Regulating the Developments of Fast Food Chains

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“One small bite for man, one giant problem for mankind.” Numerous Americans today are affected by the vastly growing number of fast food chains. These chains serve unhealthy items at a costly price. Many health issues concern more than 35.7 Americans and cause them to become unhealthy or obese due to fast food. This causes many problems such as obesity rates proliferating, the damage it has on your health, and the high price of cheap food. Those are the main reasons as to why the government should slowly reduce the future developments of fast food chains to help benefit people’s health.

Since 1970, the amount of fast food restaurants has doubled and 33.8 percent of the U.S. population is currently obese. Also, children ages 6 to 19 have tripled their obesity levels from 5 to 17 percent. In "The effect of fast food restaurants on obesity" (NBER working paper), researchers Janet Currie, Stefano DellaVigna, Enrico Moretti, and Vikram Pathania took a careful study of the effects that fast food had on people. Overall, their study suggests that fast food significantly increases the risk of obesity. "Unless governments take steps to regulate their economies, the invisible hand of the market will continue to promote obesity worldwide with disastrous consequences for future public health and economic productivity,” said Roberto De Vogli from the University of California.

Most fast food places serve highly processed foods that are full of fat, sodium, and calories. Research proves that you can easily intake 1,500 calories for one meal alone and humans should take in around 1,500-1,800 per day. Choosing a typical fast food meal everyday can lead to increased calories, which leads to health issues. The estimated annual medical cost of obe...

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