Deck 15: Consumer Protection

Question 1

To what extent do you believe that individuals are responsible for their own weight (or in the case of children, parents or guardians)?

Answer 1

An individual is responsible for his or her own weight. It is true that advertisements and other sources of marketing influences people. However, such sources by no means force people to eat a particular product. It is people who ultimately choose what they are willing to buy and eat.
The role of the government is to ensure that food products packs should be marked to indicate the possible harm that they could cause. However, they cannot tell people what to eat and what not. The food companies should be necessarily required to indicate the calorie content of product. More effective labelling would help individuals to decide and make choice regarding what to eat and what not.
In case of children, it should be the responsibility of parents and guardians to monitor their eating habits. A grown up adult, however, can take the responsibility of his own action.
Ultimately, individuals are responsible for their eating habits and not the government of food companies.

Question 2

In your opinion, should the food and restaurant industries be held liable for the rise of obesity, or not? That is, which side do you support, and why?

Answer 2

Obesity is a real cause of concern all over the world and Doctors and health experts are continuously warning the patients to keep control of their weight to stay away from various problems of health like high blood pressure, sugar, thyroid, depressions, tensions, arthritis and so on. Now peoples are also getting health conscious gradually because diseases are not happening with the ages. For say a boy of 23 years old is getting heart attack due to obesity. It's pathetic. Females are getting more and more gynaecological problems, several hormonal problems, infertility due to obesity.
Regarding hotels and restaurants, their liability lies up to their food products and most of the food chains are restricting and altering their menus by reducing calories, fats etc to avoid obesity problems and to protect their business, as peoples are getting aware of their own problems. So these hotels and restaurants can't be made liable directly because a person may or may not take restaurant foods, it's totally depends on his or her personal choice. Rather as per the health experts, eating fast foods are not only the reasons for obesity. Changing in life styles differed a lot which is causing a lot of problems in to our body. In 1960,s physical work was much more in any kind of jobs and thus body was fit and they lived a long life. Nowadays most of the jobs are going on from the comfort of home or through internet etc i.e. most of the jobs are sitting jobs, requires less efforts to increase the pleasures of human beings and this things causes lack of physical exercises into the body. Lack of physical exercise causes obesity also. Thus the restaurants can't be held responsible only for obesity. Restaurants were there in the business when there were no obesity problems. Obesity problem came into existence with the changing life styles which seeks more and more comforts.

Question 3

If you were a manager for a fast food chain or food company, what actions would you take with respect of obesity, if any?

Answer 3

Restaurants and hotels should have a social responsibility and as they are dealing with food products thus it's their duty to be aware of the health of the public. Any latest developments, if any, got impacted somehow then they should change those ingredients immediately. Being a restaurant manager and as there is a growing concern regarding obesity, I should alters the menus of my restaurant with low calories and fats, thus to avoid obesity. Further several types of advertisements related to good health I would display in and around my restaurant to make my customers aware of. I would make some arrangements of training for my cook department thus they would gain some knowledge regarding cooking with lesser oils and fats but taste to remain same. In this way I would continuously upgrade the food quality of my restaurant as well as educate the customers who step in to my restaurant in regard to their health.
Being a manager of a restaurant we need to balance both the issues of health concerns as well as the business. Misguiding customers is not the way for business in long-term. So we need efficient cooks in our restaurant who is aware of the issue obesity and can resolve the problem with identifying the objectives of what we need to do, that is to prepare recipes with less oil and fat as well as tasty at the same time because it needs to be in mind always that people comes to the restaurant for eating tasty foods when they got bored with homemade foods. If they got dis-heartened somehow they will avoid our restaurant in future and competitors will gain from these problems. So as a manager maintain both the things are very important, health and business.

Question 4

What do you think is the best solution to the obesity epidemic? What role can the food and restaurant industries, trial attorneys, government policymakers and regulators, and individual consumers play in a solution, if any?