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?
Reasons
Hectic schedules leave little time for cooking at home
Changing family settings - from joint to nuclear
Traveling and tourism is also fueling this
This has become a mark of modern lifestyle and sophistication
Aggressive marketing and advertisements
Attractive content
Use of celebrities / influential
More disposable income
The ingredients of such edible goods are addictive which act as superstimuli
Impact
Ramification/ drawbacks/ bad impact/repercussion
Individuals
Direct health is impacted
Mental well being is impacted due to ingredients
Nutritional deficit
Can pose financial constraints
Everyday obsession is making people spend mindlessly
Society
Affecting the public health,and thereby cumulative productivity
Posing a pressure on public health spendings
Causing environmental harm; promoting industrial farming and exploitation resources and animals
Causing traditional culinary skills to disappear .
The surge in obsession with ultra-processed foods has become a pressing concern, making it imperative to explore reasons fueling this phenomenon, and also its impact at individual and social level.
The most prominent source of this fast increment inclination for convenience meals is the modern ways of life that comprises hectic professional schedules and engrossing social commitments. These leave people with little time to cook at home or visit eateries, and wait for orders to arrive, persuading them to opt for quick alternatives such as burgers, pizza, pasta, and so forth. To exemplify, as per a report by The Urban Food Magazine, New York, nearly eighty percent of urbanites in western hemisphere have started relying on this nourishment owing to their engagement in jobs and social circles, and kitchens have been long forgotten.
Similarly, the manufacturers of these products blitz/ surround/ bombard consumers with the tempting graphic content of junk food in ads that feature celebrities and influencers, on every possible medium. To corroborate, fried chicken, tacos, and hotdogs, to name a few, are highly publicized delicacies of KFC, which register tremendous annual sales.
However, this penchant is costing people their mental and physical wellbeing; a growing number are becoming vulnerable to obesity, type-2 diabetes, cardiac complications and depression, among others, causing deterioration in quality of life. Additionally, the growing ratio of unhealthy population- a victim of this faulty food habit- is taking a toll on economic productivity, and public spending on healthcare and health infrastructure.
In hindsight, contemporary society is pushed into embracing quick-service food because of the preoccupation with employment and social occasions, and trebled by attractive advertising, but this can seriously jeopardize public health and national budgets. It is, thus, essential to discourage over indulgence with these meals for public good.
