Embracing Fast Food To Fight Obesity

by Stuart Shapiro

Obesity is one of the biggest public health problems in the country.  However too many public health advocates feel that avoiding processed food and fast food is the only way to combat it.  The problem, as David Freedman shows is that poor people have no alternatives, so instead of demonizing McDonalds and ConAgra, it may be time to work with them to make their food healthier.

Popular food producers, fast-food chains among them, are already applying various tricks and technologies to create less caloric and more satiating versions of their junky fare that nonetheless retain much of the appeal of the originals, and could be induced to go much further. In fact, these roundly demonized companies could do far more for the public’s health in five years than the wholesome-food movement is likely to accomplish in the next 50.

Big food companies are interested in profits.  We need to make it profitable for them to provide healthy foods not hector people for eating their products.

By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.