Obesity is soon to be America's number one killer. Being obese is extremely dangerous to your health. It can cause circulatory problems and other diseases. " To a lot of people fast food is a substantial part of their diet"(Daynard). The Center for Disease Control has declared the country's obesity rate an epidemic. There are now lawsuits in which people claim that it is the fast food causing their obesity. Fast food companies are at fault and should be held accountable for America's high obesity ratings.
In spite the fact that there are 300,000 premature deaths a year from obesity, many people believe the fast food companies are not at fault. People choose what they want to eat and what they do not; it is about personal responsibility. According to a WNBC poll in New York, 83 percent of respondents say restaurants are not responsible for the health of their consumers. Unlike the tobacco lawsuits, no one can claim that a Big Mac or a Whopper is addictive. They may be tasty and people may eat too many of them, but McDonalds and Burger King are not responsible for their customer's lack of self- control. Katharine Kim of the Notational Restaurant Association claims," It is senseless, baseless, and ridiculous to compare food to things that are addictive, its just an attempt to capitalize on all the stories recently in the press about the increase in obesity rates". People bringing forth these lawsuits must realize that two-thirds of all foods consumed in America are consumed in people's homes, a fact from Consumer Freedom. Are they proposing that they sue American mothers? McDonald's released a statement about these lawsuits saying they are "frivolous" and they also said that, "common sense tells you that it makes no sense, our menu features choice and variety with lots of options for consumers". There are also dozens of foods outside of fast food that can make someone obese, and they have no way to prove that fast foods alone are the cause for all of America's obesity problems.
