Both food and pharmaceutical companies are for-profit companies in America. Their goal is to make a profit based on the economics of choice. Short of government regulations that are rarely enforced unless subject to lawsuits typically from competitors, companies get to choose what they stand for and how they do business.
Consumers want choice. As for-profit companies, the companies make what consumers want - a convenient, quick answer to a consumer problem as a reaction. Consumers make unhealthy choices - often. That is the basis of behavioral economics, which considers emotions. impulsivity and environment influence choices rather than rational, well-informed decisions assumed in neoclassical economics.
Some food and beverage companies, make more money by selling more of their product to the same person (i.e. sugar-sweetened beverages and salty snacks). Most do not, as they make more money selling to more people.
Some pharmaceutical companies sell products as a panacea for a disease or pain when a true solution is available but less convenient or immediate. Others sell products that are actually the only solution once the disease has progressed when lifestyle changes no longer work.
If the product relies on selling more of the same product to the same person, the company will likely need to consider the health consequences of what they sell as a risk to health will increase. This holds true for both the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Because too much is always too much, the explanation is simple. The devil is in the dose. If you have too much of anything, it is too much and there will likely be negative consequences.
So whether one wants to blame the company for offering the product people want or the consumer for choosing a product, this is how the system works. Both the company and the consumer are ultimately responsible for their choices. Blame never works to solve a problem. New awareness, thoughts, and actions do. Let's find solutions together and move forward.
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