Once in a restaurant I heard a woman say “Hmm, I think I will
order the double cheeseburger, large fries, but to be healthy, a diet coke.”
I hate to break it to you ma’am, but I think it is going to take a lot more
adjustments than a “diet” coke to make your lifestyle healthy. Bad eating
habits like these have led to the health epidemic known as obesity. According
to Professor Barry Popkin, one of every six people in the world is
suffering from obesity. America is the
worst offender. With over 34% of Americans obese (Huffington Post), it is time
to make a change. A tax should be implemented on sugary drinks such as soda and
unhealthy foods to deter people from wanting to buy them.
Trust me; I understand how good junk food can taste, but the
detrimental effect it has on the body is not worth it. Obesity can cause
diabetes, heart failure, and premature death. A “junk food tax” as it is being
called is supposed to be placing a 20% tax on sugary and harmful foods. Opponents
of the junk food tax say that one of the main reasons they buy junk food is
because of its cheap price, and they need the price to stay low because they
cannot afford to buy healthier foods. To this I say, fast forward. Fast forward
ten years later of eating junk food and look at the medical bill. In the long
run the money that was saved by buying such cheap food is now being spent on medicine
for diabetes or atherosclerosis. According to a study done by the National
Institute of Health 75-125 billion dollars is spent either directly or
indirectly on obesity-related problems. The tax will obviously not stop people
from eating junk food indefinitely, but it can discourage people who drink a
gallon of soda a day to cut down, and maybe eventually quit drinking soda
altogether. According to Sara Haan,
registered dietician, it is easy to rack up 800 calories in just one day by
drinking soda.
One thing that I find hard to believe, is that there are now
more people in the world that are overweight than there are under nourished
(Popkin). It is official, while even though there are people starving in
Africa, there are more people out there who are overweight. Ironically, people
who are obese and peole who are undernourished suffer some of the same health problems.
One main problem is that children are now developing diabetes, because of their
terrible eating habits. However, they cannot really be blamed for this; they
eat whatever their parents buy for them. Many parents buy junk food, because it
is cheap and ready to eat. The junk food tax would thwart parents away from the
“chips and snack aisle” towards the “fruits and vegetables aisle.” The tax was
not made out of malice, but with the safety and health of consumers in mind. Proponents
of the 20% tax hope it will be enough to push shoppers more towards the greens
and less towards the fried beans.
The world needs a wakeup call, and while a diet coke does
have the word diet in it, I do not think it will be enough to save the millions
of people from the devastating health crisis known as obesity.
Work Cited:
Benson, Lorna. "'Junk Food' Tax Proposal Goes to Committee." MPR News. Minnesota Public Radio, 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 14 Mar. 2013
Kaladis, Jen. "Should the U.S. Adopt a Fat Tax?" The Week. The Week Publication Inc, 25 Feb. 203. Web. 14 Mar. 2013.
Matthews, Deb. "No Junk Food Tax Letters." Well and Tribune. Canoe Sun Media, 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 14 Mar. 2013.
I understand you're view on this topic and completely agree with the fact that it's crazy how obese our world has become. I don't, however, believe it's the governments job to control what we do or do not eat. By doing this I think the government would be shying away from its policies and turning more socialistic. Like I said, I agree that its ridiculous how people are with eating food, but whether or not a tax is put on something doesnt limit people from getting what they want necessarily. It's the same thing with cigarettes. There just needs to be more awareness spread about the dangers of obesity instead of government control taking place accross the country.
ReplyDeleteObesity is a major concern in America and I agree with you that something needs to be done. When considering short term results, I say, by all means, make use of the tax on junk food as more people would slowly start to refrain themselves from it. However, such a tax would do more harm than good when we consider its long term consequences. With this government regulation, angry individuals would just find ways around it, such as stealing or shop lifting. Furthermore,discontent individuals may see this action as too controlling and may as well start protests.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that something needs to be done about America's obesity problem. I don't know if putting a tax on junk food will work but I know there are advertisments everywhere promoting healthy choices. This is a difficult topic because nothing seems to be working.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you that there is an issue prevalent in America on a healthy diet. While a junk food tax may discourage consumers to buy junk food, its effectiveness solely depends on the mindset of the consumer, which, unfortunately, cannot be easily determined. There have been attempts similar to this such as the 18th Amendment, which tried to prohibit the sales, manufacturing and distribution of alcoholic beverages, but its effectiveness did not last long, as shown by the 21st Amendment. While the junk food tax is a good idea, its effects and 'shelf life' has yet to be determined.
ReplyDelete