When It Comes to Obesity, Taking a Page from Chile’s Book
In any effort to analyze or evaluate the American food system, it’s important to keep in mind that the food industry’s first priority has always been its own bottom line. To make things worse, giant food processors make the greatest profits from the most highly processed foods. This explains why the Western diet has evolved into meat, white flour, vegetable oils, and sugar. “It’s cheap, convenient, and processed to taste good,” explains Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food.
One of the biggest events in the history of the American food industry was the construction of the national highway system after World War II. Food processors like Oscar Mayer grew bigger and bigger, and fast food chains began to pop up along the highway in rapid succession.
Newly advertised cans, packages, and pouches became the norm. Canned soup and TV dinners dominated the food market. Previous generations grew up eating meatloaf, potatoes, and macaroni and cheese. The base of their salads was iceberg lettuce. They added salt to already salty food and added sugar to sugary cereals. Their kitchen staples included Hamburger Helper, Spam, and Wonder Bread.
These foods explain why four of the top 10 causes of death in the United States are chronic diseases linked to diet, such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. That’s why the percent of Americans with type 2 diabetes has more than tripled since 2005. That’s why over a third of American adults are obese. The transportation system that facilitated the mass distribution of processed foods may have benefited the food industry, but it certainly did not benefit the health of American consumers, small farms, or the environment.
One of the biggest challenges the American population faces today is the obesity epidemic, which is precisely why I was blown away by the recent actions the Chilean government has taken to counteract Chile’s own obesity epidemic. According to The New York Times, with the aim of improving the eating habits of the entire Chilean population, the government recently launched a slew of marketing restrictions, packaging mandates, and labeling requirements. It has been labeled “ the world’s most ambitious attempt to remake a country’s food culture.”
To me, the most important element of the Chilean government’s actions was its attempt to monitor and restrict the marketing tactics aimed directly at children. It’s one thing to expect adult consumers to be skeptical of large food companies and their marketing strategies, but to expect the same of young children borders on unethical. Chile banned companies from accompanying their food products with toys to try to entice children; they banned the sale of junk foods in Chilean schools; and they prohibited the marketing of these foods during television shows or websites geared towards children.
Encouraging children to make smart, healthy food choices is absolutely essential to solving the obesity crisis and to creating a more sustainable food system for the future. I think Chile has now set an example that the U.S. government should follow. Not only is it the government’s job to protect young U.S. consumers from massive, profit-oriented food manufacturers and processors, but it’s also its prerogative to educate American children on nutrition and to encourage them to eat healthier.
As consumers, we should demand honesty, transparency, and high quality ingredients from our food sources, and as citizens, we should demand governmental programs and regulations that will encourage and require nutritious meals to be provided and nutrition courses to be taught in our schools.
