Recently, Wendy’s has released a new special, the “4 for $4.” In this combo customers can get fries, a sandwich, chicken nuggets and a drink all for just $4.  Prior to this special, customers, including myself, would only order 2 out of the 4 food options available in this special. Now, since all of these items are available in a package, ordering customers are urged to eat more because it is actually saving them money. Instead of saying, “I would like an order of french fries, chicken nuggets, a bacon cheeseburger, and a soda,” they simply have to say, “I would like the 4 for $4.” This shows that bundling orders promotes obesity because customers are encouraged to consume larger portion sizes. This leads customers to feel less self conscious about the amount of food they are actually receiving while simultaneously promoting sales because more people will order this as a bundle.

I had learned about this special through an advertisement on Facebook. Over 73,000 people “liked” it and over 8,000 shared it to their profiles. This is an effective strategy used by Wendy’s because they are targeting their customers through social media which promotes hunger and salivation by seeing pictures and videos of this food. This is promoting an obesogenic environment because in the 21st century, advertisements are everywhere. Now, since this is on Facebook; the advertisement can be “shared” to other people who don’t even follow Wendy’s, which is how I stumbled upon this advertisement.

This meal is also very portable which makes it easy to eat in non-traditional eating environments. Drive-Thru’s have created a shift in the social norm, making it acceptable for people to have full meals in their cars, or just snack on fries while driving. Companies are aware that people are more likely to overeat when the super sizing option is available, but they use this regardless to increase their sales.