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Nowaday, many societies face serious health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. These issues raise an important and complex question: how responsible should governments be for people’s diets and overall health? While every individual make personal choices, the government also creates the conditions in which these decisions happen.

On one hand, governments have an important responsibility because they manage public health. They can regulate the food industry, limit dangerous ingredients, and require clear labels so people understand what they eat. They can also fund educational campaigns to teach citizens about healthy habits. In addition, governments can improve access to healthy options by supporting local markets, making school meals more nutritious, and developing spaces for exercise. Without these actions, many people, especially those with low income, may not have equal access to a healthy lifestyle.

On the other hand, individuals also have a major role. People choose what they buy, how they cook, and how often they do exercises. A government cannot control every meal or every behaviour. Too much intervention might even reduce personal freedom, which is an important value in many democracies.

In conclusion, governments should take significant responsibility by creating healthy environments and fair access to good food. However, individuals must also take informed decisions. The best approach combines strong public policies with personal effort, allowing societies to become healthier while respecting individual freedom.

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How far are governments responsible for people’s diets and healths?  

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How far are governments responsible for people’s diets and healths?  

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In western countries, the obesity rate is growing. People eat too much junk food especially in some states in The United States. In France, people eat healthier because of culture and public and political policies.

French people have more access to healthy food than in the US. For example, the city of Paris supports fresh food markets tradition. Paris is also against the construction of supermarkets and helps small food shops. Since 2021 the city has supported sustainable food shops.

Public policies in France have helped people to cook and eat better. The nutrition education starts at school where vending machines have been banned. At the lunch break, schools serve low calorie lunches with as many ingredients as possible sourced locally.

French government has introduced nutri-score labels to help people to choose better ingredients. It also lobbied soda taxes and increased ads campaign highlighting the benefit of eating five fruits and vegetables a day.

The US has done little to reduce obesity. Except the downtown of multiple cities like New York, Boston, San Francisco, Denver where you can easily find healthy products, anywhere in the US you need to drive sometimes long distance to go to the supermarkets. The size of the country makes difficult to people to walk to make their groceries shopping.

American policies need to include healthier prepared and frozen food, but also educate people on how to eat well in a country where you dont have the traditions to eat seated especially at lunch.

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Essay on Diet, Health and Public Authorities

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Essay on Diet, Health and Public Authorities

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Chronic diseases have become the first morbidity factor in the developed countries for the last decade, with massive implications on the health of individuals and communities. As hygiene developed and infections tremendously decreased since the 2nd half of the XXth century, researchers tend to support the idea that environmental factors are decisive in the growing prevalence of these issues in the global population – and diet is one of the most important. But, as the action of eating is individual, its consequences unravel through society, becoming a pillar of public health : thus, does the policy makers have to invest in it ? And to what extent ?
This essay will show a balanced point of view, assessing that a healthy lifestyle cannot be deployed without two conditions : a personal will, and a favourable socio-economic system.

I – A good game need good rules

-          Making healthy food available first, and affordable at the most, is key to influence individuals feeding choices – the policy-makers can influence that by urbanism, markets attributions…

-          On the other side, discouraging people from choosing ultra-processed food is possible by taxation, negative advertising campaigns, education…

-          Time is a factor to count on, and so frozen fruits and vegetables can be a good option for working families (i.e. Picard), meaning that the private sector also has a role to play – and the public authorities have enough weight to influence them through incentive or disincentive measures.

II – The referee can’t play the game

-          Education about lifestyle choices and their impact on health should be given inside families first and foremost ; the importance of the example is key for children’s future behavior

-          The biological needs of the human body will not change on short term. Improvement can either happen by taking time to cook, or investing money in good-quality prepared food - nobody could physically prosper on poison.

-          Engaging oneself onto brutal shift in nutrition is hard ; collective dynamics can be much more appealing, as the group creates momentum.

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Essay : To what extent governments responsible for people's diet and health? 

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Essay : To what extent governments responsible for people's diet and health? 

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Governments have high responsibility for the diet and health of their populations, as demonstrated by France's comprehensive public health policies. But is there a limit?

It's a matter of public health.

First, governments plays a crucial role in dietary habits through regulation and public health programs. For example, France’s National Nutrition and Health Programme (PNNS) sets scientifically guidelines to promote balanced diets, as more consumption of fruits and vegetables, limits on salt and sugar, and controlled meat consumption. These measures are supported by laws as the “EGalim”, which delegates sustainable and healthy food in school canteens, including weekly vegetarian meals and restrictions on treated foods. These state interventions help to create an environment where healthier food choices are available, affordable, and encouraged across different social groups, for public health like obesity.​

Second, government influence the food industry and market structures to be aligned with health objectives. Through policies target food labeling (ex: Nutri-Score), restrictions on advertising junk food, and promotion of local, organic, and sustainable farming, states actively shape food supply and consumer behavior. This approach mobilises various stakeholders: from producers to schools, make certain efforts to improve national diet plans.​

To conlude, governments are deeply responsible for public diet and health, as their policies creates the best conditions for healthier habits. While individual choice matters, public interventions ensure equitable access to nutrition and balance commercial pressures that often promote junk food consumption. The French model illustrates a proactive approach. The government fulfils its role in prevention for people. The limit to its action would be repression and the unrespect of individual freedom. On the other hand, there are no limits on regulate the agro-industry to protect health and the planet.

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France always beneffited from its aura of good taste and sophistication around the world: french cuisine, haute-couture, culture, cinema, even the accent and the social movements, seem to trigger many fantasy in every nations.

If you travel around the world, you'll always encounter people who despise french people for their attitude and yet, loving their lifes-style. Because, let's be honest, it's about lifestyle and not only diet when it comes to health. Miss Beluz is praising the local stores, the fresh produces and the habits of cooking in France to explain how they keep the diet healthy but she forgots an essential factor: the labour law enforcement is very different in France, or even Europe ,versus USA. America has been shaped for and by liberalism. Every aspect of one's life has been designed to make it profitable, to ensure the yield between the cost of an employee and its productivity.

Let's go back through History before and after the industrial revolution to understand human's eating habits and understand what is a healthy diet?

Recent anthropological studies have reshaped their thoughts about habits of the first humans. For decades, the idea of hunter-gatherers was taught in schools and supported the idea that humans were first and foremost predators. Yet, one discovery after another of prehistory human's remains showed in their bowel more traces of roots and vegetables than meat (PLOS One, 2024). It is only logical like mathematics when you think about it. Hunting mammoths for instance, requires loads of energy and human ressources, for what purpose? The amount of meat might be positively overwhelming for a starving tribe but not easy to store for a very long term when you don't have fire yet or do not settle in a cave for drying delicatessen over 6 months (minimum). The same way we are shooting pictures of uncommon scenary in our daily life, the epic paintings found in caves may have been the testimony of an extraordinary event to remind future generations of what their ancestors have been able to achieve - once ! Instead, it seems most likely that our ancestors were eating continuously during the day (and the night) whenever they found something. They would follow the wild herds like they would be themselves a herd of animals, trying to flee winter and occasionally, when there was really nothing else, would kill one Zebra on the way. Even when they started to settle and developped agriculture, some specialists would argue that killing their catel was associated with a sacred and divine ritual rather than to feed their family on a regular basis. They would mostikely eat the crops and the byproducts of their animals such as milk and eggs. It is common knowledge that human is omnivorous. But it is generally interpreted as "NEED to eat a little bit of everything" while it actually means "CAN adapt to any kind of diet".

Over History, humanity questionned the ethics of eating animals. In Plato's Republic, the first Greek city model imagined by Socrates was meant to eat only plant-based food. Socrates described it as an "authentic" and "healthy" society. Then the industrial revolution happened. Taylorism, Fordism, productivity, productivity, producitivity. One of those old myths of eating habits that is quite baffling, is the rythm itself. According to the best nutritionist, dieteticians or personal development specialist, it is absolutely essential to eat 3 times a day. Since when? It's hard to picture a female australopithecus taking a look at the sun to make sure they're not late for dinner. Again, thanks to Mr Ford and its way of optimising the use of his employees, a regular meal every 6h was enough to ensure the continuous productivity of the manufacture. Even sleep has become something to time and implement into our agenda to make sure we got enough to be functionnal. Just functionnal. And meat, in all of that, was the best way to get enough energy within a small portion. Easy and fast to eat, compared to 3kg of spinach that you need to masticate slowly, over the day, between 2 or 3 naps. Not the kind of employee the industry wants. Sure, citizens agreed during the two world wars to sacrifice their life and body for the success of the company, therefore, the nation's. Once it was over, it was obvious for french that work is perhaps a necessity but certainly not the essence of their existence. Hence socialism and strict Labour Law to make sure the industry would respect that in opposition of ultra-liberalism in USA. Today, it is obvious that plant-based food is healthier and better for the planet as well. Eating meat and animal's byproducts are directly associated to cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer and else. But even if you make a point of choosing carefully your recipies, our environment is no longer providing the best edible either because of the over-use of pesticides, water pollution and air pollution.

Overall, Miss Belluz should invite her folks to question their priorities in life. Just like Julia Roberts in the movie "Eat, Pray, Love" who moved abroad in Italy and learnt the benefits of the "Dolce Vita". American should pause and take the time to masticate their burgers - to switch with soja burgers. Take the time in every aspects of their life. To sleep. To rest. To talk to their relatives. To question their needs. To call on the policymakers. To question the system they live in and support with their money and consumption habits. Healthy eating doesn't rely on the availability of fresh produce only but on the desire to make a life worth living !

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Far from the idea of depraved youth depicted in Requiem for a Dream, the Opioid crisis in USA is deeply rooted in Capitalism.

Everyone is addicted to something. Either it's legal or not, we all have craving. Surgar or smoke, alcohol or heroin, it's pretty much the same, all related to the nervous system. For decades, we have heard of this experiment led on a rat who had a choice between water or heroin and would end up dying because of the abuse of this last one spreading the word that drug is lethal. without denying it, truth might be more complex. This experiment has been partially described. In the follow up, the same experiment has been reproduced when the rat has been placed in a more enriched social environment with exciting items and mates: the rat ended up enjoyijng its life using recreationnaly heroin but not to a lethal rate. Rats, like human, are social animals whose happiness relies on social interaction and stimulation.

This experiment taught us that the main issue in drug abuse is not its availaibility but the quality of our lifestyle that could lead to its abuse. Opioid consumption has been following the rise of capitalism which triggered more and more desire hence frustration. But it also took a radical turn this past decade because of the ultraliberalism promoted by politics.

When you hear about opioid crisis, you can't help yourself picturing a lazy rebellous junkie youngster who don't deserve compassion. One would believe their life choices led them to their condition. They went down that path willingly. Yet, everybody could easily slip and find themselves in the same situation after an escalation of bad luck. Loosing your job, breaking up with your loved ones, splitting your family or in the opposite, rushing to your job daily without a minute to eat or sleep properly, not wanting to rely on anyone because hyper-independance is the key of success. Cafein or Cocaine, what's the difference? The price might be dissuasive for many but the principle is the same. You'd use any fuel to stay competitive. Sugar or Heroin? You'd try anything to shovel your sadness and frustration deep inside and sugar-coat it with the illusion of happiness. But it's fair to say that's a choice we make. Instead of re-evaluating our priorities, we just keep playing a game that is not fair to us, whatever it takes to reach the final line. If you go to an AA (Anonymous Alcoholic) meeting, the story is always the same: "I thought the booze made me better" : self esteem is the key and lies in the esteem of your relatives. In 2001, Portugal decided to fight back and ... make drug use legal. They saved money from the relief on the police and justice task force but also from taxes they have implemented on the products. The money has been massively invested into social and youth centers, education, integration, professionalisation. They now have lower consumption rate because of a better social environment.

But recently, the opioid crises started to reach a certain profile that does not fit with the stereotype. The lazy failure, the unsatisfied greedy, hyperactive psychopath. It would reach quieter area, where the rush is not that common, the country side, middle class families, teenagers even. This was no longer a bystander of the greed led by capitalism. This seemed more systemic, coming from what we thought a "safe place": family doctors. One cannot understand the opioid crisis without knowing the relationship between the pharmaceutical industry and the government. Before it reaches the consumer/patient, a medicine goes a long way through research, development, clinical test and approval. All regulated by the Food & Drug Administration. Yet, in the late 1990s, Purdue pharmaceutical launched a new painkiller on the market claiming its low risk of addiction. They dared to say it was NOT related to the opioid family of molecule and worked hard on their communication through the policymakers, the public opinion and the medical staff themselves. Their objective was to prescribe their molecule for an everyday use, to relief even the lowest level of pain such as headache or muscle bruise that usually go away just with rest and time. The issue is that once your metabolism got used to the molecule, it stops being dupe over time, unless you increase the dosage, hence the addiction. They falsified their data, bribed some insiders and just like that, one of the heaviest drug on the street got into our bathroom's pharmacy. Even an A-grad student captain of their soccer team, loved and strongly supported by their community can fall down the hill of addiction after one single injury and never comes back. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates around 1,7 million of people addicted to opioid in 2017 in US. Among them, 80% of them started from prescriptions, following their GP's advices. Today, the Purdue family has been called out by 15 states in USA and will have to pay a $7,4 billion dollard bill for their role in the opioid crisis.

One can believe it is only a matter of determination and strong character but addiction is more than that. It's a disease. It also has been recently correlated with a genetic disorder and hereditary. The irony is that today, the US CDC is promoting medicine to treat addiction to resolve the opioid crisis: Purdue family has been found guilty of charges, the "evil" medicine has been identified, "safe" medicine is now available to help people. The End. But is fighting evil with evil the right solution? Isn't it one more band-aid on the wound? Do we need a medicine for every wound? Pain is an evolutionary aspect of our life that help us identify a problem in order to solve it. Instead of sourcing the issue, we have decided to focus on the pain, to make it disappear fast. Just like a junkie who would no longer feel the pain caused by the needle in their rotten flesh, we keep telling ourselves that we are the problem and the progress of medicine is the solution, in a system that is obviously not compatible with our natural condition.

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Summary of the video on Vox : “Why prescription drugs cost more in America?”

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Summary of the video on Vox : “Why prescription drugs cost more in America?”

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This short video is very pedagogic and useful to understand the drugs pricing mechanism by comparing the British and the American systems. In the UK, there are several steps to put a medicine on the marketplace. First, the government agency evaluates if it is safe, if it effectively works and if (whether) there are serious side effects. Second, the agency verifies if there is a similar product already on sale sell and if there is a cheaper option. Once these checks have been done, the UK government negociates lower rate and buy a stock for its citizens. It is not the same in the USA. In America, drugs are evaluated for safety and that’s it!  Medicine is directly sold by the pharma firm to patients through their insurance – if they have one. The video explains some disadvantages of the UK system. For example, if the UK government fell fails in its negociation, the drug is not available, and that’s it! While in the USA, people can find all the drugs, they are expensive but available. To conclude, the paradox is that drugs are more expensive in the USA because they are cheaper everywhere else.

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Nowadays, the opioid crisis is an extremely dramatic and challenging public health issue. For centuries, opioids have been used primarily to relief pain. Even though the epicenter appears to be in the United States, the crisis has spread across the American continent and beyond. This drug is highly addictive, and it can lead the everyday person to develop an addiction very quickly. As a result, hundreds of thousands people die every year from overdoses.

Several factors can be identified in order to understand the scale of this human disaster. One of them is the lobbying of Big Pharma. When profit becomes more important than human life, the line is crossed. Even though the pharmaceutical industry has been condemned by a trial, the damage continues. There is still a lack of prevention and public education, and the consequence remain severe today. This is partly because clandestine laboratories continue to produce illegal opioids, and partly because access to life saving treatments such as naloxone or methadone remains difficult. Unfortunately, the people who suffer the most from this crisis are often those with less resources, who can not easily educate themselves or obtain the medication necessary for treatment and recovery.

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The workshop Rida and I led last Friday was about Black History Month. We introduced the topic with a short riddle, and then I talked about the origins of the celebration. It was created by Carter G. Woodson in 1926. His main goal was to highlight the achievements, contributions, and history of Black people. Many events are organized in schools, museums, libraries, and other institutions. It takes place in February in the United States and in October in the United Kingdom.

After that, we played a very very funny game. We divided the class into five groups and handed out some biographies with blanks to fill. We were happy to see that they were all very invested in the activity, and they did it very well. Then, Rida summarized each biographies and highlight a few key facts. Most students were able to guess easily which major Black historical figure it was.

The final part of the workshop was dedicated to Donald Trump’s recent position on this topic. He issued an official statement on the White House website claiming that these observances attempt to replace objective facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth. This raises a very interesting debate about whether or not these observances should be celebrated. We asked to what extent they could be seen as a tool of division and how they could potentially threat the unity of American society.

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1. The two game-changing medications that launched Novo Nordisk to worthiest (?) companies in Europe are Wegovy and Ozempic. What do you mean?

2. Ozempic helps in the treatment of diabetes and Wegovy is helpful for weight-loss. They both belong to the class GLP-1s.

3. The industrial and scientific epicenter is in Kalundborg. This location is surprising because it is a little city of less than 20,000 (numbers in English) inhabitants that received one of the biggest investments in Danish history.

4. The company will invest 8.6 billion dollars, and will bring 1,250 jobs.

5. The growth of the company saw the development of local businesses, such as …

We can read for instance that for one job opened in Novo Nordisk, three other jobs follow in the city. For instance, construction workers are hired and supermarkets' sales increase.

6. Denmark owes ⅔ of its growth to Novo Nordisk.

7. Novo Nordisk is under the spotlight in the United States, its main customer, because of the price of the medicine and is therefore under high pressure.

8. The economic boom it represented for Denmark has as consequence that the Danish economy relies on Novo Nordisk’s success (the Danish economy is therefore heavily reliant on one firm's success) . For instance, the withdrawal of two investors weakened the Danish currency. Another risk is that geopolitical questions, such as Greenland's control, influence the American ordering of the company

9. The interests go down as the success of Novo Nordisk goes up.

10. Novo Nordisk is a foundation, what which could explain (the reason) why the company is still in Denmark.

Very good job Rida! A few minors notes on numbers and relative pronouns.

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The market is controlled by supply and demand. In this video, we can clearly observe the huge difference between prices in France and in the United States. As we said in class, the first difference comes from the healthcare systems. The Sécurité sociale française versus the American private healthcare system. In my opinion, it is interesting to compare the “Ozempic effect” with the opioid crisis of the 2000s and 2010s. Of course, it’s not the same at all: OxyContin (oxycodone) is a psychotropic drug, highly addictive, while Ozempic does not create chemical dependence, but rather a form of social or psychological dependency , linked to the cult of fitness and the obsession with quick physical transformation. In both cases, a drug initially designed for a serious medical purpose ended up being massively used outside of its original framework: OxyContin → for mild pain and recreational use. Ozempic → for weight loss among non-diabetic people. Both phenomena follow the same pattern: a laboratory releases an effective molecule, prescribers and the public adopt it widely, and society eventually discovers its negative side effects. Today, the strong global demand for Ozempic has led to shortages for diabetic patients, a rise in eating disorders, greater aesthetic pressure, and growing dependence on the medication to maintain body weight. Finally, since demand is so high, pharmaceutical companies know that the U.S. market remains one of their best customers , so why would they ever reduce the prices?

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Report about the hearing of Lars Jorgensen in October 2024 when he was CEO of NN, facing Democratic (adj.) Senator Bernie Sanders who urged him to "treat American like any other people all over the world" after asking why prices of Wegovy and Ozempic are 10 times higher in USA than the rest of the world? This sentence is too long. Start with a short introduction summarising the context of the hearing.

To which Jorgensen answered that NN "does not have control over hold on the price's tag" in the USA, pointing out that "middle men" and "insurances companies" are making most of the profits the most of it.

The American health care system has is long been known (present-perfect) to be unfair. First, between insurees the insured themselves--one person could pay 25$ while and another pays 30$ (one 25% more)--but also because some people may not benefit from it at all as their insurance it mostly relies on (is tied to) their job situation and their company's good will.

For those last unfortunate people, NN offers a program to help them get the medicine they need at a lower cost. But for the rest of them, it might be time to discuss with Pharmacy Benefit Management Conglomerates who seem to have the main control over the price's tags.

Bernie Sanders is now on it. (a little too informal). Sanders is zeroing in on price gouging in the medical sector.

Good job! Mind long sentences and use some link words and transition words.

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What are the two blockbuster drugs mentioned in the article that have transformed NN into one of Europe's most valuable companies ?

The market stock value of Novo Nordisk took off spectacularly 2 years ago after the success of two new drugs they released on the market: Ozempic and Wegovy.

Why are Wegovy and Ozempic so significant? What do these drugs do and to which class of medication do they belong?

Wegovy and Ozempic have been especially designed for the treatment of diabetes and obesity, based on the dosage of a synthetic peptide known as "Semaglutide" which mimics the hormone naturally involved in the regulation of glycemia hence, food intake. One of the greatest features of those drugs is the drastic long-term weight-loss, tempting even for non diabetic patients although a prescription is required to purchase it!

Where is the "epicentre of a global weight-loss revolution" located and what makes this location unexpected?

Kalundborg hosts the main production site of Novo Nordisk. The success of Wegovy and Ozempic drastically changed the dynamic of this not-so-long-ago small town of 17,000 souls into one of the biggest industrial area of the island. Yet, located on the west coast of Sealand, far from Copenhagen and the major sea route that connects the North Sea with the Baltic sea. It has developped (sp.) the harbour and many more activities to support the arrival of many new comers.

How much money will NN invest in its Kalundborg plant over the next few years, and how many new jobs will this create?

Novo Nordisk planned to spend $8,6bn (dollar sign before the number) to increase the activity of their production site and sustain 1,250 more new jobs for the plant itself but also 3,000 construction workers to support the development of the site, besides non-related activities that will automatically benefit from the demographic evolution.

How have local business in Kalundborg benefited from the company's rapid growth? Give two specific examples mentionned in the text.

The main effect when a company like Novo Nordisk never stops hiring people, it obviously attracts more candidates who bring their family with them to settle down. The housing market explodes and requires "more than 1,250 homes" to build, construction work increases (which means even more workers) to support new infrastructures like "motorways", "swimming area", "culture house", "library" ; local taxes on top of corporate taxes are benefiting the municipality and this new population supports local shops like restaurants or more likely "fast food store" that "sold 17,500 hot dogs in little over a month", supermarkets as well and more.

What percentage of Denmark's GDP growth came from just boroughs where NN has premises?

The article estimates that "about 2/3rd of the country's GDP came from just 4 boroughs"

What specific challenges does Kalundborg still face despite the economic boom?

It's not the first time Kalundbord has followed US trends (it's the first time + p. perfect). It started as a shipyard but transitioned through Carmen Curlers manufacturing in the 60s until the interest in (for) hair rollers decreased.. Therefore, the residents / inhabitants are enthusiastic but also realistic about the fluctuation of the market and the industry's whim. Moreover, it seems that the money going into public finances does not really resonate translate into extra/added public services like school or health since the area seems to have a higher rate of overweight children with lower abilities in mathematics ....

What concerns exist about NN dominance in the Danish economy? Mention at least two potential problems discussed in the article.

NN leads half of the country's economic growth, support the lives of 1/5th of the country whom whose (dont) economies relies on shares they hold from the company as well ... Therefore, Nokia's failure in Finland in 2007 is haunting (haunts: present simple) many experts.

The risks seems unlikely, economics economists says, mainly because of other big companies that have global success/are successful on a global scale/globally are worldwide successfull (words ending in -ful) like MAERSK or LEGO?

[Yet, NN laid off around 3,000 employees this last month only in Denmark among the 5,000 all around the world, including their last the former CEO Lars Jørgensen] after disappointing results in their last trial for new drugs aimed to be released in a near future. [Their stock price dropped by 3 fold] and weakened Denmark's currency briefly, [even though sales of Wegovy and Ozempic are still through the roof and protected by patent]. What will happend when concurrent competitors will have access to the formula or come up with new innovations just like Elly Lilly is about to do?

Another worry lies in relies on the political influence that could come out of this unlikely situation as NN is a major taxpayer and the employer of 1/5 of all new jobs of in the kingdom, the CEO holds on has/enjoys some powerful leverage to (bend) lean in on the political agenda, [even more when you know that the previous one, Lars Jørgensen is President of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations and member of the Board of Directors at Danmarks Nationalbank]... That raises (triggers) some questions about ethics and safety in regard of with to / as regards / regarding drugs market authorizations?

How has NN success affected Denmark's currency and interest rates?

As we previously discussed, the impact on the country's GDP has obvioulsy major effects upon every aspect of the economical stability including the currency strenght (spelling) and the interest rates. This summer has shown how vulnerable is the stock price of the company is as it that could drop drastically just in a blink because of the potential failure of a new drug that has not even been released yet, while the currency would also be impacted and still, weakened the currency ! This sentence is long.

On the other side, On the bright side, the money inflow from the overseas sales put the country in a very favorable position in regards to of borrowing costs.

What is special about NN ownership structure and why is this important according to Mette Feifer?

The pharmaceutical industry known as Novo Nordisk is part of the Novo Nordisk Holding which belong to the Novo Nordisk Foundation. Basically, there is no owners except for its subsidiaries: Novo Nordisk and Novozymes, that are managed by the Holding whose purpose is to invest the foundation's (genitive) wealth and ensure financial returns.

I guess it gives some confort to Metter who believes this scheme prevents the company from being to be sold to a foreign investor. The other benefit is the investment of the foundation in the region [also known as "the MEDICON VALLEY"].

[Between Copenhagen, Malmo and Gotteborg, so many pharmaceutical industries have settled there to get a part of it either in academia or start-up's incubators]. Kalundbord is not the only place in DK that feed themselves on NN's crumbs.

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Comment on BBC "Hotdogs and motorways : The ripple created by Denmark's Ozempic and Wegovy boom"

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Comment on BBC "Hotdogs and motorways : The ripple created by Denmark's Ozempic and Wegovy boom"

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I’m somewhat baffled by what I read. At first sight, (First degree), we can sing the Hymn to Joy and drape ourselves in a blue-starred flag, thanking Novo Nordisk to let Europe shine and make a success – but it is possible due to the fact that obesity is literally killing 800 millions (numbers) people around the globe at by the moment.
Litteraly (spelling - and don't overdo this word which is too often used as an intensifier when it has a different meaning), a new market worth billions is opening because of a global health issue, which is fueled by overconsumption in the rich countries, poor nutritive values of food, intoxication with junk food, industrial meals, endocrinians perturbators hormone/endoctrine disruptors, sedentarity (sedentarines: but still an uncommon word in English, prefer : inactivity or lack of physical activity… and behind that, a model of agriculture, consumption and overuse of ressources that is poisoning bodies, minds (with mental health issues) as well as the land.

I do understand the positives economic effects on Europe, Denmark, and Kalundborg. I do (don't overdo "do" in front of a verb, it is used to emphasize intent but if you use too much, the emphasis is lost...) agree that sovereignty is something precious to preserve. I do feel the releif (spelling) of families returning to work, and financial security, and a sense of usefulness. But at what cost ?
An artificially induced weight loss, caused by a new drug, produced on a massive scale, designed to make obese people keep on consuming without changing anything, without treating a possible endocrine disorder or a declared eating disorder… Just so they can have cancer later. More, more, more… More dopamin for the people, more money for the industries. Is that to wish for desirable ?

Rather than curing a disorder, should may we not / shouldn't we focus on restoring balance again, with our bodies and with Nature ? (no space before a punctuation mark in English).

Well done! Just make sure to adapt the register and the tone to the type of writing. This is okay for a comment (when reacting to an article online) but too informal for an essay.

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The high demand in diabetes treatments Ozempic and Wegovy is boosting the Denmark Danish (adj.) economy. (It's better to split the long sentence in two simple ones) Both drugs are manufactured by the Danish (always capitalise nationalities and countries) firm Novo Nordisk. The company is located in Kalundorg, a small town an hour northwest of Copenhagen. The multinational firm has created a major impact in the area: creating a variety of jobs such as construction of homes. Even a new motorway to Copenhagen is planned (to be built) in the next years. Since the discovery of (the) semaglutide, which helps ing to regulate blood sugar and suppress appetite, the company has known a turning point. Another US rival firm Eli Lilly is on the market and more than half of the (no article in front of a proper noun) Novo Nordisk’ sales is in the US. Today, big concerns rise in the US while the price of Ozempic and Wegovy are higher compared to the rest of the countries around the world. Senator Bernie Sanders called out Lars Jorgensen, the CEO of Novo Nordisk, questioning him about the outrageous price of these treatments for American people. The CEO replied by accusing the insurance companies and their pharmacy benefits managers.

Very good job Cécilia! Only a few minor mistakes.

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Comment on youtube: "Why Ozempic, Wegovy costs are higher in US"

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Comment on youtube: "Why Ozempic, Wegovy costs are higher in US"

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As an European, the success of a Danish firm is a source of pride. But I understand the anger of Senator Bernie Sanders against the price practiced in his country compared with those (practiced) in Europe. Especially given that Americans are particularly affected by diabetes and obesity. Actually, the American health care system should be reconsidered to accord give/grant more protection to his the people population affected by those diseases, who are mostly disadvantaged. On the other hand In another hand, Novo Nordisk could release its his patent to ensure the access to this treatment. All is about values for the two sides: to care or to make a profit: that’s the question!

Well done Coralie! I changed a few things for more clarity. Revise link words again, and watch your pronouns (it & its are for things/ companies, etc. not for people).

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Well done Laure for your well-crafted responses!

A few minor notes:

Don't forget "s" for third sing. person.

Don't forget the currency before the number: USD 8.6 bn or simply $8.6 bn. In numbers: a comma in French is a dot in English.

Separation between thousands and hundreds: in English, there is a comma: "1,250 jobs" v. "1250 emplois". En français, pas d'espaces ni de virgules dans un nombre composé de 4 chiffres au moins.

craftsmen: les artisans (a craftsman / pl. craftsmen)

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1.     What are the two blockbuster drugs mentioned in the article that have transformed Novo Nordisk into one of Europe's most valuable companies?

The anti-obesity and diabetes treatments Wegovy and Ozempic are the two blockbusters drugs who (pr relatif) that / which (pour les inanimés / les choses) have transformed Novo Nordisk into one of Europe’s most valuable companies. Novo Nordisk had producted (pp: produced) half of the world’s insulin and semaglutide; both ingredient(s) in/components of Wegovy and Ozempic. The firm is in the business of medicine innovation.

2.     Why are Wegovy and Ozempic so significant? What do these drugs do and to which class of medication do they belong?

For a century, Novo Nordisk’s business was to make insulin but now with the discovery of semaglutide’s weight-loss effect, this drug take care s of the obesity. The class of medication is GLP-1s.

3.     Where is the "epicentre of a global weight-loss revolution" located, and what makes this location unexpected?

The "epicentre of a global weight-loss revolution" is located to Kalundborg, an hour northwest of Copenhagen in train, at the same time a green landscape and the urban landscape. The town grew very quickly because the firm created a lot of jobs. The new employers employees (vocab) needed houses and apartments.

4.     How much money will Novo Nordisk invest in its Kalundborg plant over the next few years, and how many new jobs will this create?

Novo Nordisk will spend 8.6 bn dollars over the next few years and will create 1,250 new jobs.

5.     How have local businesses in Kalundborg benefited from the company’s rapid growth? Give two specific examples mentioned in the text.

“Every morning the owner needs to roast 30kg of pork to make sandwiches” for the craftsmen and “a fast-food store sold 17,500 hot dogs in little over a month to hungry construction workers”.

6.     What percentage of Denmark's GDP growth came from just four boroughs where Novo Nordisk has premises?

70% of Denmark’s GDP growth came from four boroughs.

7.     What specific challenges does Kalundborg still face despite the economic boom?

The economic boom imposed the construction of houses, schools, spor ts infrastructure.

8.     What concerns exist about Novo Nordisk's dominance in the Danish economy? Mention at least two potential problems discussed in the article.

Firstly, in recent months, the firm’s stock price has fallen. This fall/decrease ("down" is an adjective) grow worries Danish economists is afraid Danish because the Danish economic economy must not be based only on one firm's whose success is based mostly on one product. once great produce’s firm.

Secondly, a new risk came from Donald TRUMP’s politics policies on tariffs.

9.     How has Novo Nordisk's success affected Denmark's currency and interest rates?

Dollars flooding into Denmark have put pressure on the krone. And the euro zone interest rates (or: the interest rates in the euro zone) ’ euro rate in the euro area is are superior to those that of in Denmark; a direct result of all the money flow. (revoir les règles pour le génitif = la possession)

10.  What is special about Novo Nordisk's ownership structure, and why is this important according to Mette Feifer?

Novo Nordisk is owned by a charitable foundation. The firm is not owned by private investors.

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To what extent are governments responsible for people's diets and health ?

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To what extent are governments responsible for people's diets and health ?

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The role of the government is very important in controlling what we eat. It has a large responsibility, but it mustn't be the only one involved in our individual food choices. In fact, responsibility is shared between the government, food industries, and consumers themselves.
First of all, the state plays a crucial role in safety and hygiene by conducting regular sanitary inspections. They have the duty to control the quality of products, particularly in restaurants and schools. Today, more and more canteens offer high-quality products, such as organic foods, and pay attention to nutritional values. Sometimes, governments use "sugar taxes" to regulate consumers' bad habits and force food industries to rethink their approach to profit and ensure public well-being."
Indeed, the food industry is responsible for reducing salt, sugar and saturated fats in processed foods. Moreover, it must avoid "health washing", in other words, making unhealthy products look healthy on packaging and allow consumers to purchase affordable healthy foods.
Nowadays, health shouldn't be an option but an obligation. That's why applications such as yuka or "nutri scores" a labelling on packages exist, in order to help consumers avoid processed foods. These kinds of apps or labelling raise awareness of our consumption habits and the significant quanties of salt and sugar hidden in many products.
On the other hand, schools have a key role in educating children to adopt good dietary habits, especially at breakfast.
Finally, parents are responsible for "food culture" by spending time cooking with their children as often as possible.
While children's obesity increase, even in France, some parents continue to feed their children with processed foods instead of healthy foods such as vegetables and fruits. Parents have a duty of vigilance and if it's necessary, learning to eat differently.