Junk Food, Consumption

Junk food describes products that have little nutritional value but high fat, sugar, salt, caffeine, and calorie content. Common junk food items include salted snacks, candy, sweet desserts, fried fast food, and sugary beverages. Junk food consumption focuses on patterns of consumption rather than its health implication. Various factors that have contributed to a change in traditional junk food consumption patterns include eating out, the rise of expendable income, gender roles, globalization, increased junk food availability, advertising, conditioning and environment, portion sizes, pal-atability, and assorted economic factors. This entry examines the consumption profile associated with junk food as well as attempts to alter the increase in junk food consumption.