Tellwut Online Survey Results on the Weighty Issues of Junk Food, Obesity and Government Control over What We Eat

Big Mac step aside, Mickey’s eating a tofu burger. With obesity on the rise, companies like Disney are stepping up the game of being good corporate citizens by banning junk food advertisements and Michael Bloomberg weighs in with his desire to ban the Big Gulp. So Tellwuter’s took their questions online. Here is some food for fodder. Junk food is a very popular topic at tellwut.com. Tellwut’s voter members have surveyed many aspects surrounding the issue of junk food, obesity and government control over what we eat. Here is a summary of what Tellwut voters thought. Tellwut respondents love junk food and at least once every two weeks ingest in order of preference: chips, pizza, fries, hamburgers, cookies and ice cream. Only 3 of over 400 respondents claimed not to eat junk food. Are North Americans overindulging in junk food? 55% of respondents felt they did overindulge and of the 70% who felt they were overweight, 50% attributed being overweight to eating too much junk food, while 32% said it was because their meal portions were too large. 10% said it was due to medical reasons. Disney recently took a stand against junk food by banning junk food advertisements on the Disney channel. 54% of respondents were pleased with this, though 52% did not think it would make any difference to changing what children eat. 52% of women felt that obesity was a serious enough issue for there to be government regulation, though from a male perspective only 42% of men felt this way. Would Michael Bloomberg’s desire to ban the Big Gulp get voter approval? Only 25% of respondents agreed with this stance. So then, what is the best way to deal with obesity? 44% said better education about obesity in schools, 20% said better labeling on food products, akin to cigarette warning labels, 19% wanted the Disney approach of disallowing advertising of food products that exceed certain guidelines and lastly, 16% said that higher tax rates on fast food and foods that exceed acceptable sodium, sugar and saturated fat count levels would be the ticket. Now that’s a way to reduce the deficit! Other recommendations from tellwut members; next time one heads to the grocery store, eat an apple first, avoid the chip aisle and don’t stop at that favorite burger joint on the way home.