Controlling Food Consumption: What the Government Can Do

            In having a government regulation of food supply provides for growth in other areas as well. There would be an encouragement of healthy foods to be consumed by Americans, foods found on all levels of the food pyramid. A greater demand for foods grown by farmers would be needed therefore stimulating the economy in that sense. This is a concept the UK is to implement and the need for it is seen through the evidence provided by the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). David Barling explains this in further detail in his article, “Food Supply Chain Governance and Public Health Externalities: Upstream Policy Interventions and the UK State.”

Eating Is About Choices. But the Right Choices Are Not Always Made 

            Already so, government officials are lobbying for programs that promote healthy eating and exercising regularly. As stated in the article “The Politics Of Obesity: Seven Steps To Government Action” by Rogan Kersh and James Morone, government regulations are already put in place for other substances that cause health problems such as alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Therefore, it for the health of the nation to do the same for certain substances that are particularly high in sugar and fat.

Pepsi Special: Available in Japan. Will it come to America?

Vending Machine Altering Consumer of Calorie Count 

Recent buzz has been stirring about a new Pepsi drink, sold by Pepsi’s partner in Japan, called “Pepsi Special” that is said to fend off fat in consumers bodies. How it does this is it has dextrin in it which is a dietary fiber that helps regulate the digestive system. Dextrin also is aid to lower cholesterol and help the body fight off heart disease. Also, beginning in 2013, some companies are planning on having calorie counts displayed on vending machines in effort to sway consumer choices so that they are purchasing items with lower calories. If both of these ideas, along with the ideas mentioned in my previous blog: “Controlling Food Consumption: How It Is Being Enforced,” are implemented by not only the companies but the government, then food supply would be regulated on a more even scale. That way, results suggesting that a decrease in obesity has been taking place is more likely to be produced, which is so desperately needed in America today.

America is always the butt of the jokes when it comes to which country is the fattest. However, if the government should have less control over food consumption, obesity rates will continue to rise in children and adults alike. Problems with our country’s stability financially and defensively could become worse. This is due to more taxpayer money being spent on obesity related health problems, and our own young men and women being too overweight to fight in America’s military. Luckily, we have a government to put in regulations for us, because we cannot always control our cravings ourselves. Therefore, given the information presented throughout this blog as a whole, the government should have more control over food consumption.