Bedfordshire graduate uncovers young people’s fast food eating habits

Wed 06 August, 2014
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A University of Bedfordshire graduate has produced a news documentary investigating the effect fast food has on young people in Britain.

Daniel Acheampong’s ‘Is fast food killing Britain's youth?’documentary, which took four months to make and formed his final-year dissertation, will be screened tomorrow night (7 August) at the Trispace Gallery, Bermondsey, thanks to the ‘somewhereto_ initiative’, which helps young people aged 16-25 across the UK to access free space to showcase their talents.

Drawing on his personal experience of regularly eating junk food while at university, the 21-year-old sought to find out what influences 16 to 34-year-olds to consume fast food.

Assisted by fellow Broadcast Journalism course peers Daniel Husseini and James Reynolds – presenter and cameraman respectively – Daniel’s powerful 16-minute documentary drew upon the expert views of psychologists and dieticians, in addition to the thoughts of Stanmore College students and an anonymous fast food addict.

Wembley-born Daniel, who grew up in Kilburn, said: “It was interesting to hear what the fast food addict said to Daniel, as he had fallen into bad eating habits at university and was struggling to break out of them, which I’m sure millions of young people in Britain can relate to.

“I have the same problem of eating too much fast food, so since the documentary I’ve tried to cut down on the amount of junk food I eat and do more exercise.

“Hopefully the documentary will make people sit up and take notice of the damage they could be doing to their bodies.”

Bedfordshire’s Broadcast Journalism course leader, Kate Ironside, added: “I was really impressed with how slick and professional Daniel and his group’s film was, and I was delighted to see it being singled out by the external examiner for the excellence with which it engaged in a compelling problem for today's society.

“All our third years in journalism get the opportunity to produce major pieces of original journalism which is so invaluable in preparing them for work in the industry."

Watch Daniel’s documentary on YouTube by searching ‘Is fast food killing Britain's youth?’.

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