Fast Food and Sporting Sponsorships Are Cause For Concern

The increase in food industries sponsoring sporting events and sport initiatives should be a cause for concern. Students and children are the main target of fast food companies which some would consider to be morally wrong, however, the companies cover themselves by saying that they sponsor sport and encourage exercise.

A documentary series currently running on BBC Education, channel 184 on DSTV, called The Men Who Made Us Thin, investigates how exercise, dieting and the overall importance of health has been made into a business and marketing scheme.

Jacques Peretti, the host of the show and investigative reporter and filmmaker, goes all the way back to take a look at the sponsors of the 2012 London Olympics, and looks at how the world’s largest McDonalds concords next to the Olympic stadium. Peretti says, “Don’t think the irony wasn’t lost on us, watching the fittest athletes on the planet as we stuffed our faces with Cadbury's, Coke and fast food.”

The Olympic rings hang gloriously from Tower Bridge in central London

Coco-Cola, McDonalds and Cadbury are reported to have put millions of pounds into the games between them. However, we have to stop and ask the question: Why are they all food companies?

The answer is the fact that it’s not just sport. Sponsorship of food companies is everywhere. In the United States of America, sports sponsorship by food companies is bigger business than anywhere else in the world.

Joni Freetop, a specialist who works with obese patients to find non-surgical treatments, has become increasingly concerned about the connection between sport and the food industry.

He says, “Coco-Cola pays for playgrounds. McDonalds provides jerseys to kids. And yes, of course it’s about sales, but it’s not just about sales. Underlying all of these efforts, I believe, is the perpetuation of the belief that exercise causes weight loss. That ‘all of our products are safe and fine and wonderful so long as you also exercise’.”

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This underlying theory refers to the Energy Balance. This implication is that if you do enough exercise, you can eat what you like.

In an interview with Joni Freetop, Jacques Peretti asked the question: Why does the food industry promote the idea of exercise, what’s in it for them besides sales?

Freetop replied with, “The obvious, of course is sales, but what’s in it for them as well, is smokescreens, for legislation. So if somebody out there suggests that perhaps we should stop allowing the sponsorship of sport, or that we should have a sugar, sweet and beverage tax, or ban advertising targeting kids with food, well they can say ‘You know what, it’s not about us, it’s exercise. Let’s focus on that!’ or the very least they can say “You know what, we’re part of the solution. We are helping by helping people to exercise!’ Because as the CEO of Pepsi once said, “If people just did what they’re supposed to, exercise, this problem wouldn’t exist.” And that’s just not true.”

Peretti then asked: What is wrong with promoting exercise even if they lose weight as a result of it? It’s still a good thing to exercise.

“Absolutely!” Freetop agreed. “There really is nothing better you can do. We need to promote exercise because of health benefits, but we have to stop telling people that it’s going to make them lose weight.”

So as a result of this idea enforced on the public, people feel bad about themselves when they do exercise and can’t lose weight.

Derek Yach, who previously ran the global health policy for PepsiCo and is now the Senior Vice President of The Vitality Group, part of Discovery Ltd where he leads the Vitality Institute for Health Promotion as Executive Director says, “I think that is an issue, I think there is this very intuitive sense that 'can we not just solve the obesity crisis by going for a couple long runs in the park. And let’s just do that, we don’t have to do much else'. And this is not a devious plot by corporations, it’s a deeply felt sense, I think, by many people out there that we can just increase our activity because the hard stuff is making fundamental changes in your diet over the long term.”

Coco-Cola accepted that they had a responsibility on both sides of the Energy Balance equation, however, they still say that if people want to maintain a healthy weight they must burn off the calories they consume. They released a statement saying that in relation to the Olympics, 73% of the drinks they sold were water, juice, smoothies or low or no calorie options. McDonalds said that they were committed to educating people on the importance of physical activity. In the UK they play an active role in local causes such as community football. Cadbury said that they sponsored the Olympics because it was the biggest UK event of that generation, and if people were to buy chocolate it made sense to buy a brand like Cadbury rather than an overseas one.

So overall, it seems that food companies were all in agreement with the fact that their product was probably not the best to have in a diet alone, however, they emphasised the fact that their consumers hold the responsibility to exercise. This, therefore, further pushes the ‘you need to exercise to lose weight’ concept on the public, whereas we know that that is not specifically the case.

Students or parents of young children are now urged to consider what message the fast food company is feeding them, rather than just what product they are buying into. Even though it can be said it’s just business, the public suffers the consequences of the ‘just business’ ideals in relation to overall health.

Therefore, consider what you eat, as it could be eating you up inside regarding how you feel about yourself at the end of the day.