Children have unhealthy eating habits. Why do you think this is happening? What can be done about this? v.2

Nowadays, children have developed eating behaviors that could be detrimental for their overall health. Although this unfavorable lifestyle has resulted from many factors, there are several solutions to address this matter. It is probably true to say that the food and beverage industry utilize different kinds of marketing strategies to take advantage of toddlers’ learning stage, encouraging them to consume only unhealthy foods as they grow. This is because foods that are high in sugar, fat or salt are often more profitable to advertise as compared to promoting healthy foods. In addition, fast food companies are using toy tie-ins with cartoon movies, placing persuasive ads that can develop child’s food cravings for fast foods. As a consequence, there is a formation of potentially lifelong inclination to poor diet at an early age. In order to mitigate this problem, the government should strictly regulate the marketing of food to young people and limit the child-directed advertising of foods lacking with sufficient nutrients. As for the parents, they need to be well-informed about the potential negative impacts of most current food promotion practices. Lastly, elementary and high schools should promote innovative methods of enhancing food literacy for their students such as improving food choices and properly identifying healthy foods. All of these actions are capable of impacting the development of children’s preference to foods that are beneficial for their growth. In conclusion, influential marketing campaigns are one of the reasons why children prefer to eat unhealthy foods and various groups such as the government, parents and schools have crucial roles to play in shaping a child’s healthy eating habits.