Some people insist that raising the prices of fast food will solve this problem. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Band 9 IELTS essay sample
Obesity has assumed epidemic proportions. In many societies, especially the affluent ones, a large segment of the population is now seriously overweight. Some people opine that increasing the prices of junk food will solve this problem because one of the causes of obesity is excessive consumption of calorie rich unhealthy foods. In my opinion, making fast food more expensive is unlikely to be the right solution although it will certainly help to some extent.
If fast food becomes more expensive, its consumption will reduce especially among people belonging to the lower and middle income strata. This will certainly benefit their health if they have access to affordable healthy alternatives. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. In many countries, healthy food is more expensive than junk food. In fact, this is one of the factors boosting the consumption of fast food among poor people. In this scenario, if the government makes fast food more expensive, it will be a major blow to the poor who are already struggling to make ends meet. At the same time, this measure will have no impact on the richer segment of the society. They will continue to consume fast food regardless of the increase in its price. Actually, these people are the biggest consumers of unhealthy food. They are the ones who routinely eat in restaurants or order food online. If we study the financial status of obese people, it is not hard to see that most of them are affluent. In fact, cases of obesity are particularly high in rich countries. That means by simply increasing its price, we cannot deter most people from consuming fast food.
A better solution is to create awareness about the health impacts of fast food consumption. The government should drive home the fact that fast food is unhealthy. Many people who consume it on a regular basis are unaware of its impact on their health. They are lured by the taste and assume that it is okay to consume these foods especially since others are also eating it. The government can rope in media houses and celebrities to create awareness about the harmful effects of fast food. In addition, the government should by law ban the sale of junk food in school canteens. What’s more, the government should make it mandatory for manufacturers to disclose the nutrient and calorie value of their foods on the packaging. The government should also set limits on the amount of sugar and salt that packaged foods can contain. It should stop manufacturers from promoting foods and drinking containing high levels of sugar as healthy. If all of these measures are taken, people will think twice before ordering food online or reaching for that bag of chips.
In short, increasing the price of junk food will only deter poor people from consuming it. Since they are not the biggest consumers of this kind of foods, this measure is unlikely to help. A better solution is to make people aware that junk food is bad for their health.
