Lillian B.

Research-Based Argument Essay

Can you believe that one Reese's peanut butter cup has 21 grams of sugar? Unfortunately, all of this sugar has lead to many adults and children being overweight.

Though many would argue that sugar has many health benefits, after much research, this expert would say this is not the case and that parents should more closely monitor the sugar intake of themselves and their children. Additionally, children are being forced to drop out of school so they are able to work on these cocoa farms. People have been trying to stop this problem for many years, but have not been successful. One thing is very clear: Cocoa farms need to make changes in the way that they harvest their cocoa. If they don't make these changes soon they may have to stop producing the cocoa all together.

One reason Mars and Hershey chocolate companies should change the way they make their candies is due to the irresponsible manufacturing practices. Some people might disagree, saying that the children need the money for their families. This expert challenges this claim because most of the children are kidnapped and forced to work, therefore they don't have a family to make money for.

For example, young children are forced to drop out of school so they can work on the cocoa farms. This fact might come as a surprise to you; but it is true and is only one reason why the Hershey and Mars chocolate companies should change the way they make  their candies. Also, 1.8 million children work on cocoa farms just in the Ivory Coast and Ghana. As you can see, this is huge amount of children working on just two cocoa farms. This is yet another reason why Hershey and Mars chocolate companies should change the way they make their candies. In addition, the children working on the cocoa farms do not have a bright future. Clearly, this is because of the lack of education they are receiving. 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 reporters have described kids forced to drop out of school. Some have even been abducted and made to work without pay. These reports have hung over cocoa trade for more than a decade.” This awful fact proves the horror that is the behind-the-scenes of the chocolate industry and provides a VERY important reason why the Hershey and Mars companies should change the way they make their candies.

Another reason why Hershey and Mars chocolate companies should change the way they make their candies is because the candies have harmful food dye in them. Skeptics may say that not all candies have food dye in them. While this is true, it is extremely important that the candies that do contain food dye are changed due to nutritional problems with the dye. For example, red 40 food dye can cause swelling around the mouth. It would be pretty painful if you had to eat while your mouth was all swelled up. Additionally, Red 40 food dye can also cause hypersensitivity if you consume it. This is just one more reason why Hershey and Mars chocolate companies should change the way they make their candies. Red 40, yellow 5, and yellow 6 dye all contain benzidine and 4-aminobiphenyl, that research has linked to cancer. In the article “The Hidden Risks of Food Dyes” by Milton Stokes, it states, “ While natural colorants made from foods like fruits are available, many manufacturers opt for synthetic dyes, which may have dangerous health consequences.” This proves that even given an option, the companies chose to use the artificial dyes. The Mars and Hershey chocolate companies should use the natural dyes because they are better for you and provide health benefits. The artificial dyes provide no health benefits whatsoever. All of these pieces of evidence support the fact that Hershey and Mars chocolate companies should change the way they make their candies.

The last reason why the Mars and Hershey companies should change the way their candies are made is because of all the health problems that come along with eating the candy. Critics argue that certain chocolate and candies can be healthy for you. While this may be true, that certain candies contain nutritional ingredients, all the sugar put along with those ingredients wipe out all health benefits of eating the candy.  Did you know that sugar is the only known cause of tooth decay decay in kids and adults? This fact might be surprising but it is in fact true, and is only one reason why the Hershey and Mars companies should change the way they make their candies. Another reason why the Hershey and Mars chocolate companies should change the way they make their chocolate is because it has a lot of sugar and sugar causes hyperness. The average American eats about 3 pounds of sugar a week, therefore if the Mars and Hershey chocolate companies reduced the amount of sugar in their chocolate, then Americans would be eating less sugar in a week. This is another reason why the Mars and Hershey chocolate companies should make changes to the way they make their candies. Eating too much of these chocolates, which is exactly what Americans do, causes high blood sugar. For example, women should eat no more than 25 grams of added sugar a day. Men, no more than 35. This is yet another reason why the Hershey and Mars chocolate companies should make health related changes to the way they make their chocolate. According to Brandon Gaille, marketing export and blogger, “ The average American eats almost 25 pounds of candy a year!” This shocking statistic is clearly connected to the health epidemic in the United States and is just another reason why the candy giants Mars and Hershey should make some major nutritional changes to the way they make their candies

In the article "The Superpowers of Candy," the text reads that cotton candy can help you grow new blood vessels. This expert challenges this claim because the candy has so much sugar that it does more harm than good when you eat it. Why choose a piece of chocolate or a York peppermint patty, when you now know that these candies have many health problems, have harmful food dyes, and children are being forced to work to collect cocoa. All of this evidence proves that chocolate companies like Mars and Hershey should make some major changes to the way they make their candies.