Analysis of Freeman’s Promotion of Junk Food

Introduction

In his paper “How Junk Food Can End Obesity”, David H. Freeman puts doubt on foods marketed as ‘healthy and wholesome’. He argues that people who commonly eat junk food should not be enticed to leave them for the purportedly healthier, more readily available foods. Instead, he proposes that fast-food businesses should try to improve their options to make them healthier without affecting customers’ preferred tastes and that would reduce cases of obesity. From his experiences with ‘healthy’ foods, he reports that most whole foods have higher levels of carbs and fat than junk food. The consumption of junk food, according to Cutumisu et al (2017), is associated with its availability and convenience. This paper will analyze Freeman’s points and presentation technique to determine whether his writing and arguments were effective.

Freeman’s Arguments

• Freeman raises issues with the affordability of alternative foods like a smoothie-juice combination made from blueberry, carrot, and kale. He presents them as expensive and unaffordable. He estimates the cup of juice at 300 calories
• ‘Healthier’ foods, like the juice made almost entirely from green vegetables, can have poor taste and bad odors.
• There are cheaper, natural alternatives with low calories, such as McDonald’s smoothie he took at a café in Chicago. The juice had a ‘relatively modest 220 calories’.
• The notion that processed foods are solely to blame for the rising cases of obesity is propagated by the media. He lists The New York Times, The Times Magazine, and the American Meal as examples of media that report on matters of food.
• Although there are truly healthy alternatives to junk foods, they are too few and there can never be enough to meet the demand, more so for the obese individuals.
• Junk food businesses are employing technology to reduce their calorific value.
• The main impediments to the growth of junk food production are the health-conscious consumers and policymakers. The wholesome-food advocates may not allow the fast-food industry to thrive despite its potential to ‘do far more for the public’s health in five years than the wholesome-food movement is likely to accomplish in the next 50’ (Freedman, 2013)
• ‘Healthy’ food packages contain misleading information that indicates they are healthy yet some such as Vegan Cheesy Salad contained three times as much fat as the Big Mac.

Strengths of the Presentation

• He analyzes several publications, for example, Food Matters, Wall Street Journal, and British Medical Journal to present facts and criticism.
• The paper uses quotations from different food packages to present an argument. The quotes form a basis for the argument so that the reader can understand his arguments.
• There is a somewhat balanced opinion on the two food categories. Freeman’s arguments present positive aspects of the foods he is critiquing, making his arguments more trustable and valid.
• The writing attempts to give a solution to the confusion between healthy and unhealthy foods by proposing naming, shaming, and praising restaurants marketing and offering such foods.

Weaknesses of the Presentation

• The publication uses too many unnecessary narrations to present a point. Much of the work is story-telling.
• It is difficult to locate the main points within the paper. The reader may be discouraged from searching for the points.
• There are blatant exaggerations, such as the comparison between the health effects fast foods can bring to the public in 5 years versus the same health effects in 50 years for wholesome foods.
• His findings, particularly on the calorific values of various foods he came across, are not based on any evidence. He estimates values without any reference whatsoever. For example, McDonald’s smoothie was estimated at 20 calories and the smoothie-juice combination at 300 calories. The estimations raise doubt about the authenticity of his work. The values should have been made more reliable because the investigation is based on calorific values. This could be achieved through comparison with the existing literature

Why and How the Presentation Lost its Effectiveness

Although the writer attempted to explain why junk foods are an alternative to wholesome foods, most of the facts presented were narrative. As stated, the figures lacked necessary literature support and insightful comparisons. Calorific values of foods have been documented and such literature should have been utilized in the writing. The junk food listed may have contained more or less of the stated calorific value.

The calorific value of foods is linked to their ability to cause obesity. High calorific foods are particularly linked to the occurrence of obesity among people of all ages (Dunford et al, 2022). The article greatly relied on the calorific value to present a valid argument and since the quotations were unsupported, the claims lost ground. This was compounded by too much unnecessary literature that could discourage readers from getting the main points of the writing. To gain validity, the article should have supported and linked the calorific value of the foods to obesity.

Conclusion

Freeman’s attempt to promote junk food was hindered by a lack of support for crucial claims. Good writing should make use of the existing literature to validate or invalidate claims. The article exclusively linked obesity to the calorific value of foods and insinuated that the foods have low calories and would help reduce obesity, contrary to claims that they promote obesity. The claims form a good basis for future research that should make use of existing literature.

References

Cutumisu, N., Traoré, I., Paquette, M. C., Cazale, L., Camirand, H., Lalonde, B., & Robitaille, E. (2017). Association between junk food consumption and fast-food outlet access near school among Quebec secondary-school children: findings from the Quebec Health Survey of High School Students (QHSHSS) 2010–11. Public health nutrition, 20(5), 927-937.

Dunford, E. K., Popkin, B., & Ng, S. W. (2022). Junk food intake among adults in the United States. The Journal of Nutrition, 152(2), 492-500.

Freedman, D. H. (2013). How junk food can end obesity. The Atlantic, 19.