What makes an effective argument? In “Don’t Blame the Eater,” David Zinczenko argues that while it’s easy to blame the patrons themselves for being overweight or unhealthy, that much of the blame lies with the fast-food companies rather than their customers. Throughout his work Zinczenko effectively argues that fast food companies should be held responsible for health problems caused by cheap, readily available, and poorly labeled food.
In attempting to convey why people feel forced to eat unhealthy fast-food, Zinczenko initially focuses on reasons consumers’ choose to purchase fast-food: affordability and availability. He points out that many families don’t have time during the day to make meals, and operate on a limited budget, so even if …show more content…
He states that unlike say cigarettes or alcohol which are required by law to display health advisory warnings, fast food has no such requirements for menu items that are unhealthy. Many foods such as fatty burger’s, sugary soft drinks, and greasy fries consumer’s may already be aware of as being unhealthy options, however some healthy seeming alternatives such as salads can be deceptively labeled to convince consumers what they’re eating is healthier than it is. An effective example the author provided to show this was that “One company’s Web site lists its chicken salad as containing 150 calories; the almonds and noodles that come with it (an additional 190 calories) are listed separately” (Zinczenko 464). He goes on to state that dressing was labeled at 280 calories per serving and that the full container was 2.5 servings (Zinczenko 464). Once you add up all of this an otherwise healthy seeming meal that appears to be labeled as a low calorie alternative tilts the scales at a whopping 1,040 calories. This argument was incredibly strong, since he used clear evidence to show how misleading the labeling
In attempting to convey why people feel forced to eat unhealthy fast-food, Zinczenko initially focuses on reasons consumers’ choose to purchase fast-food: affordability and availability. He points out that many families don’t have time during the day to make meals, and operate on a limited budget, so even if …show more content…
He states that unlike say cigarettes or alcohol which are required by law to display health advisory warnings, fast food has no such requirements for menu items that are unhealthy. Many foods such as fatty burger’s, sugary soft drinks, and greasy fries consumer’s may already be aware of as being unhealthy options, however some healthy seeming alternatives such as salads can be deceptively labeled to convince consumers what they’re eating is healthier than it is. An effective example the author provided to show this was that “One company’s Web site lists its chicken salad as containing 150 calories; the almonds and noodles that come with it (an additional 190 calories) are listed separately” (Zinczenko 464). He goes on to state that dressing was labeled at 280 calories per serving and that the full container was 2.5 servings (Zinczenko 464). Once you add up all of this an otherwise healthy seeming meal that appears to be labeled as a low calorie alternative tilts the scales at a whopping 1,040 calories. This argument was incredibly strong, since he used clear evidence to show how misleading the labeling