The future is not that sweet

This 1970s advertisement predicted a world where all foods would be sugar coated. It must have seemed unbelievable at the time, yet, tragically, its predictions came true, and even went one step further. Instead of a world dipped in sugar, we now have a world coated in high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or glucose-fructose syrup, a highly sweet syrup produced from surplus corn, that is incredibly cheap, dramatically increases shelf life and has found its way into every type of food from cakes and bread to meat and baby foods. Last week on BBC2 Jacques Peretti presented The Men Who Made Us Fat, a documentary on Britain and America's culture of over eating and super sizing. You can read his findings in The Guardian in Why our food is making us fat. He highlights the "silent revolution" of the amount of sugar that was being consumed by a population that was "clueless" to these changes. And the more sugar we ate, the more we wanted. Peretti points to the dramatic increase in the cases of obesity in Britain after the introduction of HCFS in the diet. In 1966 just 1.2% of men and 1.8% of women were classified as obese. By 1989 these figures had risen to 10.6% of men and 14% of women. I sell vintage clothing for a living and the increase in the average size since the 60s is markedly noticeable. The majority of 1960s dresses I sell are a modern day size8-10, whereas the average dress size in Ireland now is reported to be a size16. 

With obesity comes numerous health issues such as heart disease, stroke and respiratory problems. In 2005 the direct cost of obesity in Ireland was estimated at €4billion and this figure is believed to be more now (The Irish Times). Up until now governments have been slow to slate the food industry because it is a major employer and because it provides billions in revenue. Also, the industries that have grown to tackle obesity, such as drug companies and diet product companies, are multi-million euro businesses in their own right and, ironically,depend on the food industry for their growth. Hence, the big food producing corporations have enormous power over governments. As the cost of obesity increases it will eventually outweigh the revenue from confectionery and snack foods and it is then, Peretti predicts, that the governments will legislate against this scandalous food production.