Business owners are constantly placing unhealthy, cheap snacks on the way out of stores to promote customers to spend a few extra dollars. Consequently, children are provoked by food cues, the sight of an item that initiates hunger (Keesman, Aarts, Vermeent, Häfner, Papies, 2016), which increases the amount of ‘junk-food’ they are consuming. Not only are Canadian parents spending more money, but the extra chocolate and candy negatively affects the overall health of their children by initiating weight gain and the onset of obesity (Kakoschke, Kemps, Tiggemann, 2015). The consumption of innutritious foods, one of the key factors of obesity, has various negative mental and physical health effects, especially relating to the heart. Subsequently, impulsivity plays a key role when purchasing ‘junk-food’ as it initiates a sudden desire for sweet or salty treats (CITE?), hence why businesses should promote healthy snacks that have several positive effects on the body instead of contributing to rising obesity rates. Business owners should be conscientious to the fact that obesity is a growing health concern in Canada, and they should choose to promote healthy snacks instead of feeding into the impulsivity of ‘junk food’ cravings. Canadian business owners should be prohibited from promoting unhealthy food at checkouts as it has negative health aspects and leads to childhood obesity.
Negative effects of unhealthy food
Firstly, eating unhealthy foods causes health problems, both mental and physical, for children. Although kids may not be purchasing ‘junk food’ directly, promoting unhealthy foods near the checkout of grocery stores can influence parents to purchase them for their children. Consumption of snacks that are high in sugar and fat can immediately affect the mood of an individual (Finch, Cummings, Tomiyama, 2019) and contribute to long-term health issues (Kelsey, Zaepfel, Bjornstad, Nadeau, 2014). Therefore, constant small doses of negative emotions, results in an overall negative lifestyle. A recent study highlighted that unhealthy comfort foods, which are thought to help with stress, in fact make it worse and have no psychophysiological stress reduction benefits (Finch, et al., 2019). Aside from the limited enjoyment at the moment of ingestion, unhealthy foods have no mental benefits and instead hinder the mental state of the individual. While some may view ‘junk-food’ as a mood booster, food should ultimately be considered to please hunger. Often when using food to alter emotion, the wrong dietary choices are made, and mental state is compromised. In addition, overconsumption often also occurs because an individual’s food consumption does not provide their body with adequate nutrition. Thus, overconsumption, especially of saturated foods that lack nutritional value, places children at a high risk for obesity. Lesser, Arroyo-Ramirez, Mi, Robinson (2016) conducted a recent study suggesting that overconsumption of unhealthy foods at a very young age can impede brain development, leading to irreversible changes. Proper child development is crucial for academic success and is not worth destroying for short-term satisfaction such as unhealthy foods. Parents should be aware of the frequency and amount of unhealthy food their children are ingesting because most kids are unaware of the health defects saturated foods have. It is the parent’s responsibility to provide a healthy lifestyle for their children so they can fully grow and develop without any unnecessary negative effects that will carry on and inhibit their future. Additionally, if parents are constantly persuaded to purchasing ‘junk-food’ for their children, consuming unhealthy food becomes a norm for their kids. Unhealthy habits should be avoided at all costs, especially for children, so it is important for parents to work on developing good habits on behalf of their children for future health and happiness. Despite any health concerns like diabetes and cardiovascular disease, it is crucial to implement healthier choices at a younger age because obesity may also affect quality of life, education and contribute to premature death (O’Neill, Kornas, Rosella, 2019). The last-minute promotion of saturated snacks in stores should be avoided so children can live happier and healthier lives without harming brain development and increasing the risk of obesity.
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Negative effects of obesity - heart disease/CV
Furthermore, as Lesser, et al. (2016) stated, many unhealthy foods lack crucial nutrients that young children require to develop normally and are instead full of saturated fats and sugars. Excessive consumption of innutritious food can often lead to weight gain and obesity (Kakoschke, et al., 2015) which are precursors to type two diabetes, increased cancer risk, and cardiovascular disease (CV disease) (Kelsey, et al., 2014). Although it is not definite that all obese individuals will suffer from one of these health conditions, it does increase their risk significantly. Without the visual food cues of candy or chocolate at checkouts, any extra ‘junk-food’ that parents were not intending to purchase will not be bought as it will not be in view to grab or desire. Therefore, children will mostly be consuming what is available to them at home after their parents leave the store. Although some parents may still be purchasing other saturated food items that are promoted throughout the store, they will be avoiding one extra item that contributes to the health of their children. One unhealthy food item is not going to cause cardiovascular disease, however; once impulsively buying ‘junk-food’ becomes a habit, the accumulation of constant consumption impacts one’s health and increases the risk of CV. As stated by Ayer, Charakida, Deanfield and Celermajer (2015), obesity, which may derive from an innutritious diet, negatively effects the heart, one of the key organs in the body, leading to a “higher heart rate, greater resting and reactive hyperaemic blood flow, and larger brachial artery diameter”. These are all health indicators of CV disease and obesity in children that can be avoided with nutritious food choices. The heart effects of obesity are life threatening as they increase the risk of heart failure and stroke due to the altered cardiac structure through increased left ventricular mass and left atrial size (Ayer, et al., 2015). These heart defects can be developed during childhood as a consequence of a poor diet. It is important to avoid preventable bad habits in youth that could be detrimental in the future. As the heart is one of the body’s vital muscular organs, protecting and allowing it to perform its natural function at ease is an essential part of living a healthy life. Without the possibility of any inevitable health conditions, avoiding frequent consumption of unhealthy foods to prevent obesity ensures that the heart will remain in lifelong good health to provide the body with proper blood flow. Therefore, it is unjust for business owners to promote unhealthy foods at checkouts as it instigates poor dietary choices in children that can cause future detrimental health problems to their heart.
Positive effects of healthy food
Moreover, business owners should promote healthy foods instead of innutritious ones because of the benefits of a healthy diet. By enticing consumers with healthier food options, it shows that business owners care about the wellbeing of their customers and wish for them to live wholesome and happy lives. Recent research has proven that daily healthy eating can promote long term happiness (Wahl, Villinger, König, Ziesemer, Schupp, Renner, 2017), so when at the grocery store, customers should be reaching for healthier options opposed to innutritious ones. If business owners were to replace the sweet and salty saturated snacks with nutritious options like fruit at checkouts, customers would be more likely to reach for the healthier choice because it is now the item of convenience. Due to the new lack of unhealthy food promotion, individuals will also not experience any food cues that would suddenly make them crave an unhealthy snack. Aside from the improvement in diet when making healthy food choices, consumption of fruits and vegetables also reduces stress levels, especially when one feels that a desired saturated snack will positively reflect their mood (Finch, et al., 2019). Although many may believe that nutritious foods only have physical effects on the body like preventing weight gain and obesity, healthy choices also have mental effects. As Wahl (2017) highlighted, consuming fruits and vegetables results in greater overall happiness, so when one is in a state of stress and is turning to food for comfort, healthier options will have a much better impact on their mood. Business owners should consider the health of their customers when choosing which products to promote at checkouts. Choosing to replace chocolate and candy with fruits and vegetables would offer consumers greater happiness and a healthier lifestyle while still maintaining the convenience of purchasing an inexpensive snack. Additionally, successive consumption of healthy foods contributes to a longer lifespan by decreasing mortality rates by about 5% in women for “each additional daily serving of fruits and vegetables” (Finch, et al., 2019). Introducing a healthy lifestyle during childhood can contribute to lower mortality rates as an adult. As chocolate and candy are one of the last items customers view on their way out of a grocery store, this alters their mindset to crave a saturated snack and purchase one as well. Modifying product placement in supermarkets to having fruits or vegetables near exits initiates the thought of healthy food consumption. Therefore, gravitating customers towards more nutritious options and guiding them in the right direction of healthy eating during childhood can decrease future mortality risks. Furthermore, generally a parent would not discourage their child away from wanting to make more nutritious choices. By businesses placing healthy snacks at checkouts, children would become accustomed to seeing fruits or vegetables on their way out of the store; thus, they will be more inclined to ask their parents to purchase a healthier snack for them which would develop good dietary habits early. Store owners should rethink the commercialization of ‘junk-food’ and aim to promote healthier food options at checkouts such as fruits or vegetables.
Impulsivity
Furthermore, impulsivity plays a key role when purchasing “junk food” at checkouts because customers are generally not intending to buy an extra item until it is promoted at the last minute. Customers who are hungry will often unintentionally give in to the subtle promotion of unhealthy snacks because there is an indirect crave for high-caloric foods when in the state of hunger (Cheval, Audrin, Sarrazin, Pelletier, 2017). Despite all of their food already being purchased, customers will often still reach for the sudden impulsive option due to convenience. If businesses were to replace the chocolate and candy at checkouts will healthier ones, perhaps customers would reach for the more nutritious one instead, which would have positive health benefits. Constantly submitting to unhealthy desires in supermarkets accumulates and adds up financially as well as increasing the risk of obesity and other linked health effects. Additionally, those who purchase unhealthy food options are often already overeaters with high “indulgence” (Cheval, 2017). Thus, business owners are using their captive audience to increase their revenue through food cues which results in an increased consumption of highly saturated snacks. Children especially have a ‘sweet tooth’ and naturally gravitate towards unhealthy food (CITE) However, the more often parents purchase innutritious foods for their children, the higher possibility of overconsumption which can lead to weight gain and obesity. Continuously submitting to a child’s desires of saturated snacks results in a higher craving next time they are in the same position because their indulgence would increase as well. Business owners should eliminate the promotion of chocolate and candy at checkouts as it increases impulsivity and the risk of obesity. Subsequently, a study revealed that consuming food for comfort while in a state of stress actually has less stress releasing benefits than when out of the state of stress (Finch, et al., 2019). While some may think purchasing a chocolate will decrease stress or bring comfort to a screaming child at a grocery store, Finch, et al., (2019) stated otherwise. Purchasing food, the instant it is craved during a state of distress, has less of a positive impact on mood than if one were to wait. Even if one were to cave to their impulsive saturated food craving, the food choice should be rethought, and a fruit or vegetable should be considered instead. Children would be more likely to impulsively gravitate towards fruits or vegetables if businesses were prohibited from contributing to childhood obesity by promoting unhealthy saturated foods.
How businesses contribute to rising obesity rates
Lastly, promoting unhealthy foods in stores contributes to the rising rates of childhood obesity. A recent study indicates that adult obesity rates have almost doubled in the past forty years resulting in 25% of Canadian adults to be obese (Nardocci, Leclerc, Louzada, Monteiro, Batal, Moubarac, 2018). Thus, child obesity rates are also increasing because the children today are the adults of the future. If poor nutritional habits begin in a person’s youth, it is starting the next generations on the wrong path of an unhealthy diet that could continue throughout adulthood. By making positive food choices at a young age, both the mind and body will be healthy and the mindset of living a healthy lifestyle will also develop. Kakoschke et al. (2015) mentioned that society has created an ‘obesogenic’ environment where ‘junk-food’ is easily available, a result of businesses selling and promoting saturated foods. The rising rate of childhood obesity should alarm businesses to consider the layout of products. Placing unhealthy ‘junk food’ on low shelves near the store’s cash registers, is easily visible for children and triggers them to convince their parents to purchase. Although, banning ‘junk-food’ production would be quite extreme and drive many companies out of business, controlling product placement in stores would help limit saturated food consumption. By prohibiting companies from promoting unhealthy items at checkouts, sudden unintended purchases that contribute to weight gain would be avoided. Despite product placement, businesses also contribute to the portion size of packages. Aerts and Smits (2017) discuss the relation between larger package sizes and overeating. Often when consuming a chocolate for example, it is being eaten out of desire opposed to hunger. Therefore, one will continue to eat even when they are satisfied, especially when there are still contents left in the package. Companies will often promote a larger item at a better deal than the smaller size to encourage customers to spend a bit more money and receive more product. Although consumers may believe this is a better offer, the larger package size is unnecessary and will in fact negatively affect their health. The harmful effects of the saturated snack are not worth the short-lasting satisfaction during consumption. Canadian business owners are fueling bad dietary habits in young children by indirectly fueling child obesity rates through the promotion of unhealthy chocolates and candies at checkouts.
Unhealthy eating can be detrimental to a child’s growth and development which can inhibit their future health (Lesser, 2017). Consequently, Canada has made the prevention of obesity one of their top health concerns to decrease morbidity and mortality rates (Janssen, 2013). Therefore, companies should promote healthier dietary options so families can prepare nutritious food for their children at home.
References
- Aerts, G., & Smits, T. (2017). The package size effect: How package size affects young children’s consumption of snacks differing in sweetness. Food Quality and Preference, 60, 72–80. doi: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2017.03.015
- Ayer, J., et al. “Lifetime Risk: Childhood Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk.” European Heart Journal, vol. 36, no. 22, 2015, pp. 1371–1376., doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehv089.
- Cheval, B., Audrin, C., Sarrazin, P., & Pelletier, L. (2017). When hunger does (or doesn’t) increase unhealthy and healthy food consumption through food wanting: The distinctive role of impulsive approach tendencies toward healthy food. Appetite, 116, 99–107. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2017.04.028
- Finch, L. E., Cummings, J. R., & Tomiyama, A. J. (2019). Cookie or clementine? Psychophysiological stress reactivity and recovery after eating healthy and unhealthy comfort foods. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 107, 26–36. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.04.022
- Janssen, I. (2013). The Public Health Burden of Obesity in Canada. Canadian Journal of Diabetes, 37(2), 90–96. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjd.2013.02.059
- Kakoschke, N., Kemps, E., & Tiggemann, M. (2015). External eating mediates the relationship between impulsivity and unhealthy food intake. Physiology & Behavior, 147, 117–121. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.04.030
- Keesman, Mike, et al. “Consumption Simulations Induce Salivation to Food Cues.” Plos One, vol. 11, no. 11, July 2016, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0165449.
- Kelsey, Megan M., et al. “Age-Related Consequences of Childhood Obesity.” Gerontology, vol. 60, no. 3, 2014, pp. 222–228., doi:10.1159/000356023.
- Lesser, E. N., Arroyo-Ramirez, A., Mi, S. J., & Robinson, M. J. F. (2017). The impact of a junk-food diet during development on ‘wanting’ and ‘liking.’ Behavioural Brain Research, 317, 163–178. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.09.041
- Nardocci, M., Leclerc, B.-S., Louzada, M.-L., Monteiro, C. A., Batal, M., & Moubarac, J.-C. (2018). Consumption of ultra-processed foods and obesity in Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 110(1), 15–16. doi: 10.17269/s41997-018-0142-6
- O’Neill, M., Kornas, K., & Rosella, L. (2019). The future burden of obesity in Canada: a modelling study. Canadian Journal of Public Health. doi: 10.17269/s41997-019-00251-y
- Wahl, D. R., Villinger, K., König, L. M., Ziesemer, K., Schupp, H. T., & Renner, B. (2017). Healthy food choices are happy food choices: Evidence from a real life sample using smartphone based assessments. Scientific Reports, 7(1). doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-17262-9
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