Jean-Luc D.

HERSHEY AND MARS:

THE SECRETS BEHIND WHAT YOU ARE EATING

                     

Can you believe that Americans consume about 25 pounds of sugar per capita

per year? According to United States Department of Agriculture, the average American consumes between 150 and 170 pounds of sugar each year. A reason for that is that eating sugary foods kicks off a chemical reaction in your brain and makes you want more sweets. Some critics may say a lot of it is natural sugars, but after constant  research, this expert can argue that natural sugars is not the case. In fact, candy giants like Mars and Hershey should discontinue manufacturing the candies and chocolates they make. Consequently,  kids would not get addicted to the sugar or get obese from too much sugar. Another reason is child labor abuse in South Africa.  In the article, “Despite Efforts, Child Labor Abuse Hasn't Stopped on Cocoa Farms” it states, “...[Cocoa] farmers seek cheap child labor. Government and news reports have described kids forced to drop out of school. Some have even been abducted and made to work without pay.” This awful fact proves the horror that is the behind-the-scenes of the chocolate industry and provides a VERY important reason for both Hershey and Mars candy giants to discontinue their business. Those are just some reasons why Mars and Hershey should stop their candy and chocolate making.

One reason why Mars and Hershey candy companies should discontinue making their candies is America’s health now, which is very poor. For example, the U.S is the largest consumer of candy in the world. That means almost all Americans eat candy, and therefore the health level in the country is not as good as other countries. Also, candy (sugar), is the only cause of tooth decay, and causes cavities. That means if Mars and Hershey discontinued their candy making, no one would get tooth decay and therefore not have to pay so much on dentist bills. In addition, artificial food dyes have been proven to cause ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.) That means you can be almost out of control of what your body does. For instance, your leg could be shaking really fast and you would be unaware of it. Americans today are eating 10 times as much food dye as we did in 1955.  Artificial food dyes also contain petroleum. For those who don’t know what petroleum is, you you can chunk it out, so petrol /eum. Petrol is what cars run on. So, yes, petroleum is pretty much like gasoline. It’s pretty obvious that gasoline is not good for people, so kids should not eat candy that Mars and Hershey make that use artificial food coloring. In the National Public Radio (NPR) Health segment titled “FDA Probes Link Between Food Dyes, Kids' Behavior”, Michael Jacobson, director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, says, “Food dyes are added simply for their color to make foods fun. They serve no health purpose whatsoever.” The text also states, “Jacobson says there is substantial evidence showing that food dyes trigger hyperactivity in kids.” This research from the Center for Science in the Public Interest proves without a doubt the negative link between food dyes and hyperactivity--just another reason for Hershey and Mars to discontinue their unhealthy candies using artificial food dyes. Moreover, fructose, which is in chocolate and other candies, can only be processed by the liver, and when it is in the liver, it behaves like fat. Most people want to lose weight and get fit, so eating chocolate and candies will not get you fit. Some people disagree, saying some candies have nuts and honey in them, so they are healthy. This expert challenges this claim because only a few “candies” have nuts and honey in them, and even so, the “health” effect of that can be ruined from the sugar. Plus, some kids are allergic to nuts and honey. If Mars and Hershey discontinued their candy and chocolate making, there would be a lot fewer people who are obese. All in all, it is clear that candy is a major factor in America’s health and that candy is not something you should eat every day.

A second reason why Mars and Hershey should discontinue making their chocolates and candies is their marketing techniques. A lot of things we don’t even notice are marketing techniques. For example, at checkout at a grocery store, what do people see right in front of them? Candy and chocolate. That is not a coincidence. Mars and Hershey target children to sell their products. Another way how Mars and Hershey target young children is holiday-themed packaging. That makes the candy seem more exciting and interesting. Also, Mars and Hershey will sometimes promise prizes or rewards that make people want to buy the product. Most often the promises are not kept. A sneaky way they get people to buy their product is putting it at eye-level, so you are sure to see it. Some ways are not sneaky but just plain lies, like false advertising. False advertising will make the product sound healthier than it really is, and give people more of a reason to buy the candy or chocolate, even though it really is not healthy at all. They can also use misleading packaging or labeling. They also may market healthier options, like, “Now vitamin B infused!”, which makes it sound healthier and better than the regular type. However, because of fructose, artificial food dyes, and other ingredients, it is still not a healthy food choice.  In stores, the candy can be advertised as only sold at that particular time of the year. Sometimes they have “bite-sized”packaging, which is a waste of packaging and not eco-friendly. Marketing is everywhere.  Hershey and Mars also target kids on social media, using sites such as Facebook, Pinterest, etc. Some other strategies are keeping the brand simple, having a recognizable slogan that gets stuck in your head, and making customers feel loyal to a brand; emotions through candy. Skeptics may think, well, they have to earn money, but this expert argues that the companies are already making millions. Plus, they are irresponsibly targeting young children with advertisements and their products that are addictive.  A final reason is we are spending too much on candy. Last year, people spent more than 12.6 billion ($12,600,000,000) dollars on candy. That money could definitely be used on something a lot better, such as homes for homeless people or education for kids who cannot get an education. Still, that is proof that those marketing techniques work. According to the Bloomberg Business article entitled “What Are the World’s Most Popular Candies?”, “The global economic downturn may have caused many consumers to cut discretionary spending, but candy proves to be an exception.” It is amazing to think that even when people are struggling financially, they will still spend their hard-earned money on candy.

A final reason why Mars and Hershey should discontinue making their candies and chocolates is the horrible problem of child labor abuse. In South Africa, 70% of the world’s cocoa is harvested there, and 1.8 million children in Ivory Coast and Ghana work on cacao plantations.  Chocolate is made from cocoa, so companies like Mars and Hershey need the cocoa. Kids love eating chocolate, but those working on cocoa plantations in South Africa do not. Kids are forced to work, some even for no pay. That is slavery, which is very sad that it is still going on. Some of the children have been separated from their families or kidnapped. That means they may have to live their whole life on a cocoa plantation. When working, kids may have to spray chemicals or use sharp machetes  (large heavy knives used especially in Latin American countries in cutting sugarcane and clearing underbrush and as a weapon.) Kids are also forced to work in unsafe working conditions. Kids, therefore, will most likely get even more sick and may get a life-threatening disease and not be able to rest and get better. Moreover, kids who are able to go to school are forced to quit school and therefore get no education. That means they will not have such a bright future and may not get a job even if they stop working on the cocoa plantation. Some companies are trying to stop child labor abuse like Cargill, a cocoa producer. Cargill has spent over $10 million to stop child labor abuse, but child labor abuse is still happening. There have been some changes for the good; critics argue that companies like Cargill have already made progress stopping child labor abuse and that there have been laws passed to help out. While this may be true that companies have made progress stopping child labor abuse, still all in all, child labor abuse continues. Since child labor abuse was first found out about in 2000, now in 2016 kids are still being kidnapped, forced to work (sometimes for no pay), forced to drop out of school, forced to spray chemicals and use sharp machetes, and forced to work under unsafe working conditions.

Some researchers and articles such as, “The Superpowers of Candy,” state that dark chocolate is an antioxidant, so it fights bad molecules. This expert disagrees after hard-pressed research, because the sugar just outweighs the antioxidants and therefore there is hardly anything to fight the bad molecules. Plus, not everyone only eats dark chocolate. Who would want to take dark chocolate to get bad molecules out of your body when a medicine or natural foods can do the same thing 10 times better? In candy, the fructose just stays in the liver and behaves like fat. And the artificial food coloring, which has petroleum in it, does not help. The 1.8 billion kids working on a cocoa farm are not going to have a bright future. Kids eating the chocolate may not be able to be who they want to be if they are not fit and unhealthy. Why be a part of this? This researcher has personal experience with people who actually have diabetes, which is a disease from eating too much sugar. They cannot do all the things other people can do, and it is not because of other problems. It is sad when kids have to have a problem like that, but if Mars and Hershey stopped making their candy and chocolate, diabetes would be almost unheard of. The facts show everything, and lead to one conclusion. If Mars and Hershey discontinued their candies and chocolates, you therefore would not have the addiction and urge to buy the candies and chocolates, plus you could have a super fit and healthy body!