Parent of an Obese Child
The government is responsible for the number of obese children because there are minimal laws regulating the fast food industry. Food marketing by fast food companies is relentless and is psychologically aggressive towards children. This negatively impacts children because it erodes their ability to make healthy food choices because they are too young to distinguish advertising from truth. Almost all marketing that is directed towards children advertises unhealthy junk food, and has invaded all parts of children’s lives. Food marketing is placed in television, video games, toys, songs, schools, celebrity endorsements, and movies. Due to all of this advertising by companies children can recognize brands and products by name in stores and pester parents to buy them. Parents cannot compete against these advertisements, and are unable to stop their children from eating unhealthful foods outside of the home. Many federal agencies including the FDA, USDA, and the FTC have the ability to tighten restrictions on food marketing to children, but they have taken little action. The government needs to limit food marketing to children through all media outlets and increase the advertising of healthier food choices.
Additionally, the government also needs to better regulate public school lunches. Many school lunches serve processed foods high in fat, sugar, and sodium to their students with no healthy alternatives. The main problem for schools is money because it is hard to serve healthy lunches on a minimal budget. This is why the government needs to give schools more than $2.68 for each free meal served through the National School Lunch Program, which is a federal meal program. The budget for this program should be doubled giving schools $5.36 per meal. This increase should give schools enough money to afford healthier lunch options. If the government increases regulation on food marketing to children and advocates for healthier school lunches the number of obese children will be greatly reduced.