EOC Week 2: Ethics in Commercials

Consumers are inherently gullible. We believe what we hear, regardless of how unfounded and ridiculous it may be. Case in point: the recent stream of ads promoting high fructose corn syrup. Anyone who has ever taken any sort of health class, let alone read the nutrition facts and ingredients on a food label, knows that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is VERY, VERY BAD. The ad agency that’s promoting HFCS might be calling it a “sweet surprise”, but it should be called “sweet death”, because that’s what it’s going to end up doing. For all intents and purposes, the Corn Refiners Association is doing the same thing the tobacco industry is doing: killing its best customers. “Regularly including these products in your diet has the potential to promote obesity – which, in turn, promotes conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary artery disease”. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-fructose-corn-syrup/AN01588 I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but moderation is just not going to cut it. Kids are the greatest consumers of HFCS since it is in practically everything they eat, from sodas and even some juices to the cereal they eat for breakfast.

“This American-made ingredient maintains freshness in condiments, enhances fruit flavors… retains moisture in baked goods. It has contributed to food choice and value for decades. In this economy, every little bit helps.”(http://www.corn.org/cbsnews-health-report-hfcs.html) I’m sorry, but even in this economy, giving millions of people the death sentence of diabetes or morbid obesity is NOT helpful.

This commercial is one of the most unethical I’ve seen in a while (and there have been some pretty questionable ones in the past few years). The most surprising part of the whole thing is the fact that it’s not even the children that are promoting the HFCS but the MOTHERS, the ones who are supposed to have the kids’ best interests in mind! (And the color of the drink? That artificial, slimy red? Gross!) Let’s let our children be high on life, not sugar.