Fast food is feeding America; and with their affordable prices and quick food preparation it's easier to say yes than no. While the harmful consequences of digesting foods produced in these places are well known and consumers can veto them, they don't. Sometimes, people may not have the opportunity to eat differently due to their economic situation. Many have associated these places with the cause of the rising obesity rate in America and others have said that it is the individual's responsibility to eat properly to avoid obesity. However there are two reasons. One reason is that companies make it difficult for the general population to distinguish what is healthy from what is not. The second reason is that economically disadvantaged people do not have access to healthier food options, thus contributing to the obesity epidemic. Fast food companies market any salable product, even though it may have little or no nutritional value or have harmful effects. health effects. All this is done legally with the help of money. They gain support from food and nutrition experts by setting aside money for organizations and researchers. Those who disagree with their practices can be handled with a lawsuit. An example of this was when Mayor Bloomberg tried to ban soda and sugary drinks from restaurants due to their contributing factor to obesity. This has put beverage and fast food companies into a frenzy. They sued Mayor Bloomberg and the City of New York, put their money to work, and hired lawyers and nutrition experts to fight in court. They won by arguing that the ban was unconstitutional under New York City law. They also increase revenue through marketing to younger children, a... middle of paper... for neighborhood residents, who are three to four times more likely to be obese or have diabetes than people who they live on the Upper East Side. Limited accessibility of fresh foods and excess fast food in low-income areas are a catalyst for the obesity epidemic. The obesity epidemic is increasing at a rapid rate; there are two factors that contribute to this. The first factor is that companies confuse consumers about what is healthy to eat. The other factor is that poor people do not have access to healthy places to eat and end up eating affordable unhealthy food, which would be fast food. Poor people living in food deserts end up not having many options, and people who know what's bad don't bother to stop eating. This causes food companies to continue to profit from these people, while at the same time contributing to the obesity epidemic.