Some individuals opine the opinion that handling the issue of more people being overweight will be more optimal if the price of sugar is increased deliberately. Personally, I partly agree with this suggestion based on some justifications will be explained in the essay.
On the one hand, there are some reasons why the increase in sugar price should be introduced. In this day and age, the price of this ingredient is extremely affordable for people of all social status due to its the advancement of agricultural techniques, the optimization of production and high yield variants alike. Also, it is evident that sugar has stimulating effect, playing a crucial role in human’s award system, which leads to its universal presence in our food and causing excessive weight gain due to its high caloric content. Thus, if sugar price skyrockets deliberately, its use would be plunge, forcing people to consume more healthier food options and alleviating obesity related problem.
On the other hand, when the surging in the price of sugar is implemented, there could be multiple negative consequences that we must be aware of. A rise in the price of this cooking ingredients that is enough for a demand reduction to occur would need to be exponential and intensive as sugar is a cornerstone in human’s cuisine for thousands of years. Therefore, this measure will be more likely to receive backlash from the general public, especially ones from disadvantageous socio-economic background as their income levels do not allow them to switch to healthier food options. Moreover, processed food has been proven a major culprit behind obesity, meaning that just targeting sugar may not an effective measure in eliminating the problem of being overweight among people.
Inconclusion, although there are mixed opinion on determining the need of increasing the price of sugar to help people avoid obesity, this approach may potentially cause negative reaction from the public. I believe that while sugar should become more expensive to a degree, other supplementary measures should also be considered and combined.