McDonalds Affect on the Obesity of Latin America - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 10 Words: 3044 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2019/03/22 Category Health Essay Level High school Tags: Obesity Essay Obesity in America Essay Did you like this example? Abstract Multinational companies, such as Nestle and McDonalds, are having effects that can be seen around the world. These companies are selling their sugar-filled products, affecting the health of countries as a whole, especially in Latin American countries. McDonalds is negatively affecting the people of countries throughout Latin America, which are experiencing a rise in obesity, since these countries economies cannot account for the healthier foods in the US, so the lesser people rely on the fast food companies to feed themselves. Latin America has many health issues, involving multinational food companies, which is leading to a rise in obesity and health-related diseases throughout all of Latin America. Latin America has the worst obesity issue in all economically developing countries, while the US has been passed as the country with the greatest overweight percentages by Mexico, with other Latin American countries following closely behind. In turn, more Latin American people are facing premature deaths based on obesity issues, while related diseases, such as diabetes and cancer, are also on the rise. Health organizations and communities are trying to solve obesity issues now, called a rich-world disease, as it has become more serious than other diseases such as fevers of Aids (Latin Americas Weight Problem). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "McDonalds Affect on the Obesity of Latin America" essay for you Create order Latin America is slowly becoming the region leading the world in cases of obesity and other diseases. If Latin America does not do something about this soon, then they will have more and more deaths in their region. Studies reveal that too much sugar in junk foods is the cause of many health-related problems. The University of California in San Francisco found that if 10% of the consumption of sugar was reduced in the US, then over 240,000 cases of diabetes would be avoided, while also stopping other deaths by health issues. The food industry of the United States has successfully prevented labels for food with genetically modified foods and so one can assume other enforcements on their products would have a similar reaction (Latin America Leads the Fight against Junk Food with the US on the Sidelines). The studies found that if a little amount of sugar was removed from junk foods, there would be thousands of less cases of health-related diseases in the United States and Latin America. This can be used to show how big of an effect there would be if junk food laws and restrictions were slightly reduced. Rising incomes and consumption of fat have been shown to have direct correlations. Multinational food companies are now gearing their marketing towards these areas, simply because of the rise in incomes, using marketing and distribution tactics to further market and sell their products in Latin America (Latin Americas Weight Problem). Since Latin American countries have mostly lower incomes than that of the United States, multinational companies are now targeting them as their incomes are rising. This is due to the fact that fast food is cheaper than healthy foods and Latin Americans do not want to enter poverty again, so they are trying to buy cheaper options, whether they are healthy or not. This issue of obesity levels in Latin America not only has health, but also has its own economic consequences. Chile and Mexico have the highest rates of processed food consumption than anywhere else in Latin America. About 33% of children and 70% of adults are overweight in Latin America, which is about equal to rates in the US. Now these countries have to pay lots of money for health issues, which is costing the government as part of their public health programs (Latin Americas Weight Problem). Since many Latin Americans are becoming obese, the government has to pay for public healthcare for the obese people, which is resulting in a big debt for the country, as more and more people need healthcare as the government loses more and more money. As Latin America is a country rising in economic status, while more and more people have higher incomes, processed food companies are targeting the people of Latin America, who can now afford much more. Processed food companies see Latin America as a major market for processed food sales, now that other foods are being reduced in their sales, according to Jean-Claude Mourbarac, an expert in nutritional fields. The processed food markets are rising because of people moving to cities, increased annual incomes, and growth in cities (Ultra-Processed Foods Are Driving the Obesity Epidemic in Latin America Says New PAHO/WHO Report). Other companies are stopping sales in their products, since they simply were not selling before in Latin America, which gives multinational processed food companies the opportunity to sell their cheaper junk food products, as more people move to urban developments. The report claims that processed foods and drinks in Latin America are impacting their obesity ra tes. The sales of these products per capita has generally increased over the last decade, while sales in North America have gone down. Over this same time period, the body weight of the population increased, which shows that the growing rates of processed food sales and obesity rates are correlated (Ultra-Processed Foods Are Driving the Obesity Epidemic in Latin America Says New PAHO/WHO Report). The report showed that the processed food companies are directly affecting the obesity of Latin Americans. They have had a steady increase in sales throughout Latin America over the last decade, in both sales and obesity rates. Obesity rates are directly in proportion to sales of processed foods, showing how the two are directly correlated. This effect can be seen in Chile and Mexico. In Mexico and Chile, where processed food sales were highest in Latin America, the body mass of the population increased. In countries such as Bolivia and Peru, where the sales were phenomenally lower, the body mass was lower as well. However, both body mass and sales of these foods have increased throughout all of Latin America as a whole (Ultra-Processed Foods Are Driving the Obesity Epidemic in Latin America Says New PAHO/WHO Report). In those two countries, the highest body masses throughout all of Latin America were found there. In other countries where the sales were lower, obesity rates were lower, which shows how the two are correlated and how junk food can be directly associated with an increase in obesity rates. Multinational food companies fight with government officials, saying that their junk food is necessary for the poor to get their dietary needs. They emphasize how they play the role of investors, employers, and they contribute to economic growth. They, however, do not want to have legal challenges against certain laws regarding junk food, because it will make them look like poor citizens as a corporation (Junk Food Feels the Heat in Latin America). In order to make sure that their products are still allowed to be sold, the multinational companies are fighting to make sure that their junk foods can still be sold, which in turn is increasing the rate of obesity throughout all of Latin America. McDonalds has a big presence throughout Latin America, while it is a multinational company, and this may be contributing to obesity in Latin America. Nestle is part of a transformation in the food system, bringing packaged food and soft drinks to the poverty stricken and smaller parts of Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Multinational companies are spreading in developing countries, bringing new, unhealthy diets from Brazil to India (How Big Business Got Brazil Hooked on Junk Food). Multinational companies, such as Nestle and McDonalds, are spreading chains throughout countries where poverty is seen, but also a rising economy, so that they can benefit off of the uprising economy. They bring products that are cheap and easily available, so that they might be able to sell their products to those both in poverty and out of poverty in areas where the economy is rising. Diets in Latin America have recently changed due to changes in the food system the Latin American people have gone from eating farm and barely processed foods, to eating nothing but at processed and retail and food services, or fast food chains and restaurants (Obesity and the Food System Transformation in Latin America). With this coming change from healthy options to junk foods, multinational companies, such as the likes of McDonalds, are able to thrive in areas like Latin America, who are switching from a very cultural diet to one consisting mainly of fast food and cheaper options, for areas with poverty and rising economies. McDonalds created the chain Arcos Dorados as a Latin American Company, slowly becoming their biggest franchise ever. They now manage approximately 2,119 franchise restaurants, 335 McCafe restaurants, and 2,526 pastry stores in about 20 countries in South America. McDonalds started sales in Mexico in 1985 and it now has 500 restaurants in over 87 of their cit ies. Arcos Dorados was made to benefit off of the economy of Latin America. It provides food for areas where money is a privilege and it creates cheaper opportunities for those wishing to save the little money they have. However, this option is much unhealthier, which is in correlation to the rising rates of obesity in Latin America. According to the chart given, it shows that Arcos Dorados, Spanish for the Golden Arches, a McDonalds affiliate, has around 1,777 stores as of 2012, with a revenue of $4.4 billion dollars. This is revenue is a 24.7% increase in revenue from the previous year (Why Im Buying the McDonalds of Latin America). The graph shows that since Arcos Dorados is expanding, it is becoming readily available for those living throughout Latin America. This creates cheaper options for poverty-stricken areas, and an easier way to acquire food in Latin America. However, this is leading to an increase in obesity rates, and some believe that McDonalds is causing a rise in obesity of both children and adults. For example, he chief executive of Arcos Dorados, Woods Staton, fights against the argument that McDonalds uses their toys and play ares to get children to start their eating habits, slowly becoming obese. He says that Arcos Dorados has healthy options, with all extra salt, sugar, and fat within guidelines of the universal dietary laws (Junk Food Feels the Heat in Latin America). Many people in Latin America argue that McDonalds is luring their children into their restaurants, hoping to give them something very unhealthy so that their children might have health issues later in life. This correlation can be seen between the amount of sales of Arcos Dorados and the rate of obesity in Latin America. People throughout Latin America have personal stories about how they have been affected by McDonalds, relating to health issues and obesity, sometimes even leading to unconscious eating habits. The mother of the child from Brazil was happy when her son gained weight, shortly after he experienced his first french fry from McDonalds. She thought that it was a good thing for toddlers to become fatter. She gave in to his dietary habits, consisting of fast food and little fruits or vegetables (How Big Business Got Brazil Hooked on Junk Food). The mother believed that McDonalds was helping her son grow, so that he could pack some weight on as a young baby. However, this was not just baby fat; her son was becoming overweight at a young age. This sort of effect can be seen all over Latin America, as over 30% of children in Latin America are obese. A mother states that when her son was young, he would not eat unless she gave him unhealthy processed foods by Nestle. The mother has high blood pressure and other health related issues, while her 17-year old daughter weighs over 250 pounds, and has many health related issues including a hormone disorder linked to obesity Other relatives have issues related to health: her mother, two sisters, and her husband. Her father also died from a health related issue originating from diabetes and other issues (How Big Business Got Brazil Hooked on Junk Food). Another mother started to raise her son on unhealthy foods by Nestle, a multinational company which also uses processed foods much like McDonalds. The majority of her family suffered from health issues, which can all be traced back to their eating habits, which can be seen in Latin America through the case of Arcos Dorados. Although obesity rates throughout Latin America are rising, health organizations and schools are finding new ways to fight against this obesity. Latin American countries are now incorporating new rules and laws in relation to reducing obesity in the population and preventing the chances of childhood obesity cases, by taxing sugary drinks, including more activity around the countries, and labeling packages with nutritional information on the front [Findings on Obesity Discussed by L. Cominato and Co-Researchers (Obesity Prevention: Strategies and Challenges in Latin America)]. Countries are finding new ways to stop the obesity by making new rules and regulations regarding sugary drinks, so that unhealthy food items like those sold at McDonalds might not be bought as often, in an effort to end obesity. For example, Chile is enforcing a new system that will force food makers to put warning labels on food products if these products are high in certain health-related fields, such as sugar, salt, etc. They are also banning advertisements of unhealthy products geared towards children. Marion Nestle from New York University says this is a great idea and it is the first idea of its kind (Latin America Leads the Fight Against Junk Food With the US on the Sidelines). Chiles new rules will prevent certain companies from not labeling there items, when they previously could, so buyers will now know what is contained in the food products they are eating. This effort could bring an end to most of the sales of processed and unhealthy foods, decreasing health issues throughout Chile, and someday all of Latin America. Regulations in Latin America are making it the worlds most popular place to experiment new regulations to stop consumers from buying processed foods.Last year, Mexico passed a tax of one peso for every liter of soft drinks sold, in an effort to fight the countrys obesity rates. Other Latin American countries regulated and banned McDonalds from selling their meals to children through the use of a childs toy. Peru, Costa Rica, and Uruguay have banned unhealthy foods from being possessed in high schools since 2012, while other countries, such as Ecuador, use a food labeling system to stop consumers from buying unhealthy products. Latin America is now being used to test new regulations, since there are already so many obese and health related issues there. Mexicos tax is only the beginning of an era of taxes on unhealthy foods to urge customers not to buy unhealthy items that companies might offer. To prevent McDonalds from targeting their unhealthy meals at children, they have banned their toys and processed foods in high schools in an effort to cut the rate of health problems in Latin America. A study in Brazil is being undertaken to find how Latin American countries can find ways to reduce obesity levels. The studys purpose is to decrease the average weight of a population within Latin American countries, while also demanding action be taken by the government of those countries [Findings on Obesity Discussed by L. Cominato and Co-Researchers (Obesity Prevention: Strategies and Challenges in Latin America)]. Brazil is studying new ways to reduce levels of obesity, which may eventually be used to end the sales of unhealthy products, but also to tell customers to buy the healthier options, decreasing the average weight in Latin America. A major political front was established when the government of certain Latin American countries were aiming to enforce limitations to stop disease and obesity from spreading. The regulations included advertisements that alert customers about certain unhealthy factors in processed foods, hoping to stop companies from aiming commercials selling sugary drinks and unhealthy foods to children and other adults (How Big Business Got Brazil Hooked on Junk Food). These new regulations and laws that are demanded by many are bringing along a new battle of politics, as candidates for political positions aim to either bring about new regulations or stop them from being passed, as part of their campaign. The regulations that are wanted by many would prevent certain group s from being targeted by unhealthy product advertisements, hoping to end the health problems of Latin America, through the field of politics. In conclusion, the obesity rate in Latin America is on a major incline and if we do not try to fix it sooner rather than later, it will continue to rise until it is too late. This is because McDonalds is very successful in Latin America and has had a recent rise in Latin America, growing in number recently. Therefore, by trying new healthier options and creating new franchises to combat against multinational organizations like McDonalds, Latin America can combat obesity and other health related diseases. 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The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones Company, 27 Dec. 2013, www.wsj.com/articles/junk-food-feels-the-heat-in-latin-america-1388177446. Jacobs, Andrew, and Matt Richtel. How Big Business Got Brazil Hooked on Junk Food. The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 Sept. 2017, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/09/16/health/brazil-obesity-nestle.html./ Popkin, B. M., and T. Reardon. Obesity and the Food System Transformation in Latin America. Obesity Reviews, Wiley/Blackwell (10.1111), 24 Apr. 2018, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/obr.12694. Ultra-Processed Foods Are Driving the Obesity Epidemic in Latin America, Says New PAHO/WHO Report. Targeted News Service, 3 Sept. 2015. Infotrac Newsstand, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A427545073/GPS?u=jeff53810sid=GPSxid=26a84b52. Accessed 22 Oct. 2018.