified, and clearly explained with reasons why there is a need for such restrictions.

Recommendations

If put to work, some policies can reduce obesity levels across the United States, for instance, taxing. Taxing unhealthy food will not only raise their prices but also will reduce their demand. From an ideal economic perspective, taxing will make consumers pay the total social cost of unhealthy food, forcing people to find alternatives. Taxes can also be levied on high-sugar, high-fat foods to force manufacturers to produce healthy foods with low sugar and low fat. The tax collected on these foods can be spent on healthcare and the treatment of obesity.

Restriction on sales can also work in reducing the overconsumption of unhealthy foods (Golden 45).This can be achieved by establishing a policy that bans the sale of unhealthy food in some areas, for example, restricting the sale of sugary drinks and fatty foods in schools. This will directly limit the availability of these products, which are considered significant causes of obesity in children. This, however, requires much cooperation on the part of schools and workplaces. This can be pretty effective in reducing consumption in particular areas and a particular target group of consumers. It can also cause a change in eating habits.

The government can initiate regulations that limit advertisements of certain foods to a target group of people. There should be a time when unhealthy food advertisements cannot be marketed. Children are easier to influence by what is seen on television, so these adverts can be run at times when children are not watching television. It is simpler to modify eating patterns in youngsters who have yet to acquire solid dietary behaviors and can be persuaded by marketers.

Another critical regulation touches on food labelling to reduce unhealthy consumption (Institute of Food Science Technology 44). People need to be educated on the impact of the food they consume through these labels. Warning labels about the health costs of different food items should be displayed. These labels should indicate the percentage recommended allowance per day. They should not be small and hidden somewhere that can be easily ignored. These labels should also be genuine about the dangers of any food items aside from their daily recommendations. This will enable consumers to get a clear picture of what they are buying and assess their dangers on their own accord. The nature of labels and how food is packaged are fundamental to a consumer when buying food. Clear and straightforward food labels have gone a long way in changing the behaviour of many people.

It has also had a change on producers, demanding them to make healthier foods.

Educating consumers on the need to read and understand labels is also effective in teaching people about which foods are healthy and which ones are not. Many people may be surprised that the foods they often purchase knowing are healthy are, in reality, not healthy at all. Companies can put inaccurate labels to attract customers at the expense of people’s health (Razzaque 64). People also need to be keen while purchasing these foods. The most crucial obligation of any government is ensuring that the health of all its people is protected at all cost. Food control is also important as it ensures fair practices in the food industry and promotes equal economic opportunities for everyone in the food sector.

Conclusion

Food policy is central to any country’s food system. It affects everything from the type of crops grown, the cost of food and how to go about the extra food available. Food policy is how government actions shape the food system. People who live close to fast food restaurants consume a lot of fast foods rich in fats, sugar, and sodium more than others. Correspondingly, children who go to schools that serve unhealthy foods or have vendor machines providing unhealthy foods are heavier than those whose schools do not have such. Engaging in healthy food habits and physical exercises will go a long way in reducing cases of obesity among Americans.

Implementing some recommendations governing food will create awareness among people on the need for healthy and safe food practices. These practices should be encouraged in people of all ages right from childhood. Moreover, it takes time to effect polices as some consumers find it hard to change their long-term eating habits, especially adults. Children, however, are more responsive when it comes to adopting these healthy habits as most have not formed long-term eating habits. As more people get used to eating healthier foods, the craving for unhealthier foods fades and will eventually be a thing of the past.

Works Cited

Engel, Jonathan. Fat Nation: A History of Obesity in America. Rowman and Littlefield, 2018.

FoodPrint. “Food Policy 101”. Foodprint, 2022.

Golden, Angela. “Obesity”. Nursing Clinics of North America, vol 56, no. 4, 2021, p. 11. Elsevier BV.

Institute of Food Science Technology. “All Change for Food Regulation”. Food Science and Technology, vol 32, no. 1, 2018, pp. 44-46. Wiley.

Lobstein, Tim. “Obesity Prevention and the Global Syndemic: Challenges and Opportunities for the World Obesity Federation”. Obesity Reviews, vol 20, no. S2, 2019, pp. 6-9. Wiley.

Moragues-Faus, Ana. “The Emergence of City Food Networks: Rescaling the Impact of Urban Food Policies”. Food Policy, vol 103, 2021, pp. 1-12. Elsevier BV.

Razzaque, Mohammed S. “Overconsumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages: Why is it Difficult to Control?”Journal of Population Therapeutics &Amp; Clinical Pharmacology, vol 27, no. 2, 2020, pp. e62-e68. Codon Publications.

Walker, Elizaveta, and Bruce M. Wolfe. “Editorial Comment: Obesity in America”. Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, vol 13, no. 10, 2017, pp. 1650-1651. Elsevier BV.

WHPRS. Fed Up Documentary on Our Food Industry. 2020, (Video). Uploaded on Youtube by WHPRS. Web.

Wilkinson, Timothy M. “Obesity, Equity and Choice”. Journal of Medical Ethics, vol 45, no. 5, 2018, pp. 323-328. BMJ.

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