Big Fat Liability (Essay Sample)

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Big Fat Liability
Response 1
The rise in the cases of obesity in America has become a significant cause for alarm in the United States. The continual of the trend will lead to obesity among approximately 42% of the American citizens. The greatest concern has been the consumption of high-calorie foods among the Americans. The citizens have frequently accused the fast food industry of contributing to the rise in obesity, especially among children. However, the liability for the increase in the cases of obesity remains a debatable issue (Lando 1). Some people have claimed that the fast food industry should bear the full responsibility for the increase in obesity while others maintain that eating fast foods is an individual decision. The question on the party that holds the liability for the rise in the cases of obesity is dual-pronged where both sides have a responsibility.First, the fast food industry should be held liable because of continued production of fast foods with high-calorie values, sugar, salt, and cholesterol. Fundamentally, continued production of such foods exposes the consumers to an increased risk of obesity. The companies fail in their resourcefulness to the society as suggested by Saint Leo core value on responsible stewardship. According to Saint Leo core values, responsible stewardship entails using resources for community development. However, the companies’ utilization of resources has undermined community development through increasing the cases of obesity. Additionally, they target consumers specifically through low pricing, which attracts a high number of customers. Therefore, the fast food industries should be held responsible for failing to utilize the God-given resources for community development. Contrary, the consumers also bear responsibility in the rise of obesity. Mostly, although the industries engage in consumer persuasion through advertisements, purchasing of the products remains an individual’s choice. Therefore, the amount of calories an individual takes is not the responsibility of the industry. Therefore, as the debate on the issue increases, clear indication shows that both parties have a role to play in the issue (Lando et al. 5).Response 2Some solutions exist towards the obesity epidemic. Since the obesity issue is multifaceted with several players, a single best solution towards the epidemic may be hard to find. However, the different players have roles to play in reducing the rate of the epidemic. The consumers form the central players in the prevention of epidemic. Specifically, the users should change their attitude towards the consumption of high-calorie foods. The users should disregard motivators such as convenience, price, taste, and quality and consider the health consequences of consuming fast foods (Verdin et al. 259). However, the change in attitude requires the participation of policymakers and health professionals. The players mentioned above should disseminate appropriate information regarding health consequences of fast foods. Further, the policymakers should formulate policies that control the amount of calories, sugars, salt, or cholesterol found in the fast foods. The later requires close coordination and cooperation between the industry and the government (Philipson 1721). The industry should help consumers in making healthy food choices. Therefore, the industry should provide honest, consistent, and clear product claims while aligning the products with the consumer expectations and tastes. The provision of clear and consistent product information would align the companies’ mission with Saint Leo core value on integrity. The industry players should also reformulate the products towards healthy diets and controlled proportions. Therefore, the industry can collaborate with the government and the science community to develop healthy pr...