Letter to the President of a Fast Food Chain Essay Example for Free

Letter to the President of a Fast Food Chain Essay In a recent article from CBS News, it was found out that the percentage of obesity in United States has risen to alarming levels. What is frightening about this statistics is that nearly one third of children in the US aged 4-19 consume six extra pounds every year which jeopardizes their health by making them vulnerable to obesity (Holguin 2003). This is no wonder considering the fact that billions of dollars are allocated to the ludicrous amount of fast food advertising and ubiquitous franchises that virtually leaves the public saturated with high-calorie and low-fiber diet. I am writing to you to explain how detrimental it is for children to consume abnormal amounts of fast food, so that in your capacity as president of a leading fast food chain, you can consider this information and alter the way your products are produced and marketed. It is true that food intake is a matter of individual responsibility. However, in case of children, marketing plays a powerful part in controlling their choices. One of the biggest culprits that make fast food so appealing to children is the marketing of meals with toys. The idea behind associating fast food with toys is to attract a bigger slice of the market since kids would usually be accompanied by their families when they go out to get burger, fries and the latest toy craze. The motto of fast food marketing is to attract kids with â€Å"toys, toys, toys† (Schlosser 2001, 46). Even the facilities and playground section in most fast food chains seem to be a part of marketing this unhealthy food. Advertising, of course, would not reveal how unhealthy the meals that come with the toys are. The high calorie content of these meals comes from heavy frying and large amounts of sugar that appeal to the taste buds of children. Studies show that babies prefer the sweet taste and reject the bitter ones (Schlosser 2001). As such, fast food meals become â€Å"comfort foods† for children because of the addicting experience they have when they consume it (Schlosser 2001, 123). Another problem in preparation of meals in fast food restaurants is the use of hydrogenated oil for frying (Gosline 2006). Hydrogenated oil or trans-fats are hazardous because they increase the risk of heart attack (Gosline 2006). Obesity is another outcome of a steady consumption of high-calorie diet. Although companies promote exercise and having an active lifestyle, these are no compensation for consuming more than the required calories for a day. Obesity is not the final result of a high-calorie diet because it branches out and causes myriad of other health problems including diabetes which attack body systems making it susceptible to host of other diseases and organ failures. Presently, the media, specifically producers of eye-opening documentaries and books, and policy-makers are making efforts to inform the public of the hazards of fast food. These efforts are meant to protect our children from developing unhealthy habits and eventually developing body malfunctions. It is my advocacy that people, including those who are involved the industry of fast food, are informed of the repercussions of unchecked, unbalanced and irresponsible production and consumption of this modern day health hazard. Only through information can we be aware of the dangers that we have been so accustomed to patronize. Sincerely yours, [author] References Gosline, A. (2006). â€Å"Why fast foods are bad, even in moderation. † News Scientist Health. Retrieved 25 January 2009 from http://www. newscientist. com/article/dn9318. Holguin, J. (2003). â€Å"Fast Food linked to Child Obesity. † CBS News. Retrieved 25 January 2009 from http://www. cbsnews. com/stories/2004/01/05/health/main591325. shtml. Schlosser, E. (2001). Fast Food Nation The dark side of the all-american meal. NY: Hughton Mifflin

Satire Comparing Mosquitos to Telemarketers Essay -- Mosquito Telemark

Just Like Mosquitoes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mosquitoes have three purposes in the world. The first is to suck blood from multiple diseased animals and spread various infections to humans. The second is to bug, annoy, and make as many people mad as possible. The third is to reproduce and make as many babies as they can to carry on the family tradition. To make a parallel to this topic would like discussing telemarketers. Nearly every aspect of a mosquito has a direct connection to telemarketers such as their nearly countless numbers and their drive to topple the American will. Both of these entities still baffle scholars and researchers to how they happen to be so similar.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Certain things in this world tend to bug us more than others. The worst of these are mosquitoes and telemarketers. Some of the worst ways mosquitoes annoy the American Public are the millions of bug bites we are covered with every year and the downright angering noise that they make. This drives us to exterminate this annoyance by doing the only logical, and smartest, thing we can come up with: Kill Them. Now, with telemarketers it is different, yet practically the same. These bloodsucking fiends keep calling and calling till we have no more energy to answer the phone. They bombard us with stupid products and pointless advertisements that drive us to the limit. Since we can’t kill telemarketers without severe punishment, we are forced to do nothing. The result, tactic, and drive of the telemarketers go hand in hand...

A Trip to the Grocery Store

As far back as I can remember, one of the activities that my mother and I enjoyed doing a lot together was going to the grocery on a weekly basis to stock up on our food and household supplies.I remember that my mother had certain brands in particular that she preferred over others. I really did not pay so much attention as to why she chose certain brands. All I knew back then was that the stuff she got turned into food for me to enjoy eating. That was the part of my childhood when I could roam about the grocery store, take one bag of potato chips, or a can of soda to enjoy during the drive home.But as I got older, my mother began to teach me how to buy things at the grocery store. She told me that â€Å"You need to learn how to buy these things because you are old enough to go to the grocery store for me already if I need you to.†To which I often replied, â€Å"But Mom! Only the names change. Bath soaps are all the same!† Then she would try to convince me that eventual ly I would setting up my own home and I would need to be making these decisions for myself so I needed to learn the rudiments now.While she could still guide and advise me about it. Needless to say, no amount of explanations from my mother could convince me that I needed to be a discriminating buyer. At that age, I did not feel any need to learn about comparing products, getting the best buy, and spending within a food budget. Our cycle was really simple, I went with mom to the grocery store, I got the foodstuff that I liked or looked good and she took care of the rest.As I began my high school education, mom started to give me a bit more responsibility when it came to purchasing items at the grocery store. She always kept it simple for me because she knew how I would just grab the first item on the shelf that related to the item she had listed down.So mom always listed down the item and the specific brand name she wanted me to get. Each time she handed me the list she would tell me â€Å"Do me a favor and read the label of the other brands available. There might be a better product out there.†Being a teenager at the time, all I had in mind was to get the errand done and go on with whatever other activities I had in mind for myself. So I never really bothered to read about the other similar items in those aisles. Little did I realize that the time would come when I would need to know about all those items in the aisles and how they compared to each other in price, quantity, and quality. I kind of took it for granted that whatever mom had listed down was the one I should purchase.Then came time for me to spread my wings and move out of the house into an apartment of my own and keeping house for myself for the very first time. I would have to keep to a budget and decide upon grocery purchases by myself and for myself. Since I had no previous experience with going to a grocery store and buying my own stuff, I suddenly felt overwhelmed and scared.The grocer y store looked like a huge hangar to me and I was lost in a sea of products that all looked the same to me. But in the back of my mind I could still hear my mom telling me to â€Å"Read the labels and choose the best product for my money.â€Å"I was not confident I could do that without the security of my mom’s grocery list with me that contained a list of all the necessary items and brands. I was worried by tried to convince myself in whispers that   â€Å"I can do this. How hard can it be to buy my food and supplies?†I felt a cold sweat come over me as I wheeled my cart into the main shopping area. 6 different types of   fresh milk each carton looking better and saying something newer than the next. Rows upon rows of vegetables, the limitless canned foods, soap brands, fabric softeners†¦ how could anybody make that choice immediately?I decided that I needed back up and whipped out my cellular phone. I dialed a number and waited for the familiar voice over the answering machine to pick up. â€Å"Mom! Pick up the phone!† I hollered after the beep.â€Å"I need your help!† It seemed like an eternity for my mom to pick up the phone. â€Å"What’s the matter?† her worried voice said. I told her my problem. I was stuck in the grocery store without her list and without a clue as to which items to buy. Could she please tell me what to get? I heard my mom sigh deeply before saying â€Å"You are on your own now. It is time for you to make your own choices in life. You don’t need my list. You just need to find out what things you like.â€Å" I tried to explain to her that I was not sure what things I liked because she always had that list for me to refer to. I really needed it at that moment. â€Å"Trust yourself.† she told me. â€Å"You will know which products you will be using regularly. It just takes a bit of time to develop the skill. Go with your instincts† As we ended the conversation, I w as not sure if I could trust myself to make that choice. After all, I considered pizza with a liter of soda a healthy meal.It took me 4 hours to shop for groceries that day. Without my moms list, I was forced to do what I never had to do before, compare products, learn to choose the best brand, and be comfortable for any mistakes in choices that I may have made.But I realized that as I took the time to read the product labels and ponder upon my choices, I began feeling a sense of freedom and responsibility for myself. That phone call and trip to the grocery store made me realize that if I were to call myself an adult, I would now have to take charge of my life, make my own decisions, and learn to make wise choices. Nobody would be there to decide for me anymore.Guess what? I have slowly evolved from that unsure person terrified of all the product choices out there who tried to get her mother to make a grocery list for her into a wise, budget conscious shopper, and it makes me feel g reat!

Economic Integration Is Defined As An Economic Adjustment

Economic integration is defined as an economic disposition between different divisions that are associated together through the synchronisation of fiscal and monetary policies as well as the reduction or elimination of barriers to entry for trading. The sole aims of economic integration are to succour both consumers and producers, by minimising costs, and also to maximise trade between the countries which are involved. In total, there are 8 stages in the economic integration operation, starting from a highly loose alliance of countries in a preferential trade area, to a completely economically integrated coalition, whereby all the economies of the member countries in the union are thoroughly integrated. The first stage is when all†¦show more content†¦The EU is also a politico-economic union comprising of 28 different countries — as of 2013 — that are located primarily in Europe. The United Kingdom has long been a part of European Union, since 1973, and the European Union membership has always had a strong influence on the United Kingdom’s economy in numerous ways. The effects which are most important emerges through a programme of economic integration in which EU’s ‘four freedoms’ — the freedom of movement of goods, services, capital and people — are reassured, known as the Single Market. The impact of EU’s membership to the UK is not only felt in the economic sector, but can also be felt in the areas of its policies too. First and foremost, the most fundamental economic benefit that the United Kingdom experiences would be the positive effect of free movement of goods and services across and between European countries. The free movement of their goods and services should be able to prompt and increase its trade, with the barriers of entry being stripped away. Theoretically, all Member States in the European Union are able to benefit from this because it grants them the opportunity to specialise in those goods and services that they are proportionately more coherent at producing. Furthermore, domestic producers