Olympic Games and Processed Food (by Francesc Trillas)

The main sponsors of the London Olympic Games are the big companies of the Processed Food Industry. This has triggered a big controversy in the UK through the BBC, because these companies are responsible for the declining health habits of large parts of the population, mostly children.

The justification given by the defenders of the scheme is that these sponsors pay for half the costs of the Games. In other words, without these sponsors, the games would be unaffordable. Well, that is the point. What about the health costs? What are the social benefits and the social costs of organizing the games in this way? If the social costs are higher than the social benefits, the games should not take place.