How the Food Industry and Government Negatively Impact Obesity
This artifact is a link to my Op-Ed on obesity and the food industry. This essay was a final assignment in my Introduction to Sociology class, which I took during my first semester at Ohio State. I found this assignment very interesting and unique, as I (along with my peers), had never written or even read an Op-Ed before. Thus, I was exposed to a new and different style of writing. For this assignment, each student had to select a broad topic that he or she was interested in researching. Then, each student had to further narrow the topic by examining a certain aspect of the issue through a sociological perspective. For my topic, I argued that a sociological perspective is relevant to understanding the topic of growing obesity because there exists an ‘individual bias’ which states that individuals are responsible for their own problems. Because of this bias, individuals assume that others are responsible for the way they look and act. In reality, there are larger structural and institutional forces that lead to problems like obesity. A sociological perspective is required in order to move beyond the individualistic bias in seeking solutions to the social problem of growing obesity. This perspective is necessary in order to examine if the government or food industry bears any responsibility for rising obesity rates because of the understanding that fundamental social causes shape individual proximal causes.
In my Op-Ed, I argue that the food industry and the government both bear responsibility for rising obesity rates. I expose three ways in which the food industry/government create a toxic environment for consumers. Additionally, I offer solutions for each tactic exposed and conclude that “by creating clear nutritional guidelines, providing incentives for individuals to buy healthy products, and by eliminating as many processed ingredients as possible, the government can fix the many cracks in the food industry and place consumer wellbeing and health at a top-priority level.”
While this is the first Op-Ed I have ever written, I learned a lot from the writing process and am proud of its content. This is a topic I care about and that I hope to increase awareness about. I am excited for future opportunities to compose more Op-Ed’s (or similar essay/article styles) and improve my writing.