The food industry is full of manipulative techniques aimed at wooing consumers, especially youngsters, to purchase various nutriment items. Annually, the sector spends colossal amounts of money on paid ads, which are designed to influence food purchasing preference (Vilaro et al., 2017). Explicitly, children remain easier targets than adults in these emotional appeals since their cognitive capabilities are not strong enough to decipher the core objectives of the advertisements or even the inherent manipulations behind such commercials. Empirical studies depict that increased consumption of sugar results in obesity and other health-associated ailments such as heart disease and diabetes. However, its marketing remains effective, evident by continued purchases irrespective of the pragmatic evidence informing buyers on potential effects.
An assessment of the data collected on Food Journal reveals that I am profoundly affected by prevailing food industry trends. The Food Journal data depicts a high consumption of sugar in the snacks and a potential recipe for other health-related complications. For example, the food diary statistics show daily consumption of SeaSalt Chocolate Protein Bar and Chocolate Covered Pretzels snacks, which have a considerable sugar content that can lead to potential cases of obesity. Second, frequent consumption of sandwiches depicted in the Food Journal has significant effects on health by exposing an individual to more sugar, salt, fat, and calories in the diet (Vilaro et al., 2017). For instance, the classic hamburger, meatloaf sandwich, or chicken sandwich could carry extra fat and sodium, which are unhealthy.
As a Human Service practitioner, I would say that such kinds of foods can cause devastating effects on the wellbeing of elementary school children. Youngsters with a surplus weight increase at a tender age can become better candidates for obesity in adulthood. Moreover, nearly 67 percent of obese teenagers remain overweight into adulthood, creating youthful corpulence, a life-long wellbeing matter linked to several comorbidities encompassing cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome (Vilaro et al., 2017). The mentioned food data demonstrate not only high sugar levels but also high-fat content, which is dangerous to the consumers. According to Vilaro et al. (2017), dietary aspects encompassing high consumption of high-sugar, salty, high-fat diets and reduced intake of fresh vegetables and fruits among children can cause obesity. Therefore, there is a need to establish and empower appropriate regulatory measures to protect consumers from junk food.
Reference
Vilaro, M. J., Barnett, T. E., Watson, A. M., Merten, J. W., & Mathews, A. E. (2017). Weekday and weekend food advertising varies on children’s television in the USA but persuasive techniques and unhealthy items still dominate. Public Health, 142(1), 22-30. Web.