In many countries the consumption of fast food has increased dramatically in recent years. What has caused this increase? What effect might it have on individuals and society?
Reason for the increase in usage of fast food?
- Hectic lifestyle - majorly no time for cooking and this forcefully forcing people to consume fast food, most of the food is ready to cook in 5 mins.
- Most of the industry attracts humans with advertisements and colourful products.
Effects:
- Fast food is processed food and these foods are with high cholesterol and glyceroid elements which are causing diseases of the modern era,...such as sugar, high BP, obesity etc and directly impacting an individual's life.
- People may be saving money and time with a healthy traditional cooking lifestyle but these habits of having fast food are affecting national health and people are now investing more on healthcare and insurance.
“Fast food consumption has become a ubiquitous trend, and many are inclined towards such goods. In this essay I will discuss the reason for the rise of fast food, and the effects on people and overall society.
Undeniably, the rising consumption of convenience food is driven by the flexibility and promise to douse hunger anywhere and anytime, without one needing to slog in kitchens, or wait for their order to be served at restaurants. The hectic lifestyles, leaves one with little time to focus on preparing meals at home, and rather engage with ultra-processed options. For instance, a study by Bangalore Food Grading Corporation shows that there has been a 80% hike in sales of instant eateries established in the last 5 years, directly indicating a surge in consumption of instant food items.
Similarly, organizations engaged in preparing and selling such edible goods attract consumers using attractive packaging to create a temptation. Additionally, aggressive advertisements involving renowned people in endorsing these goods, besides branding is encouraging this propensity, and pushing customers to buy the products, thereby leading to a spurt in consumption of such edible goods.
However, owing to the high fat and low nutrient content, convenience foods are directly impacting health, causing multiple health conditions: obesity, high cholesterol, blood pressure and irritable bowel syndromes, among others, and jeopardizing human health. Consequently, people are forced to invest a large part of their incomes into medical insurance. Similarly, governments must allocate higher budgets for health infrastructures to cater to rising health implications of heightening engagement with ultra-processed edible goods.
To conclude, an increase in fast food consumption is fueled by busy lifestyles and easy accessibility, which is severely affecting health unfavorably, and many countries are forced to spend more on combating disease rather than ensuring well-being.