The food industry, which supports sugar addiction, is primarily responsible for the obesity phenomenon that is widespread in the United States, according to the documentary film “Fed Up,” which began showing in North American theaters.
This 90-minute film sheds light on a contradictory reality, revealing that exercise has reached its highest levels in the United States, while Americans are eating more products with reduced calories than ever before, but two out of every three Americans are overweight. Entire generations of Americans will live shorter years than their ancestors.
All public health policies to combat obesity have failed because the authorities made a mistake in choosing the targets. According to the film, the main cause of obesity is not lack of physical activity, but sugar.
“Obesity has been a problem for 30 years, and we are on the verge of reaching a very dangerous stage,” explained Stephanie Suchig, the director of this documentary.
This documentary, which was shown during the last session of the Sundance Film Festival, revealed that 80% of processed food products sold in the United States contain added sugar that has a narcotic effect and turns its consumer into an addict.
This problem is not limited to the United States, as the World Health Organization has sounded the alarm in Mexico, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Jordan. In all of these countries, 30% of the population suffers from overweight or obesity.
The film follows the journey of three children who are unable to lose weight despite all the exercises they do and the diets they adopt, because they eat products saturated with added sugar, such as pizza, potato chips and hot dogs at school.
The documentary revealed that half of the educational institutions were serving fast food in 2012, while 80% of them were serving fresh produce in 2006.
The American First Lady, Michelle Obama, contributed to improving the situation with her “Let’s Move” campaign to combat obesity, and politicians tried to force the food industry to reduce the levels of sugar in its products, according to what the director acknowledged. However, the products of many brands, such as “Coca-Cola”, “Pepsi”, and “Pizza Hut” are still widespread in school cafeterias.
Suchig said, “Many politicians are making more efforts, but financial interests come into play, and in the end it becomes clear to us that the government prefers financial interests to prevail over the interests of citizens.”
The producer hopes that her film will lead to change at the individual and societal levels at the same time, stressing the important role that families play in this context.
“It is possible to change the food industry by rejecting the products offered and voting for politicians who want to improve the situation,” she said.
She concluded by saying, “Everyone must bear responsibility, and this is the struggle of parents and children together. Children are the elite of the future.”
