Americans Now Need Larger Coffins Because They Are Getting Too Fat
What may seem like a joke is actually a sad reality, as normal coffins are no longer large enough to host deceased Americans, as the obesity epidemic has caused for the production of larger coffins.
Funeral homes are seeing a boom in demand for larger coffins. A standard coffin measures betweeen 24 an 27 inches wide, but manufacturers are receiving requests for coffins as wide as 52 inches, capable of fitting up to a 1,000-pound person.
The United States has the highest rate of obesity in the world with the CDC counting 35.7% of American adults as obese and 17% of American children.
If this trend continues, half of the US population will be obese by 2030.
“During the 1980s, very little concern was given to the manufacture of oversize caskets,” says Keith Davis, 62, owner of Goliath Caskets of East Lynn, Indiana.
Founded in 1985, his company specializes in larger caskets and he says business is booming.
Goliath produces various sizes of coffins, for people ranging from 350 pounds all the way to 1,000 pounds.
“Our coffins have a fully articulated bed, a re-enforced bottom and are 1ft 4in-high to accommodate the extra girth of an obese person.”
The extra materials for the larger coffins can have them cost $3,000-$4,000 more.
Another issue with the larger coffins is having people carry them, as the individual inside, along with the heavy wooden box can weigh more than a small car.
James Gilbert | Elite.
