What Should Be Done About "Big Sugar"?

How dangerous are added sugars? Well, there is no nutritional need for added sugars, and according to Kieron Rooney, “big sugar could be the next big public health campaign.” Rooney reports that there is not a single study that shows added sugar is good for you. If it is so unhealthy for us then why aren’t we doing anything to prevent consumption of it? That’s a question I don’t know the answer to, but I do believe that there should be some regulations for companies that use added sugar.

First I think the government should tax companies on the use of added sugar, and give tax breaks to those that use healthier sweeteners. This would discourage the use of added sugar, and hopefully encourage companies to use a healthier option. This will not however solve the problem; the richer companies will still probably use added sugar because they can afford to pay the tax.

Secondly, companies should not be allowed to market their products directly to children. Companies using animated characters like Toucan Sam or the Trix rabbit to influence kids to buy their products should be more regulated. It makes sense for companies to target children because they are easily influenced, but I don’t believe that is ethically right. Preventioninstitute.org says, nearly all (98 percent) of food advertisements viewed by children are for products that are high in fat, sugar or sodium. Most (79 percent) are low in fiber. As a marketer we should be morally obligated to not intentionally mislead consumers. I believe that’s what many of these companies targeting children are doing. They are taking advantage of children not understanding what they are putting into their bodies.

Finally companies should be required to be socially responsible. Companies that are selling products that are potentially unsafe should have to provide information on how it will affect you. Some government agencies are already doing this; one example of it is the New York City Health departments “Pour on the Pounds” campaign. The campaign shows you how much sugar you are actually consuming in drinks like soda, juice, and coffee. This shouldn’t have to be left to health departments to educate people on what they are consuming. Marketers should be informing us of what we are putting in our body; we should not have to search for the information ourselves.