The prices of drinks containing a high level of sucrose should be increased inorder to discourage the consumption of sugar. This essay seeks to put forward the various reasons for such an opinion.
Many beverages like aerated drinks, soda and cola contain a high level of sugar and their sweet taste makes our sensory buds overloaded resulting in an insulin spike in our bodies. While the sweet taste of such drinks are indeed addictive and enjoyable, the line between them being a guilty pleasure and an addiction is very thin. Many people would struggle to control their consumption and drink far more than healthy limits. It often becomes a vicious cycle and leads to many serious chronic illnesses like diabetes, liver cancer and obesity. The prevalence of diabetes has exponentially grown in countries like the US and UK due to the fast food culture brought in by companies like Coca Cola, Pepsi and McDonalds. Leading behavioural scientists have been indicating that increasing the cost of sugary foods can be an effective way to reduce their consumption in the short term. As a response, several countries have made it their prerogative to limit sugar consumption by employing a vice tax on sugary drinks by the next decade.
While prices can be a major factor in making unhealthy foods more inaccessible, there is also a need for changing the habits of people in the long term. Healthier food options like low-sugar drinks and keto beverages must be encouraged and popularised to disrupt the negative habits for the future. Increasing awareness on the negative effects of sugary drinks and their dissemination via product labelling would also go a long way in this regard. Companies like Cult Fit in India actively give credits and discounts to those who participate and celebrate such healthy cultural habits.
In conclusion, price increase, while being a seminal step, is only the first move in the right direction to reduce the consumption of unhealthy and sugary drinks.