Award winning writer and journalist Mark Schatzker wrote, "Flavor factories churn out chemical desire. We spray, squirt, and inject hundreds of millions of pounds of those chemicals on food every year, and then we find ourselves surprised and alarmed that people keep eating. We have become so talented at soaking our food in fakeness that the leading cause of preventable death- smoking- bears a troubling resemblance to the second leading cause of preventable death- obesity" (Schatzker). For so long now, smoking, drinking, car accidents, and cancer have been associated with death and demise. Slowly, there has been an input of other causes- heart disease, diabetes, and ultimately, obesity. Over the past decade, obesity has snuck into our population and wreaked havoc within the US. Above all, obesity is a preventable disease yet over 66% of adults are obese or overweight and over 33% of children ages 6-19 are obese or overweight. (cdc.gov) 

There are a plethora of factors and people that could be responsible. Blame is put on education, parents, environment, and influence. However, actions taken thus far have not slowed the numbers that are continuing to increase at an alarming rate. Although the issue does involve the amount of physical activity Americans are getting, the problem is more so correlated with food. The food industry has loaded the foods we eat with cheap, fast, and unhealthy ingredients making them highly desirable, easily attainable, and outstandingly detrimental to our health. Children at a very young age are becoming addicted to sugar, fat, carbs, and unhealthy foods in general. The United States Department of Agriculture, the US Food and Drug Administration, and the government are all contributors to the issue. Regulations, subsidies, and commercialization are all maneuvers that have been put into place by the food industry and the government to contribute to obesity.

When it comes to understanding obesity, one must start looking at America's children. There are more children today that have type 2 diabetes, and the number of obese children has quadrupled in the past 30 years(cdc.gov). These children are then more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, " ... bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem" (Cdc.gov). The primary cause of childhood obesity has to do with lifestyle, not genetics. Parents throughout the country are trying to get their families to eat healthier and be more active however, children are spending 8 or more hours of their day at school, during which one, if not two, of their meals are being consumed.

Numerous studies have been done that show school breakfasts and lunches are not meeting government regulations. According to the Final Rule for the Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs released in 2012, "This rule requires schools to increase the availability of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free and low-fat fluid milk in school meals; reduce the levels of sodium, saturated fat and trans fat in meals; and meet the nutrition needs of school children within their calorie requirements.(Federal Register)" However, most schools don't follow these guidelines because they have put convenience over health. Almost all public schools order their schools lunches from companies and reheat them right before consumption; very few schools prepare the meals in the schools. In 2010, 50% of schools served fast food to their students (Craig, 89).

In 1981, the government wanted to limit the role of government in school lunches by cutting $1.46 billion out of the child nutrition budget (Schoetig). This got rid of cooking equipment and by 2006, 80% of schools had contracts with big food companies to provide meals (citation). In 2010, President Obama signed a new bill that made the USDA make new nutrition guidelines for school meals (Federal Register). The USDA doubled the necessary amount of fruits and vegetables (Federal Register). However, the Schwann food company, one of the many companies schools have brought on to provide meals, influenced them to include pizza and French fries as vegetables. The Schwann food company provides 70% of all pizza served in schools (Soechtig). Like Schwann, many of these food providers make these meals cheap, fast, and easy. This results in them being extremely high in sodium, fat, and sugar. On average, a school lunch has about 1,525 milligrams, or 1.5 grams, of sodium (gpo.gov). The daily recommended intake is 1.5 grams for a teenage male.

The National School Lunch Program, or NSLP, was created in 1946 to "assist with the health of the nation's children, and ensure a market for farmers" (Craig, 77). The United States Department of Agriculture has close ties to the agricultural industry and food companies; that being said, they are still determining what commodities the NSLP should be selecting and feeding to children. Where do their loyalties really lie? Their school lunches are still incredibly unhealthy. In California school districts, for example, 82% of funds were spent on meat and cheese items which were high in fats and saturated fats and only 13% was spent on fruit, fruit juices, vegetables, and legumes(Craig, 80). The USDA still sends some of its commodity purchases to processors; they go in as their raw form and are processed into products that can be easily served at the school level.

        Another rule proposed in the 2012 Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs were that double the amount of fruits and vegetables should be offered as separate food components. Although this did aid in adjusting the aforementioned 2010 bill, there are still unhealthy options out there. If given a choice, a child would choose nachos over a salad. A child would choose a soda over water and a candy bar over an apple. The fact is that there are still a plethora of injurious foods that are easily accessible to children. Vending machines, bake sales, and fundraisers leave the children with an abundance of sugars, fats, starches, and carbohydrates to choose from. A recent study found that when 43 cocaine addicted lab rats were given the choice of sugar water or cocaine, 40 rats chose sugar over a 15 day period because of its addictive nature (Schoetig). The children are faced with a dilemma of choosing either vegetables or junk food; it is not hard to imagine which side they are likely to choose.  Adults are met with similar predicaments everyday.

Children are targeted at a young age to become addicted to unhealthy foods and are kept hooked by making it easier to be unhealthy. Foods nowadays are pumped with artificial chemicals to make them addictive- sugar being the most abundant example. Today, 80% of items sold in grocery stores have added sugar. As stated earlier, in a study, sugar was found to be more addictive than cocaine (Schoetig).Also, the government has further worsened the problem by paying over 8 billion dollars in subsidies for alternative sweeteners- mainly high fructose corn syrup (gpo.gov). These artificial sweeteners are in almost everything; even nutrition labels are misleading because there are over 50 different names for corn syrup. Dr. Joseph Mercola says "By subsidizing these, particularly corn and soy, the US government is actively supporting a diet that consists of these processed grains, namely high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), soybean oil, and grain-fed cattle  --  all of which are now well-known contributors to obesity and chronic disease" (mercola.com).

The USDA and FDA has been given increasingly more power; specifically, it has been made the policy-setter for nutritional guidelines and agricultural policies. It is evident from a multitude of policies made by the government that their first loyalty lies with the food industry to boost farm economics. The nutrition guidelines made by the USDA are benefiting the food industry, not the American people.

From an economic standpoint, corn syrup is an extremely cheap and easy ingredient to produce. That being said, a company is more likely to use it instead of sugar; because it is cheaper to use corn syrup, a company will generally put more of it in a product and they are also more willing to add other unhealthy ingredients such as synthetic trans fats. The most common of which is partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Another ingredient that is contaminating our food and causing obesity is monosodium glutamate, or MSG. MSG is scientifically proven to overexcite the nervous system. What this means is whenever consuming a food with MSG in it, we don't feel full. Also, it is an empty ingredient with no nutritional value whatsoever which means it has no substance. After eating, consumers will become hungry again soon after; MSG is frequently linked to not only causing obesity but it also affects your hypothalamus. The hypothalamus controls hormones, eating behaviors, temperature control, pain regulation, sleep, digestion, lungs, bladder, and heart (foodrenegade.com).

        With an increase in the rate of obesity comes an increase of another rate- diet industry growth. Diet plans, gym memberships, personal trainers, medical plans, bariatric surgery, and liposuction are all parts of the diet industry that has seen enormous growth. There is a whole industry that depends on people being overweight and obese. In 2014, the weight loss market was over $64 billion (fortune.com).  If America were to become healthy, not only would the food industry suffer, as mentioned earlier, the diet industry would also deteriorate. The government would lose much of its capital. The few times politicians did try to stand up for the population of Americans who are overweight because of actions by the food industry and other government officials, they were shot down by these gigantic businesses. In the end, the people in these industries are businesses and their primary motives are financial; they have no intentions of helping Americans.

Michelle Obama's program for a healthier youth has shifted away from the food industry. While at first she focused on shifting eating habits away from fast food and more towards natural, unprocessed foods, she is now emphasizing the "get moving" part of the program. She had partnered with businesses to reduce salt, sugar, and fat from foods however, even this proved unsuccessful. Many say she is giving the food industry something to hide behind- the government. Her plan is this ineffective because she has endorsed the "Let's Move" program by partnering with celebrities like Beyonce and LeBron James who have previously endorsed soda (Washingtonpost.com).

The USDA and FDA continue to subsidize crops like soy, corn, and rice while failing to subsidize healthy fresh foods like fruits and vegetables. That being said, it is not hard to believe that 2 out of every 3 Americans are overweight or obese. The chairman of the nutrition department at Harvard School of Public Health has states that the most improvements that did occur within the population took place among the Americans who were better educated (huffingtonpost.com). It is cheaper for Americans to eat unhealthier so not only is it more convenient, but it is the only option for people with lower socioeconomic statuses.

Many people argue that it is a parent's responsibility to make their child exercise and eat healthy. However, there are even adolescents 6 months old that are overweight. Is the solution for them diet and exercise also? Children in the first grade are expected to choose between eating salad and cheeseburgers at school. There are many instances in which it can be seen that obesity is being driven by big food industries and the government. Time and time again we see subsidies being given, commercials being shown, and sales on junk food yet we still believe this problem is on an individual basis.   

With all of the odds stacked against the US population, a few including the government, food industry diet industry, advertisement industry, schools, the Federal Department of Agriculture, and the US Department of Agriculture, do we even stand a chance? For most of the population, they can not afford any other lifestyle. The only lifestyle they can afford is one plagued with cheap, greasy, fast food, unhealthy grocery store options, and preserved produce. As stated earlier, over 80% of all items in grocery stores have added sugar. It is hard to believe that most of America's population can not afford to be healthy. They are forced to fuel a money-making industry and the growing obesity trends. There are adolescents that are under 3 months old that are obese- are they supposed to be dieting and exercising also? Instead of putting a temporary blame on parents, it needs to be recognized that this problem grows so incredibly deep. Our own government has given us no option but to consume toxins. For example, MSG, is a frequently added ingredient to food yet it is not banned yet. Another example is that America's youth are consuming a whole days worth of calories in just one meal and there is nothing being done about that either. School lunches have become an opportunity for big food groups that own companies such as Pizza Hut and Coca-Cola to make even more money. They prepare the lunches the same way they produce their own products- fast, cheap, and unhealthy.  

        The problem of obesity has come too far to continue to think of this on a micro level. In order to make a profit, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Federal Department of Agriculture have teamed up with money hungry food manufacturers and together they have been feasting on the overweight. So much that a multi-billion dollar diet industry has arisen. A solution on the macro level must be made. We do not need a solution that will put America on a diet; we need a solution that changes the lifestyle of Americans. Health is not an opportunity to excel financially- for most Americans it is a life or death ordeal.

