Good piece in the Sacramento Bee about how, despite the fact that many people seem to be obsessing about the obesity crisis in America, the foodservice industry – which one would think would be sensitive to consumer desires – keeps introducing bigger sandwiches. And the Bee uses at its example the Burger King "Enormous Omelet Sandwich,” which at 730 calories and 47 grams of fat, was the subject of some debate last week here on MNB.
And it seems that the obsession – if it exists – would be a legitimate one.
The Bee notes that the “Foundation for Child Development released a study that found American children are enjoying their best quality of life in a quarter century, with teen birth rates, binge drinking and the numbers of young crime victims falling notably. But the study noted that a huge increase in obesity has helped to hold back even greater progress in children's well-being.”
And it seems that the obsession – if it exists – would be a legitimate one.
The Bee notes that the “Foundation for Child Development released a study that found American children are enjoying their best quality of life in a quarter century, with teen birth rates, binge drinking and the numbers of young crime victims falling notably. But the study noted that a huge increase in obesity has helped to hold back even greater progress in children's well-being.”
- KC's View:
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The question worth considering is who or what bears the blame for the obesity crisis.
Clearly, it won’t be answered here, at least not to everyone’s satisfaction.
We continue to believe that consumers need to be responsible for their own behavior, and that blaming retailers or fast-feeders for their problems is just passing the buck. But we also think that the food industry needs exercise some level of responsibility in this area, and that contributing to the obesity crisis isn’t, in the long run, a very good business model.
