The whys of rising obesity
Harvard nutrition expert Walter Willett compared the marketing of junk food to kids with an earlier era’s child labor practices, saying that young people have been “exploited” by both systems. He said such food marketing is an important factor in America’s obesity epidemic. “Children are being exploited, same as sweatshops,” Willett said. “This is a natural consequence of a capitalist food supply.” Willett, speaking today at a Forum at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), said that much of the blame for the obesity epidemic should go to food industry researchers who have done their jobs all too well. Under pressure from the ever-competitive food industry, the researchers perfected not just the preferred tastes of prepared foods, but also their packaging and advertising. Marketing strategies aimed at children influence a population this is not only vulnerable to such messages, but is also establishing long-lasting dietary habits. Panelists on the forum webcast included Willett, who...