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What You Eat Is Your Business By Radley Balko Analysis

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In “What You Eat Is Your Business,” Radley Balko tackles the issue of who is responsible for fighting obesity. Balko argues that the controversy of obesity should make the individual consumers culpable for their own health and not the government (467). As health insurers refrain from increasing premiums for obese and overweight patients, there is a decrease in motivation to keep a healthy lifestyle (Balko 467). As a result, Balko claims these manipulations make the public accountable for everyone else 's health rather than their own (467). Balko continues to discuss the ways to fix the issue such as insurance companies penalizing consumers who make unhealthy food choices and rewarding good ones (468). This forces the community to become responsible …show more content…

The addictive food that is sold by supermarkets is made to appeal to the consumers’ taste and make them addicted to it. In Michael Moss’ “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food,” he mentions that the potato chip is a snack that provides a feeling of pleasure as well as a rewarding sensation in the brain through its coating of salt and fat (490). Small details food companies put in the food make a difference in the taste, which tends to attract more consumers without them aware of how they are being addicted to the food. In food companies’ perspective, the engineering of food to add more flavor and attract more consumers has no issue since it is how companies make their profits. Stephen Sanger, head of General Mills and the Yoplait brand, was able to produce $500 million in revenue from a new dessert that originated from the yogurt since it maintains a nutritive image with consumers (Moss 475-476). However, the new modified dessert contained twice the amount of sugar than the original yogurt (Moss 475). In addition to the product being unhealthy, Stephen reportedly said in a meeting that people bought what tasted good and that he would continue to promote his business. Nevertheless, when adding more sugar or simply modifying the product to appeal the customer it makes it more addictive and more likely to be bought again. To continue manipulating the food without informing the customers that the product is now more addictive becomes a moral issue. The responsibility then lies with the companies to inform the consumer of such engineering in the food to allow them to make their own independent decision of purchasing a

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In his article Are You Responsible For Your Own Weight?, policy analyst Radley Balko argues that the Government has no business interfering with what individuals eat. Kelly Brownell, a Yale Chairman, and Marion Nestle a New York University professor state otherwise by arguing that the Government should intervene to create conditions that lead to healthy eating. Balko has a strong argument led with in depth examples, logical support, and credentials to support his tone along with minor fallacies. Kelly Brownell and Marion Nestle fail to go more in depth about her argument, but rely heavily on trying to counter the claims given by the opposing side. The lack of rhetorical devices in her article and inadequate organization weakens her tone as well as the appeal to their audience.

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Junk food is responsible for the growing rate of obesity. This is outlined by David freedman in his article of “How junk food can end obesity.” David Freedman has credited the “health-food” motion, and followers of it along with Michel Pollan. Freedman claims that if the America desires to stop the obesity epidemic, or at least reduce its effects, they must shift to the fast meals and processed meals enterprise for assist, now not the “health-food” movement.

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Radley Balko’s essay “What You Eat Is Your Business, in They Say, I Say, the author argues that the government should take more targeted initiatives in dealing with obesity. Within the last 15 years, the United States government has implemented numerous laws and initiatives to try to make America healthy again. However, are they working? The daily lives of Americans seem to revolve around food, whether it be eating healthy and following the food pyramid, or on the other end of the spectrum, eating fast food for every meal and snacking on junk food. There are larger issues that the government could be handling, yet they choose this obesity epidemic over pressing day-to-day problems.

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Put Down That Cheeseburger! “What incentive is there for me to put down the cheeseburger?” asks Radley Balko in his article "What You Eat Is Your Business." He argues that, obesity does not belong in the public health crisis. He claims that obesity is not a problem that should be dealt at the cost of public money but should be dealt at a personal level by every individual.

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In David Freedman’s essay How Junk food Can End Obesity, Freedman makes the claim to policy arguing that instead of demonizing processed foods, Americans should instead support the idea and production of healthier processed and junk foods. He calls on the public to recognize that while many products on the market these days are labeled as “wholesome” and “healthy”, consumers should learn to become aware of the fat and calorie content in these products because many times they have the same- if not more- fat and calorie contents as that of a typical Big Mac or Whopper. In his essay, Freedman primarily places blame on the media and the wholesome food movement for the condemnation of the fast and processed food industries saying, “An enormous amount of media space has been dedicated to promoting the notion that all processed food, and only processed food, us making us sickly and overweight” (Freedman), he further expresses that this portrayal of the

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