Controlled Consumer Research Paper

Controlled Consumers
How can individuals control what they eat in a society where they are taught not to care where their food comes from? Should people blame themselves as individuals or should the food industry that serves them take the blame? Who contributes more to the problem? As obesity continues to rise primarily in the United States more questions similar to those are starting to arise about the root cause. Although individuals do make choices to eat these foods while conscious of the long term medical effects, they should not be blamed when government controls and advertisements heavily influence daily choices. Often it is hard to track food products when there are so many processes and regulations that control what everyone eats. A scenario is a product being labeled as organic according to government regulations, but in consumer's standards they may not see the product as so. It is situations like those where shoppers are often left blind by these false labels …show more content…
Obesity for example is a global problem that affects everyone, especially in the areas of money and socioeconomic status. The article “How We Spend Money states,“ U.S. consumers spend one of every ten dollars on nourishment. Developing countries spend as much as five times more on food.” This quote conveys the fact that much of the consumers money worldwide goes to what they eat. One can now argue that the United States is not the only country that food options are affected by multiple factors and needs. In situations where socioeconomic and financial stability are problems healthy foods are not always what can be purchased, so instead families opt out for the cheaper alternatives. Consumers can not be blamed in these situations, seeing as their own diets are not controlled by themselves, but actually by what is promoted as cheap, nutritious, and