Junk food

 

Junk food is an informal term applied to some foods which are perceived to have little or no nutritional value, or to products with nutritional value but which also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten, or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all. The term was coined by Michael Jacobson, director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, in 1972.
Junk foods are typically ready to eat convenience foods containing high levels of saturated fats, salt, or sugar and little or no fruit, vegetables, or dietary fibre.
Junk food includes foods such as soft drinks, hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream, cake, French fries, chocolate and other confectionery, pizza, cookies, fried chicken and donuts.

Marketing

During 2006, in the United Kingdom, following a high profile media campaign by the chef Jamie Oliver and a threat of court action from the National Heart Forum,The Guardian (Felicity Lawrence) Heart campaigners drop case over junk food ad ban 22 June 2006 the UK advertising regulator and competition authority, launched a consultation on advertising of foods to children. Television advertising of food and drink products to children - Options for new restrictions The Food Standards Agency was one of many respondents. Food Standards Agency Board responds to Ofcom consultation As a result, a ban on advertising during children's television programmes and programmes aimed at school aged children (5-16) was announced. The ban also includes marketing using celebrities, cartoon characters and health or nutrition claims.

Health effects

A study by Paul Johnson and Paul Kenny at The Scripps Research Institute suggested that junk food alters brain activity in a manner similar to addictive drugs like cocaine or heroin. After many weeks on a junk food diet, the pleasure centers of rat brains became desensitized, requiring more food for pleasure. After the junk food was taken away and replaced with a healthy diet, the rats starved for two weeks instead of eating nutritious fare.Goodwin, Jenifer. Junk Food 'Addiction' May Be Real. Business Week. March 29, 2010. A 2007 British Journal of Nutrition study found that mothers who eat junk food during pregnancy increased the likelihood of unhealthy eating habits in their children. Craving for junk food 'inherited' Mothers who eat junk food during pregnancy may be condemning their children to crave the same diet, according to animal tests. BBC News. 14 August 2007.

Junk food