The Politics Of Food: Highly Processed Foods

HIGHLY PROCESSED FOODS Name: Institution: Date: Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Introduction PAGEREF _Toc9499747 \h 3Ways governments use to regulate the consumption of foods PAGEREF _Toc9499748 \h 4Passing Legislation to regulate marketing of highly processed foods PAGEREF _Toc9499749 \h 4Ensuring Information on these foods is accurate PAGEREF _Toc9499750 \h 5Using disincentives PAGEREF _Toc9499751 \h 7Teaching the public on healthy living through schools etc PAGEREF _Toc9499752 \h 8Using Public-private partnerships PAGEREF _Toc9499753 \h 8What Corporations are doing? PAGEREF _Toc9499754 \h 11Corporations running anti-obesity campaigns PAGEREF _Toc9499755 \h 11Researching to provide alternative healthier highly processed foods i.e Zero calorie beverages PAGEREF _Toc9499756 \h 12Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc9499757 \h 12List of References PAGEREF _Toc9499758 \h 14 Introduction Since the advent of the civilization of man and for the better part of the 20th century, food security and proper nutrition was a challenge to many people. In a bid to tackle the problem, many governments sought to stimulate the production of food and distribution ensuring that it was as inexpensive as possible. The move cultivated an industry of highly processed foods which came to take root in many parts of the world. Technology and research in the industry accelerated the production volume and lowered the cost. Other factors such as better infrastructure, better storage materials (plastic) and equipment and an increase in supermarkets and food stores led to increased consumption of the foods. The invention of plastic as a cheap material that can easily be used to package and store processed foods helped keep the price of processed foods low and increased their distribution. Processed food could now be packaged and transported over long distances. CITATION Mar07 \l 1033 (Bittman, 2007) suggests that the economy also redefined the traditional roles of family members also led to reduced prevalence of families relying on home prepared meals for consumption and dependence of highly processed options that were cheap and easy to prepare. Heavy advertising also increased the demand for these foods and they came to be main course meals for many people which sparked a global epidemic of obesity and chronic illnesses. All these factors culminated to increase in processed foods and their demand thereof. Highly processed foods are a public health hazard and they have been largely attributed to the increase in obesity and chronic illnesses due to their characteristically high-calorie value and low dietary fiber. Roughly two-thirds of adults, nearly 30% of children are overweight or obese CITATION Chr14 \l 1033 (Murray, et al., 2014). The trends in obesity and other chronic illnesses have a positive correlation with trends in the increase in the production of highly processed foods CITATION Cut03 \l 1033 (Cutler, et al., 2003). However, in the light of its increasing human cost and health hazards, governments and big food industries have taken measures to regulate and improve the quality of highly processed foods and the industry at large. Ways governments use to regulate the consumption of foods Passing Legislation to regulate marketing of highly processed foods Governments (federal and at the state level) have been passing legislation to regulate the advertising of highly processed foods to children. They control the nature of content used by marketers to reach their prospective clients. The regulations are mainly aimed to reduce childhood obesity and thus, therefore, some countries have banned ads targeting children. The United Kingdom banned ‘ads that directly or indirectly promote an HFSS product from appearing in children's media or other media where children make up more than 25 per cent of the audience’ CITATION Jos16 \l 1033 (Clarke, 2016). The regulation encompasses social media platforms owing to the time children are spending online. Chile passed multifaceted regulations aimed to regulate advertising on junk foods and sugary confectionery CITATION Ass16 \l 1033 (Associated Press, 2016). They went as far as banning using cartoons and toys that could be bundled with the processed foods packaging and mascots in supermarkets as they appealed to children. The sweeping laws adopted by the Chilean government encompassed other factors not directly related to the product such as the brand and sponsorship by some brands. These are some of the ways governments can use to impose sweeping regulations that can curb the ballooning highly processed food industries. These regulations can be implemented at the federal, state or municipal level to ensure that the big food corporations do not exploit regulatory framework to continue pushing its products to the public. Insofar as ensuring the regulation of advertising, the governments through the ministry of education have been structuring policies that are aimed at banning advertising and branded sponsorship in schools. Branded sponsorship and brand promotion targeting vulnerable children to increase their desire to consume those products. Additionally, governments ought to ensure and media that has utmost 15% of its audience as children should ban highly processed foods advertisements. Chile has capped the children audience percentage at 20% while Australia is at 35% which is relatively highCITATION Obe18 \l 1033 (Obesity Policy Coalition Australia, 2018). Additionally, advertisements targeted at adults should also be regulated. In London, the mayor Sadiq Khan banned advertising on London’s public transport system. The ban reported by CITATION Wat18 \l 1033 (Waterson, 2018) read in part, ‘Advertising will be banned for most sugary drinks, hamburgers, chocolate bars and salted nuts across the entire Transport for London network, which also includes London Overground, tram services, and bus stops.’ Such regulations targeting the general public must be regulated to reduce the psychological addiction of these foods. Rather, healthier options should be adopted and set up to replace them to inform the public on healthy foods. Ensuring Information on these foods is accurate Secondly, governments have to impose regulations on ensuring that food corporations do not publish misleading information about their products especially related to nutritional value and dietary foods. Most food companies sponsor researches that seem to be structured to mislead the scholarly community and by extension the public on the dangers posed by their products. For example, in many cases, fast food restaurants in the United States which have come to be dabbed ‘Big Food’ sponsor researches that show the healthy sides of their products which are characteristically saturated in fat, salt, sugar and/or contains high calorie value and publish findings that show that they are not harmful. In one case of likely misinformation through scholarly publication is published by CITATION Jus15 \l 1033 (Just & Wansink, 2015), on the ‘Fast food, soft drink, and candy intake is unrelated to body mass index for 95% of American adults.’ Notably, Dr Wansink is a member of McDonald's Global Advisory Council and though the publication includes a ‘no conflict of interest’ inclusion, it is hard to prove otherwise given the findings of the research which seem to absolve fast food restaurant companies of any wrong-doing in causing obesity in the country. Dr. Wansink has published more ‘findings’ that are characteristically pro-processed foods and it seems he is influenced by the big food corporations because many other research findings by independent bodies and researchers have shown a positive correlation between fast foods, highly processed foods and obesity among other chronic illnesses. Directions to declare a conflict of interest are imposed and enforced by the government and through the department of education. Though it is loosely enforced, these regulations are some of the ways through which the government ensures that the public is not misled and are well informed on conflict of interest. The government can also enforce proper labeling and information on packaging and advertising media to ensure that the public is well informed on the dangers of highly processed foods. Chile, which is a global champion on regulating fast foods and highly processed foods, has enforced rules which necessitate processed food producers to accurately inform the public on the contents and ingredients of their products. Article 5 of the new Chilean law requires that all foods high in saturated fat, salt, sugar and/or calories feature a stop-sign warning label (one for each applicable nutrient) CITATION Car15 \l 1033 (Carreño, 2015). Governments can also include Front-of-pack labeling of evidence-informed metrics such as overall fat quality (e.g., unsaturated to saturated fat ratio), carbohydrate quality (e.g., carbohydrate to fiber ratio), and sodiumCITATION Moz18 \l 1033 (Mozaffarian, et al., 2018). Though it is not yet legislation in the united states, it has been implemented in the European Union member countries through legislation that made nutrition labeling mandatory for pre-packed food. The legislation requires all ‘food manufacturers to provide information on the energy value and 6 nutrients; fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein, and salt – in this order, and expressed per 100 g or per 100 ml of the product’ CITATION The12 \l 1033 (The European Food Information Council, 2012). Additionally, the information must also be accurate in accordance with advertisement regulations which is punishable under civil law. Using disincentives Governments can also enforce and regulate the processed food industry by imposing disincentives on sweetened foods through sugar tax. This has come to be a prominent way of making the sweetened processed foods expensive and less affordable to the public. The government also gets to earn more revenue from the increased taxes whilst it protects the public good of healthy processed foods. Many countries all over the world albeit not all have imposed some form of the sugar tax. They have had some significant reduction in the consumption of artificially flavored foods especially beverages. For example, Mexico’s sugar tax added five pence per liter and the tax triggered a 2% decline in consumption after 12 months CITATION Ver18 \l 1033 (Verdict, 2018). The French also added the rate of a sugar tax in 2017 to bring it to 17 pence per liter of products containing 11g of sugar in every 100mls. In the united states, the sugar tax is implemented by some states of cities like Philadelphia, Seattle, Berkeley, Oakland among others and some states are in the process of drafting and passing the legislation such as Massachusetts. These regulations have also shown a great impact on the consumption of soda and carbonated drinks in these cities with Market research firm Catalina publishing findings that showed that sugar-sweetened beverages dropped significantly within Philadelphia city limits in five months after imposition of the sugar tax and rose nearly by the same measure just outside the city limits CITATION Les17 \l 1033 (Wan, et al., 2017). Therefore, sugar tax works and though it is pegged on a single ingredient found in some processed foods, it is an effective approach towards reducing the consumption of highly processed foods. Teaching the public on healthy living through schools etc Governments have also considered the use of schools and work environments to teach and promote healthier eating habits and living. Unhealthy eating habits continue to cost the world and every country in the world billions of dollars every year. It is thus crucial that the issue is arrested within quotas where success rates can be measured. While offering estimates of the co...