High Obesity Rates in the US- Is Food Labeling on Junk Foods a Practical Solution

High Obesity Rates in the US- Is Food Labeling on Junk Foods a Practical Solution

Unhealthy food choice is among the major causes of obesity. According to the World Health Organization (2021), the rate of obesity has more than tripled since 1975, with over 1.9 billion adults being considered overweight and 650 million considered obese in 2016. In 2020, the World Health Organization (2021) further revealed that over 39 million children who were below the age of five were found to be obese or overweight. Insufficient or lack of physical activity, as well as a poor choice of food, have been majorly attributed to the rising rate of obesity in the world, particularly in the US (Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, 2022). Nutritionists tend to blame junk foods for the rising obesity rates. According to Boncinelli et al. (2017), various scholars have suggested a fat tax to lessen the demand for junk food. Still, this proposal has been considered ineffective as very high taxation will be required to lessen demand for the highly loved and addictive junk foods. Consequently, a health warning label has been proposed as an alternative to lessen junk food consumption. This paper seeks to answer the question, “Can health warning labels on junk foods be effective in influencing healthy eating?” It is argued that whereas critics claim that health warning labels, especially those that include graphic texts and images, can discourage people from making unhealthy food choices, these labels might not be as effective as shown by the already-existing failure of food labels to lessen obesity rates, the complexity of information on the available food labels as well as the fact that individual factors like addiction and familiarity of food drive people’s choice of food.

There is a low likelihood that warning labels alone can reduce the probability of individuals purchasing and consuming junk foods, as evidenced by the already-existing failure to lessen obesity rates in countries like Mexico that implemented this strategy. Mexico adopted food labeling, and results show that 80.8 percent of every product in the Mexican market was regarded as “less healthy”, with over 48.2 and 40.7 percent being said to have excess calories and excess free sugars, respectively (Cruz-Casarrubias et al., 2021). However, despite these food labels on foods, the rate of obesity and individuals who are overweight in Mexico continues to increase, with research showing that up to 75 percent of adults in Mexico are obese or overweight (Lapique & Rotunno, 2022). Foods that contain high saturated fats, sugars, and salts have been blamed for this surge in obesity. In addition, the fact that more individuals continue to be overweight or obese only proves that citizens tend to ignore the food labels on their products. In 2008, fast food chains in New York were required to post calories on menus, but research shows that there was little or no effect on the number of calories purchased (Boncinelli et al., 2017). Cardello (2022) claims that the rates of obesity have grown higher worldwide, and an onerous approach to the problem is unlikely to lessen these rates. Cardello (2022) cites countries like Chile, where black stop signs were written on junk food packaging, childhood obesity continued to increase from 51.2 percent to 54 percent before and after labeling, respectively. Essentially, this shows that food labeling alone cannot be a powerful tool to use to lessen obesity, and therefore, other strategies should be used. Some scholars propose portion control as well as improvements in dietary availability and quality to lessen the rate of obesity, particularly among children (Deal et al., 2020). Other scholars suggest the use of more informative as opposed to interpretive labels to influence decisions (Cardello, 2022). Combined with other strategies, food labeling on junk foods might record more success since research shows that on its own, it is a weak strategy.

Food familiarity, addiction, and self-control are some personal factors that can help drive the effectiveness of warning labels on junk foods. According to Golan et al. (2021), consumers tend to make hasty food choices and may fail to scrutinize food labels closely. Like drugs such as nicotine, food, especially junk foods, can be addictive. Without self-control, one is likely to pay no attention to the number of calories they consume from junk foods. Unless an individual makes a personal decision to avoid or lessen the number of junk foods consumed, it would be difficult for them to be persuaded by food labeling showing the number of calories they have consumed or need to burn after consuming the product. In addition, according to Boncinelli et al. (2017), food familiarity causes individuals to purchase certain foods, like junk foods, more frequently, and the frequency of the purchase has a negative link with the use of food labels. This means that familiarity regarding personal experiences is likely to lessen the probability that one would pay attention to or notice a warning label since consumers tend to show less attention when buying a product they have used frequently. Furthermore, junk foods like hamburgers and potato chips seem to be America’s cultural food and are common in bonding activities like family or friends outings; therefore, this familiarity is likely to cause most people to look the other way.

Moreover, the available food labels contain information that is too complex for most Americans to pay attention to. One research by Boncinelli et al. (2017) shows that high-calorie warning labels did not impact consumers’ choices. Golan et al. (2021) support this, claiming that labeling may be ineffective since there are many cases where individuals simply care less about the information provided on the label or fail to read or see these labels. Also, Williams (2016) posits that Americans consider nutritional messages too complex and are often discouraged from reading or even looking at these labels. Remarkably, a nutritionist claimed that it would require a minimum of 15 minutes to explain a food label (Williams, 2016). Most consumers tend to read and comprehend food labels that are concise and clear, as suggested by Clarke et al. (2020). However, most food labels contain a variety of warnings and detailed information, making it difficult for consumers to order these details in order of importance. The result is that consumers ignore these warning labels altogether or, as Golan et al. (2021) put it, overreact and underreact to less important and more important information, respectively. Some scholars suggest that food labels that show the exercise that one needs to burn off calories may help individuals make healthier choices. However, this may not work on unmotivated individuals with no interest in activity levels. Furthermore, Roberts and Chung (2022) claim that such a message is too simplistic, assuming that everyone has similar genes, age, fitness level, and workout intensity. For that reason, a more individualized approach to making healthy choices has been recommended.

Whereas opponents of food labeling on junk foods claim its ineffectiveness in influencing healthy choices, proponents believe that such labels, especially when accompanied by graphic images, can cause repulsion of unhealthy foods and create awareness of issues like obesity that are linked to junk foods. Besides, research conducted by Ventsel et al. (2022) shows that labeling unhealthy snacks reduced motivation to purchase and consume these products. This is backed by Clarke et al. (2020), who claim that health warning signs, especially those that incorporate text and images, can lessen the selection of unhealthy foods like energy-dense snacks. In addition, in France, the French Ministry of Health used an ad showing belly fat to campaign against the rising cases of childhood obesity in the country (Pinterest, 2022). The reaction that one might get from such a photo is that of repulsion, and with such a reaction, it is hoped that individuals would make wiser and healthier choices, that is, avoid or lessen their intake of ice cream.

Even though proponents of junk food labeling make strong and valid points, statistics have shown that this food labeling does not simply work. Evidently, Viola et al. (2016) research on whether food labels are effective in health promotion shows that individuals have limited nutritional knowledge and a majority of people care more about the global quality of the food than their nutritional values. This is backed by Williams (2016), who notes that consumers do not exactly rely on nutrition labels to make healthier choices on food because this information is normally too complicated for one to make a choice. Williams (2016) further claims that food labels might mislead consumers into thinking that they are making healthier choices, yet the nutrition labels might be false. Regarding the ad made by the French Ministry of Health, there is a probability that this message had a short-term impact. Still, given that obesity continues to grow at an alarming rate in the country, as cited by (Czernichow et al., 2021), it is clear that even with graphic health warnings on food, individuals are still likely to continue purchasing and consuming unhealthy foods unless other measures are taken.

Food labeling has been considered an alternative strategy to encourage healthy eating, but it has proven ineffective, given the continuing rise in obesity rates. The idea of food labeling seems ideal at the surface level, particularly when accompanied by graphic information on calories as well as information such as the amount of exercise required to burn calories. However, the latter strategy tends to simplify how obesity can be dealt with since individuals tend to have varying activity levels, diet, lifestyle habits, and genetics. This shows that food labeling alone is an ineffective strategy to deal with the rising cases of obesity in the US and worldwide. Commitment or personal choice to making healthy decisions on foods seems to be an important factor in encouraging healthy eating and hence lessening obesity rates. Consequently, it is important to use a more individualized approach to help people enhance their intake of healthy foods and improve their daily activity levels.

References

Boncinelli, F., Gerini, F., Pagnotta, G., & Alfnes, F. (2017). Warning labels on junk food: experimental evidence. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 41(1), 46-53.

Cardello, H. (2020). Why Onerous Food Labels Won’t Make A Dent On Obesity. Forbes. Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/hankcardello/2022/12/01/why-onerous-food-labels-wont-make-a-dent-on-obesity/?sh=6aefbc5ac63b

Clarke, N., Pechey, E., Mantzari, E., Blackwell, A. K., De-Loyde, K., Morris, R. W., & Hollands, G. J. (2020). Impact of health warning labels on snack selection: An online experimental study. Appetite, 154, 104744.

Cruz-Casarrubias, C., Tolentino-Mayo, L., Vandevijvere, S., & Barquera, S. (2021). Estimated effects of the implementation of the Mexican warning labels regulation on the use of health and nutrition claims on packaged foods. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 18(1), 1-12.

Czernichow, S., Renuy, A., Rives-Lange, C., Carette, C., Airagnes, G., Wiernik, E., & Matta, J. (2021). Evolution of the prevalence of obesity in the adult population in France, 2013–2016: the Constances study. Scientific reports, 11(1), 1-11.

Deal, B. J., Huffman, M. D., Binns, H., & Stone, N. J. (2020). Perspective: Childhood obesity requires new strategies for prevention. Advances in Nutrition, 11(5), 1071-1078.

Golan, E., Kuchler, F., Mitchell, L., Greene, C., & Jessup, A. (2021). Economics of food labeling. Journal of consumer policy, 24(2), 117-184.

Lapique, C.,& Rotunno, L. (2022). Has the United States Exported Its Obesity Rate to Mexico? The Dialogue. Retrieved November 18, 2022, from https://www.dialogueseconomiques.fr/en/article/has-united-states-exported-its-obesity-rate-mexico#:~:text=Approximately%2075%25%20of%20Mexico’ s%20adult,future%20of%20the%20country2%20.

Pinterest. (2022). Belly Ice Cream Ads. Retrieved November 18, 2022 from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/404338872772928002/

Roberts, J.,& Chung, H. (2022, October 11). Why food labels showing the exercise needed to burn off calories won’t work for everyone. The Conversation. Retrieved November 18, 2022 from https://theconversation.com/why-food-labels-showing-the-exercise-needed-to-burn-off-calories-wont-work-for-everyone-191825

Ventsel, M., Pechey, E., De-Loyde, K., Pilling, M. A., Morris, R. W., Maistrello, G., … & Fletcher, P. C. (2022). Effect of health warning labels on motivation towards energy-dense snack foods: Two experimental studies. Appetite, 106084.

Viola, G. C., Bianchi, F., Croce, E., & Ceretti, E. (2016). Are food labels effective as a means of health prevention? Journal of public health research, 5(3), jphr-2016.

Williams, R. (2016). Why the new nutrition labels won’t work. The Agenda. Retrieved November 18, 2022, from https://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2016/05/the-nutrition-facts-panel-failed-policy-000125/

World Health Organization. (2021). Obesity and Overweight. Retrieved November 18, 2022, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight

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Touchstone 4:

Revise an Argumentative Research Essay
ASSIGNMENT: Review the in-text comments and summary feedback you received on your Touchstone 3.2 draft to enhance your writing. You will then submit a revision of your Touchstone 3.2 draft that reflects the evaluator’s feedback. Make sure to include a copy of your Touchstone 3.2 draft below the reflection questions for this unit.

As this assignment builds on Touchstone 3.2: Draft an Argumentative Research Essay, that Touchstone must be graded before you can submit your final research essay.

Sample Touchstone 4

In order to foster learning and growth, all essays you submit must be newly written specifically for this course. Any recycled work will be sent back with a 0, and you will be given one attempt to redo the Touchstone.
A. Final Draft Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: Refer to the list below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines.

1. Editing and Revising
❒ Have you significantly revised the essay by adjusting areas like organization, focus, and clarity?
❒ Have you made comprehensive edits to word choice, sentence variety, and style?
❒ Have your edits and revisions addressed the feedback provided by your evaluator?
2. Cohesion and Source Integration
❒ Is the information presented in a logical order that is easy for the reader to follow?
❒ Have you included smooth transitions between sentences and paragraphs?
❒ Have you introduced your sources clearly and in a way that demonstrates their validity to the reader?
3. Conventions and Proofreading
❒ Have you double-checked for correct formatting, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization?
❒ Have you ensured that any quoted material is represented accurately?
4. Reflection
❒ Have you displayed a clear understanding of the revision process?
❒ Have you answered all reflection questions thoughtfully and included insights, observations, and/or examples in all responses?
❒ Are your answers included on a separate page below the composition?
B. Reflection Questions
DIRECTIONS: Below your assignment, include answers to all of the following reflection questions.

How much time did you spend revising your draft? What revision strategies did you use and which worked best for you? (2-3 sentences)
List three concrete revisions that you made and explain how you made them. What problem did you fix with each of these revisions? Issues may be unity, cohesion, rhetorical appeals, content, or any other areas on which you received constructive feedback. (4-5 sentences)
What did you learn about your writing process or yourself as a writer? How has your understanding of the research process changed as a result of taking this course? (2-3 sentences)
C. Rubric
Advanced (100%) Proficient (85%) Acceptable (75%) Needs Improvement (50%) Non-Performance (0%)
Revising
Demonstrate comprehensive “re-visioning” of the composition.
There is evidence of comprehensive re-visioning of the draft composition, including adjustments to organization, focus, clarity, and/or unity where needed or appropriate. There is evidence of significant re-visioning of the draft composition, including adjustments to organization, focus, clarity, and/or unity where needed or appropriate. There is evidence of some re-visioning of the draft composition, including adjustments to organization, focus, clarity, and/or unity where needed or appropriate; however, a few areas need some additional revision. There is little evidence of re-visioning of the draft composition, such that multiple areas in need of changes were unaltered. Revisions are absent or did not address the issues in the essay.
Editing
Demonstrate comprehensive sentence-level edits throughout the composition.
There is evidence of comprehensive edits to the draft composition, including adjustments to word choice, sentence completeness, sentence variety, and/or style where needed or appropriate. There is evidence of substantial edits to the draft composition, including adjustments to word choice, sentence completeness, sentence variety, and/or style where needed or appropriate. There is evidence of some edits to the draft composition, including adjustments to word choice, sentence completeness, sentence variety, and/or style where needed/appropriate; however, some issues were overlooked. There is little evidence of edits made to the draft composition, such that many errors remain. Edits are absent or did not address the issues in the essay.
Source Integration
Integrate source material appropriately and effectively.
Introduces sources smoothly and effectively through direct quotation, paraphrase, or summary. Primarily introduces sources effectively through direct quotation, paraphrase, or summary. Introduces some sources effectively through direct quotation, paraphrase, or summary, but more variety could be used. Relies too heavily on one method of source integration (direct quotation, paraphrase, or summary); does not thoughtfully apply source integration techniques. Shows no attempt to integrate source material into the composition or relies on quoted source material for over half of the composition.
Cohesion
Establish and maintain a logical flow.
Sequences ideas and paragraphs logically and uses smooth transitions (within and between paragraphs) such that the reader can easily follow the progression of ideas. Sequences ideas and paragraphs logically and uses transitions (within and between paragraphs) such that the reader can easily follow the progression of ideas. Primarily sequences ideas and paragraphs logically and uses sufficient transitions (within and between paragraphs) such that the reader can generally follow the progression of ideas. The progression of ideas is often difficult to follow, due to poor sequencing, ineffective transitions, and/or insufficient transitions. The progression of ideas is consistently difficult to follow, due to poor sequencing and lack of transitions.
Conventions and Proofreading
Demonstrate command of standard English grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and usage.
There are few, if any, negligible errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage. There are occasional minor errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage. There are some significant errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage. There are frequent significant errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage. There are consistent significant errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage.
Reflection
Answer reflection questions thoroughly and thoughtfully.
Demonstrates thoughtful reflection; consistently includes insights, observations, and/or examples in all responses, following or exceeding response length guidelines. Demonstrates thoughtful reflection; includes multiple insights, observations, and/or examples, following response length guidelines. Primarily demonstrates thoughtful reflection, but some responses are lacking in detail or insight; primarily follows response length guidelines. Shows limited reflection; the majority of responses are lacking in detail or insight, with some questions left unanswered or falling short of response length guidelines. No reflection responses are present.
D. Requirements
The following requirements must be met for your submission to be graded:

Composition must be 6-8 pages (approximately 1500-2000 words, not including your references or reflection question responses).
Double-space the composition and use one-inch margins.
Use a readable 12-point font.
All writing must be appropriate for an academic context.
Composition must be original and written for this assignment.
Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited.
Submission must include your name, the name of the course, the date, and the title of your composition.
Submission must include your graded Touchstone 3 assignment.
Include all of the assignment components in a single file.
Acceptable file formats include .doc and .docx.