Unethical Impacts of Advertising Unhealthy Foods to Children

Running head: ETHICAL THOUGHT AND ACTION
Ethical Thought and Action
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1Ethical Thought and Action
Ethics govern oneself about what should be the right and wrong ways to conduct (Doan
& Stallemo, 2016) and it has considerable significance in the conduct of business. In spite of the
existence of ethical standard in business world, many unethical practices are conducted by the
business organizations, which have harmful effect on the society or a part of it. For instance,
advertising as a marketing tool can have negative and harmful effects on a major portion of
society. This essay focuses on one unethical issue in food marketing, particularly the harmful
impacts of advertising unhealthy foods to children. This essay points out how advertising of
unhealthy food to children result in addiction of those food consumption and its harmful effects
on children health. Besides, the essay shows the positive perspective of advertisement of healthy
food. Finally, the essay concludes that the advertisement of unhealthy food to children should be
banned as they advocate the unhealthy way of life. Hence, the essay supports the fact it is
morally not right for marketers to advertise unhealthy food to children.
Advertising is a major marketing tool through which company practices different
strategies to aim specific groups such as children to promote their products or services (De
Mooij, 2013), particularly in encouraging the consumption of unhealthy food. Unhealthy food is
any food that is not helpful for maintaining good health. Examples of such foods are fast food
and junk food. Fast food referred to food that is prepared with ingredients, which may be pre-
cooked or frozen or pre-heated, and served much quicker than traditional foods, in a packaged
form. Such food have less nutritional value compared to other foods and dishes, yet they highly
contain salt, sugar, saturated fat (Jaworowska et al., 2013). Regular intake of fast food increases
the risk of major health issues and complications such as colorectal cancer, high cholesterol and
depression.

2Ethical Thought and Action
Similarly, junk food is a food, which have artificial food colourings and preservatives,
and which contains high calories from sugar or fat along with little protein, vitamins or minerals
and low in nutrients. Junk foods are always considered as unhealthy and have been proved as
harmful in all ways. Junk foods are not good for health in any case and regular eating of junk
foods invites many health disorders (Moss, 2013). Regular junk food habits may causes diseases
such as heart problems, heart attack, bone problems, increase in blood pressure, cancer, diabetes,
mental disorders, early aging, liver and digestive system disorders, constipation, diarrhoea,
osteoporosis and many other health disorders. Promotion of junk food advertisements towards
the younger generation affects their health noticeably.
Correspondingly, the unhealthy food health habits of children are influenced through the
constant repetition and persuasion of junk food advertisement and this may encourage children to
develop lifelong attitudes on undisciplined food habit and lifestyle choices, which can lead to
serious health problems and early death. This implies that advertisement of unhealthy food to
children is quite unethical.
However, by keeping the profit interests in mind company advertises its product and
present the product in its best light in order to encourage purchase. Certainly, advertising do not
insist consumers to buy anything, yet food advertisements are presented in a way to capture
attention and encourage purchase, which interprets that advertisements are highly compelling
and appealing to the emotions of people, especially children. (Mehta et al., 2014). This
encourage the children to buy and consume fast food or junk food on a regular basis. Moreover,
children are naturally addicted towards them and this creates unhealthy eating patterns. Besides
having negative effects on the children’s academics, the unhealthy food consumption also