It seems as if the best tasting foods are the most desirable, unhealthy and satisfying. America’s love affair with foods high in sugar, sodium and preservatives has evolved into a hazard for the public’s health. Every year the junk food industry obtains a fortune due to the deliciously overconsumed goods. A tax on junk food should be established to help fight obesity, promote exercise and use revenue for health care funds.
Everything we eat and drink can affect our lives in a positive or negative manner. Consuming too much unhealthy foods can negatively impact our health by causing obesity which leads to other chronic illnesses. The government should consider placing taxes on junk food based on their levels of unhealthy ingredients in efforts to
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Andrew Entzminger from The Washington Times article titled, “Food, drink push back at soda taxes, junk-food curbs” states that, “State and local government across the nation are increasingly using the government’s power to battle rising obesity rates by taxing sugar-sweetened drinks, changing food labeling and promoting exercise.” Authorities have expressed concerns for the population’s health and wellness. America has had a rise in obesity over the years. As Jeanne Sahadi from the article “Should there be a fat tax on soda and junk food?” from CNN claims that, “Currently about 35% of adults are classified as obese.” This is a result of over consumed sugars, saturated fats and sodium. A tax on junk food will not fully overcome obesity, but it definitely will make a dent to its rising rates. Junk and fast foods are complements to the taste buds and are convenient enough to be purchased on a daily basis. While eating greasy foods with high-sugared drinks may be satisfying, it gradually begins to affect people’s health. Entzminger explains that, “These foods components are routinely over consumed and associated most strongly with diet related health
The article,“ Battle lines drawn over soda tax,” by Associated Press , the Press explains how there is an ongoing “national fight about taxing sugary drinks.” According to Associated Press, “ Health experts say the beverages contribute to health issues such as diabetes, obesity, and tooth decay.” This quote demonstrates that sugary drinks can lead to health issues. Since sugary drinks leads to health issues, people are considering soda tax. This is because thirteen percent of adult minorities are diagnosed with diseases such as diabetes.
Drenkard, S. (2010). Overreaching on Obesity: Governments Consider New Taxes on Soda and Candy. Retrieved from http://heartland.org
The essay Junking Junk Food written by Judith Warner, brings to the audiences attention the wicked problem of how there has been a decline in Americans health. Warner’s information speaks loudly about being forced into a healthy lifestyle by the Obama administration. The Obama administration tried to enforce a healthy lifestyle among the citizens by focusing on the youth and taking away sugar options for them. Warner, puts her voice into this by mentioning the system during the world war when the soldiers had to eat overseas so there was less food consumption in America, which helped stop over consumption of food. Back then food was also much healthier thought, with less hormones, chemicals and less options of fast food. Again making it easier
...d,” (Bittman). Bittman uses these statistics to show how hyperprocessed foods and sugary beverages have impacts America. Since the percentage of obese individuals continuously rises, Bittman believes that the government should step in and protect the health of individuals by establishing a new tax on junk food. People sense the urgency within Bittman’s article, since he believes it is time for the government to step in. Throughout history people have always wanted to limit the control of the government and only sought their help in dire situations; therefore, if the government is becoming involved in the weight gain problem, it must be a big problem.
While nobody denies we have a problem with taxation in this country for food, beverages, and everything that we buy in general, I believe that we should have a fat tax to detour people from buying soda and other fattening foods. We should also ban sodas and other fattening foods from vending machines in schools, and replace them with more healthy selections.
Junk food has become increasingly popular over the past few years, and one must wonder why, considering that most people know, to a certain extent, that it possesses some unhealthy qualities. One key reason that people eat junk food is because of the advertisements that continue to make it progressively popular. They lurk in the corners of every store and on nearly every main road. Another reason for the large scale consumption of junk food is simply because of its taste. Its flavor appeals to the taste buds and makes one want to keep eating it. Also, at costs as low as three dollars, one can easily purchase the food at any store or gas station. Finally, there is the ease of preparation that junk food allows. All one must do is open the package and, viola, breakfast, lunch, dinner, or mid-day snack is served. After seeing only a few of the reasons for the popularity of junk food, does it come as any surprise that so many people eat it?
Ranging from heart disease to diabetes the consequences of unhealthy eating are well known across the population, yet not much is being done to stop this. According to the World Health Organization, it is projected that by 2030, Diabetes will become the 7th leading cause of death in the world. Why let things spiral out of control and continue postponing a sugar tax? If there is anything that the US government can do is impose this tax. Even if the change is small in comparison to the entire population of the US, these are potential lives being saved. Just like the worst case scenario of smoking is lung cancer, the worst case scenario of obesity is diabetes. Excess sugar should be considered as big of a threat as any other potentially addictive chemical, and should therefore be taxed like one for the safety of the
Though sugary drinks are not the sole reason behind the obesity problem in the country, it is a significant contributor to the said problem. Similar to sugary drinks, junk food is also significant contributors to obesity among children, adolescents and adults. People make unhealthy choices in what they eat that is why they often choose junk food. Obesity as the studies show is a growing problem. The junk food available in the market continuously grows as well. The same with sugary soft drinks. This is why sugary soft drinks need to be taxed so that problems like obesity can be
It is sad. People from all races and backgrounds are obese. In a recent survey done at Henry Ford College, 43 percent of students were overweight. Whether it is because they do not follow a healthy diet or they inherited it from their parents. Being overweight is correlated with lacking exercise or physical activity and not watching what is on the plate. Obesity can cause many illnesses, including diabetes, which is very common. As the debate whether soda tax should take effect arises, critics say that the tax will help those with obesity-related illnesses. What about exercising and maintaining a healthy lifestyle? These two factors cannot be forgotten knowing they are the most important. Americans have consumed 12 percent of soda and become less active since 1970. A soda tax aims to stop consumers from buying soda to help those who are obese. This will not be effective. Therefore a soda tax will not be good public policy.
Because the government choices not to closely regulate the food citizens of the United States of America, people are making poor eating decisions, leaving sixty-seven percent of Americans either overweight or obese [2005-2006}. (Is Obesity a Disease?) But what if it wasn’t really obese people’s fault for being overweight, but instead the fault of food companies that provide cheaply priced and processed food that is full of perseverates, trans fats, and salt? Scientist and author of “A Big Fat Crisis”, Debora A. Cohen writes about people’s obesity problem, “We are hard – wired to enjoy eating, which stands to reason from an evolutionary point of view. If we didn’t have the drive to obtain food coupled with the pleasure of eating it, the human species would not survive.”(Calhan) If people have no option but to purchase food intoxicated with trans fats, then it is the governments job to protect its citizens from further harm. Therefore government should closely monitor processed and fast foods to protect people from unhealthy food choices, better inform the public about nutritional information, and closely regulate American food consumption to reduce obesity related health risk.
Everyday Americans die from the diseases they carry from obesity. Many Americans over eat because their social problems or because they are hereditary. Many plans have been discussed but finding the solution is the problem. Junk foods and unhealthy beverages have corrupted children’s minds all over the nation and putting a stop on it could lead to other benefits. Unhealthy foods and drinks should be taxed and healthy foods should be advertised more to help prevent American obesity.
America offers a culturally diverse diet. With restaurants that serve foods such as Chinese, Italian, and Mexican to fast food chains such as McDonald’s, Panda Express, and Taco Bell. This just a small example of the large selection of restaurants, stores, and fast food chains the average American has the potential run into every day, and these choices are openly available in most cities, states, and some on every street corner. With this kind of freedom to enjoy a diverse diet it is no secret that America loves fast food because it is cheap, fast, and is easily accessible. Fast foods easily fit into the fast-paced lives people take on every day and now fast food accounts for “eleven percent” (FFS) of the average American diet and “forty-four percent” (FFS) reported eating fast food at least once per week. These calorie packed meals are contributing the rise in obesity in adults, teens, and children. The CDC states that “more than one-third of U.S. adults (that is thirty-five and a half percent) are obese” and “approximately seventeen percent (or twelve and a half million) of children and adolescents aged two through nineteen years are obese” these shocking statics have caused many people to rethink their everyday diet. The news has even reported places like New York attempting to impose a high “sugar tax” also known as the “fat tax” to combat the rising epidemic of obesity by limiting the sugar intake of consumers in New York. The fat tax heavily taxes those who do choose to intake the sugary beverages, sweets, and other unhealthy goods with the possibility of the government stepping in to take out, limit, or even tax the places that these “unhealthy foods”. Even with obesity on the rise should government have a say in American ...
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In America over 300,000 people are obese and that number continues to grow because the about of junk food that is being consumed. This cost the economy one hundred billion dollars. That more damage done than smoking or drinking. (Crowley, Michael 5) There are other health problems, such as heart diseases, chronic diseases, and type-two diabetes that occur because of junk food. Increasing the price of junk food, by adding tax, researchers hope that this will prod people to reject unhealthy foods. Taxes will also encourage a healthier lifestyle, even in low-income families (Franck, Caroline 2).
It became so clear that junk foods lead to a punch of catastrophic diseases like obesity, type two diabetes, vascular diseases and cardiac disorders. Those kinds of diseases cost more than $150 billion annually, just to diagnose, treat people who suffer from them. That disease is chronic and leads to many health-related issues, for example, obesity considers a risk factor for type two diabetes, and high blood pressure, joint disorders and many others (The Denver Post 2012). The key of preventing many chronic problems is nutrition. Low income plays an important role of limiting most people to buy and eat a healthy diet and in the other hand, it is easy for people budgets to purchase junk foods. So controlling the prices of healthy foods to be suitable for all people make good nutrition available for everyone. Adequate diets mean decreasing the epidemic of those serious diseases, and stopping the spread and break the bad sequences that may happen. Long-term exposure to junk foods that are full with chemicals like additives, preservatives have led to chronic illnesses difficult to treat. Also, the chemical added to junk foods are tasted unique and made millions of people becoming addicted to them and are available everywhere for example in restaurants, cafes, lunchrooms (The Denver Post