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U.S.A., July 22, 2003: From giant sodas to supersize hamburgers, America’s approach to food can be summed up by one word: Big. Many health experts are hoping that, in the service of combating an epidemic of obesity, the nation might be coaxed into a cultural shift in its eating habits. Traditionally, the prescription for losing extra pounds has been a sensible diet and increased exercise. But a growing number of studies suggests that while willpower obviously plays a role, people do not gorge themselves solely because they lack self-control. Rather, social scientists are finding, a host of environmental factors — among them, portion size, price, advertising, the availability of food and the number of food choices presented — can influence the amount the average person consumes. “Researchers have underestimated the powerful importance of the local environment on eating,” says Dr. Paul Rozin, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, who studies food preferences. Health experts and consumer advocates point to the studies of portion size and other environmental influences in arguing that fast-food chains and food manufactures must bear some of the blame for the country’s weight problem. “The food industry has used portion sizes and value marketing as very effective tools to try to increase their sales and profits,” said Margo Wootan, the director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group financed by private foundations. It is estimated that 22 percent of Americans are obese.



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