Is Fast Food the New Tobacco?

The comparison between fast food and tobacco is something I have never heard of before, even though it is growing increasingly more common. Both heavily impact public health, using their targeted marketing strategies and lack of regulation to embed both into everyday culture.

It is normal to have a cigarette and get McDonalds after. It is normal to hit your blue raspberry-flavored vape while door-dashing Taco Bell at 4am. It is normal to consume with no hesitancy. You know it is bad for you, you know you should stop, but you don't. It is all about convenience and reliability. You can rely on fast food and tobacco to always be there, it is not going anywhere.

Both are forms of addictions and comparing the two can be seen as both advantageous and counterproductive. While stating facts is always beneficial, we need to understand the reasoning behind both addictions. There is always more to someone's story.

Foods high in sugar, fat, and salt are addictive. People crave these foods, just like they crave a cigarette. People struggle with giving these things up though they know their addictive properties. We all know tobacco is bad, we are starting to know that fast food is bad, but we still crave and consume it anyway. Tobacco is linked to lung cancer, heart disease, and respiratory issues. Fast food is linked to multiple chronic illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that diabetes accounted for $2.6 billion in health care costs in 1969. Today’s number is an unbelievable $100 billion a year. This sentence is eye-opening. Billions of dollars are going towards fighting these addictions.

Before regulation, fast food companies and tobacco firms market their products to low-income populations and children. They may have few healthier food options available, or turn to tobacco to cope with whatever situation they may be in. Accessibility is important. Low-income families who work long hours, sometimes multiple jobs, may not have time to cook at home, especially if they have kids. Even with the rise of inflation, fast food is typically cheaper than cooking at home making it a cost-effective solution.

Both are resistant to regulation. The fast food industry is notorious for resisting policies that force them to label nutritional facts, tax sugary beverages, and prohibit advertising to children. The tobacco industry also refuses to add advertising restrictions, warning labels, and tax higher on cigarettes. 

Tobacco consumption is stigmatized in many countries, especially in Western culture, whereas fast food is accepted and consumed even though it is recognized as unhealthy. The government restricts tobacco more than it does fast food. Smoking is banned in many public places, though we can still eat Wendy's wherever we like. Public awareness of the risks of consuming fast food has been slowly growing. There have been efforts to raise awareness, such as Michelle Obama's National School Lunch Program, "Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010," which made reforms to the school lunch and breakfast programs to include healthier options. However, the fast food health campaigns have not reached the same level of awareness that tobacco health campaigns. 

While the two share similar characteristics, fast food is not the "new tobacco." Tobacco is its own problem and changing one risk to the other benefits no one as we are creating new problems without solving the first ones. Both are issues that need to be dealt with individually.