Mother Nature vs. Big Food

Re “Big Food Has Become a Big Problem,” Commentary, Nov. 28: Ellen Ruppel Shell raises important concerns about the epidemic of obesity but she loses me when she jumps on that tired old bandwagon of absolving individuals of responsibility for the consequences of their choices and calls for government regulations and subsidies to address the problem. To hear Shell describe it, health-conscious consumers on their way to purchase fresh produce at a farmers market are intercepted and rendered helpless by the hypnotic advertising of “big food,” at which point they obediently head for the nearest Burger King to order a triple cheeseburger and super-sized fries.

It is not big food but Mother Nature that has teased us by giving meat, sugar and fat more appealing flavors than those found in fruits and vegetables. As with so many situations in life, there is a choice, or at least a balance to be struck, between immediate gratification and long-term benefit. If there is a legitimate role for the government, it is to make sure that health insurers and employer health plans are not intimidated by “discrimination” lawsuits if they attempt to assess a fat fee on their corpulent clients.

Frederick Singer

Huntington Beach

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It seems the boogeyman has escaped from underneath our children’s beds and is now firmly entrenched in society. According to Shell, the boogeyman, taking the form of advertising, is the cause of chronic obesity in our society. She views lifestyle choices as related to obesity, but seemingly relegates such choices to a consequence of advertising instead of advertising being a consequence of choices. To blame advertisers is easy, but once the logic is digested, it is as satisfying as the fast food blamed.

Anyone over 30 remembers walking to a friend’s house, the local swimming pool or the local McDonald’s -- even if it were more than a mile away. Today, many parents view such freedom as akin to child endangerment. Dovetail this with computers and TVs, school cutbacks on recreation and a part of society that believes everything big (think Costco) is good, and it’s easy to understand why our children are overweight. The boogeyman has escaped from underneath our children’s beds, but the boogeyman is us. That is OK. If we accept that our choices have created the problem, then maybe we will feel empowered that new choices can help undo it.

Elizabeth Cronin

Los Angeles