Student’s essay

It is noticeable that consuming fast food on a prolonged basis will develop various diseases. To solve this problem, some countries plan to increase the tax on fast food. This measure, however, is neither efficient nor effective in my opinion.

Imposing a higher tax on fast food only has a marginal impact on preventing people from eating too much junk food. For ordinary people, the low price of fast food is not the primary reason for them to choose this kind of food. Most of them prefer fast food instead of healthy food just because they put convenience on a higher priority than health. Therefore, although an increment on tax will result in a higher price, many consumers may still choose fast food. On the other hand, some people choose fast food because they do not have alternatives. Healthy food, such as organic food, usually have a higher price which might not be affordable for those people. Therefore, if the price of fast food goes higher, there will be much fewer choices of foods for them, which will eventually lead them to a harder life.

Compared with increasing tax, making healthy food more convenient and more affordable to citizens might be a better solution for government. Exerting an excessive amount of Interference in the market could cause damage to the local economy. The government, therefore, should try to avoid such risky behaviour. Instead, they can encourage the consumption of healthy food. For example, the commercial cultivation of organic foods can be facilitated so that consumers can buy healthy foods with lower price. Additionally, spending the budget on promoting a healthy lifestyle through education and training to consumers is another practical solution for the problem caused by fast food.

In conclusion, to cope with the health issue caused by an excessive consumption of fast food, the government should focus on advertising the healthy lifestyle to the citizen, rather than simply charging a higher tax on fast food.

(326 words)