We reported only yesterday that babies in the UK were being brought up on a diet of junk food, setting them up for a life of dependency on eating rubbish. However, how much of this is due to the very slick, polished marketing campaigns that many fast food establishments are able to run?
We’ve all seen the adverts, the branding and the promotional merchandise, the food photography that makes the burgers and fries look mouth-watering, and the price points that make the meals seem almost irresistible, so can we really blame society for over indulging in junk food when it’s pushed down our throats (both literally and metaphorically) everywhere we go?
We can all agree that junk food, as a food source, isn’t particularly good. It’s not healthy, it’s not exactly at the top of the food chain where quality is concerned and it’s mass produced and served by, usually, by teenagers. Therefore we don’t eat junk food because of the quality of the product. We know there’s better out there, we just choose to avoid it.
Similarly, junk food is classed as ‘fast food’ yet, if you’ve ever been a certain chicken establishment when it’s busy you’ll know that fast isn’t a word that ever springs to mind.
No, junk food is so popular because of the marketing, it’s everywhere. This means that avoiding junk food, both for ourselves and for our children, is becoming increasingly difficult. Perhaps it’s time there were changes made to the way junk food was advertised – certainly where the connection between junk food retailers and fizzy drink manufacturers and sporting events is concerned, there should be changes.
