It seems clear that obesity in today’s society is to some extent due to the availability of fast food. Should governments place a tax on fast food to reduce the amount of fast food consumed? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience. You should write at least 250 words.

Obesity has become a common problem in western societies and
this
is partly due to the availability of fast
food
at low prices. To tackle
this
problem, it has been suggested that governments should increase the tax on fast foods in order to reduce the amount of fast foodstuff consumed. I personally believe that
this
is a sound idea, because especially young people, who have less money, will be discouraged from buying fast
food
. The main reason for the high consumption of junk is that it is a cheap alternative to healthy meals. A salad,
for example
, is often twice as expensive as a burger, resulting in more people eating the burger than the salad.
As a result
, people prepare fewer meals themselves and eat more junk-
food
instead
. In my opinion, it should not be possible to sell fast
food
at a lower price than staple
food
. By making
such
products more expensive than vegetables and fruit, people would change their eating habits, as they would want to save money. Another way to reduce consumption of fast
food
would be to prohibit its promotion. A similar approach was taken in terms of advertising cigarettes and one can say that
this
approach has been successful to some extent.
Also
, commercials for fast
food
often target young children through offering inducements,
such
as the toys in the happy meal at McDonalds
for example
. The children are persuaded to demand a happy meal, yet often do not necessarily want to eat the
food
contained in it. The only thing they want is the toy. If advertising fast
food
were forbidden, the
number
of children consuming junk
food
would be reduced and
therefore
the
number
of obese children would decrease as well. In conclusion, governments should put a tax on fast
food
to reduce the amount consumed in order to decrease the
number
of obese people. By placing a tax on fast
food
and making it more expensive than healthy raw foods, people would begin to eat more healthily. If
additionally
the advertising of fast
food
were banned, the
number
of obese people would decrease even more drastically.
Submitted by dave11karan on

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Writing9 with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Your opinion

Don’t put your opinion unless you are asked to give it.

If the question asks what you think, you MUST give your opinion to get a good score.

Don’t leave your opinion until the conclusion.

Here are examples of instructions that require you to give your opinion:

...do you agree or disagree?...do you think...?...your opinion...?

Discover more tips in The Ultimate Guide to Get a Target Band Score of 7+ »— a book that's free for 🚀 Premium users.

Essentional vocabulary list for IELTS Writing 7+

Learn how to write high-scoring essays with powerful words.
Download Free PDF and start improving you writing skills today!
What to do next:
Look at other essays: