Though most people would like to believe that food advertising does not influence them, ‘studies show that they are indeed heavily influenced.’ Thus, the food advertising industry is worth millions of dollars. Among those heavily advertised are breakfast cereals, sugar-sweetened beverages, fast food, and other processed foods high in sugar and fat.

Overeating, triggered by a huge appetite, is influenced by a combination of powerful forces that include ‘the widespread availability of highly processed highly palatable foods high in sugar, fat, and salt; the barrage of advertisements for these nutritionally questionable foods and the restaurants that sell them; the size of the portions we are served; the size of the plates and bowls we use; and the social setting in which we eat.’ The totality of the modern food environment is what causes overeating, and, consequently, obesity.

The insatiable appetite is fueled by profit-hungry food companies that develop foods which stimulate the human appetite that crave them. These companies are guilty of causing the obesity epidemic today. Food companies produce food that people like such as those laden with fat and sugar, thus, calories. These caloric foods high in fat and sugar ‘change brain circuitry’ that fuel further cravings. Processed food companies and food restaurant chains are the prime culprits behind the obesity epidemic, ably aided by a bombardment of food advertising.

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Via The Atlantic