Mark N.

Candy Argument Essay

    Candy is one of the most loved foods all over the world, but is it worth it? Some people say that candy is good since it employs lots and lots of people, but again, people get abused, kidnapped, and forced to work without pay. This is indescribable; as you are eating a chocolate bar, you’ll have to know that people are getting abused in order to make it. I think MARS and Hershey’s companies should stop producing their unhealthy candies. Some experts will say, “But so many more people will be unemployed.” But, it’s worth a lot of living-unemployed people to save a lot of unhealthy-unsafe children's lives. In these three paragraphs you will learn a lot of things, including why chocolate is unhealthy, how children get abused, and why food dyes can kill you, all ways to shut down the MARS and Hershey’s industries.

One reason MARS and Hershey's companies should stop producing their candies is because of the lack of responsible manufacturing practices. Some kids are kidnapped from their family and forced to be unpaid, while they are working in unsafe working conditions that could possibly harm their lives. 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 change how they do business. It is horrid what these people make these children and young adults work. It’s stupid because they have no reason to do this besides to make chocolate that is unhealthy. You might be surprised, over a whopping 1.8 million kids work on cocoa farms in Ivory coast and Ghana! That’s so many people. And some people think they’re stopping them from abusing these children, but the truth is, they’re not.

Some candies and foods use food dyes. One dye in some of these products is RED 40  which could lead to cancer, which as you know, could possibly kill you! Clearly, I think this is unneeded. RED 40´s symptoms could be hives, cancer, and swelling of the mouth. Also, food dyes could make you hyperactive, which could make you non-attentive. According to an article, “Christine Woodman of Fairfax, VA first noticed that her kids were having trouble focusing in school. She suspected they had ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).” She had then thought they, clearly, ate too much artificial coloring, also known as, food dye… later, she diagnosed them with ADHD. If you crave these things, you will keep eating them, and eating them could lead to CANCER!

Also the health risks are a big problem. When you eat chocolate it contains fat, so if you eat chocolate one time every day it could possibly make you a lot fatter. That could lead to very big health problems later in life, which could mean it could be hard for you to walk, which is a symptom of thin bones. Chocolate can also lead to tooth decay which means you could get your teeth pulled out. In the article “Most Popular Halloween Candy in the USA”, it states that, “According to the National Confectioners Association, 72% of all candy spending this Halloween will be on chocolate.” This could mean a lot of money for Mars and Hershey, and it means that people will become fatter and fatter, which could lead to severe health problems, causing you to miss out on a lot of things in life. You could also have heart problems which could kill you.

You have learned a lot in these few paragraphs, like how food dye can lead to cancer, how chocolate can make you fat, and how hundreds upon thousands of kids get abused and treated unfairly. Just think of the suffering some people have to go through  to make these candies. Some people think eating chocolate helps your heart, but this expert thinks that when you eat a lot of chocolate, you get fat and could decrease the amount of blood your heart’s pumping...which could be fatal. Some people think that these candies help you, but I think not. The answer is obvious: stop producing chocolate and other candies for good!