The number of people suffering from health problems, has significantly increased in some countries, due to over consumption of fast food. One way the government can deal with this problem is by imposing higher taxes on unhealthy food items. I agree with this solution, as it will help in reducing the consuption of such food and can help in promoting a healthy lifestlye.
Increase in taxes on junk food will reduce its consumption because it will lead to increase in price. Many people choose to eat junk food, despite the fact that it is full of trans and saturated fats, because it is affordable so if the price of such food increases the consumption rates will also reduce. This will further encourage people to switch to healthier alternatives. For example instead of buying their sandwhich from Subway one will choose to make it on their own because it would be cheaper and healthier.
At the same time one can also argue that choosing to eat unhealthy is a lifestyle choice, and increasing taxes on such food won’t limit its consumption. One can compare it with a habit like smoking, despite the high duties on ciggrattes people still choose to smoke. Thus, a better way to deal with this would be is to spread awarness about consequences of over consumption of juink food. People should be made aware about issues like obesity which can lead to a number of other health problems if not timely controlled.
Thus to conclude, governments can help in reducing consumption of junk food by imposing higher taxes on them, as this will encourge people to move towards a healthier lifestyle, while this might not be fully effective but it will definitely help in reducing some level of consumption of such foods.