How to encourage people to consume less sugar?

Many manufactured food and drink products contain high levels of sugar, which causes many health problems. Sugary products should be made more expensive to encourage people to consume less sugar. Do you agree or disagree?

Sample Solution

The growing links between excessive sugar consumption and obesity, diabetes, and heart disease are impossible to ignore. Some experts suggest that raising the prices of sugary foods could curb demand. I support that idea, believing that a well-targeted price increase can steer people toward healthier options and lighten the long-term healthcare load on families and public budgets.

A price hike on sugary items works primarily by shifting how people shop. Research shows that many households, particularly those with tight budgets, are sensitive to price changes. When the cost of candy, sugary drinks, and snack cakes climbs, families often choose less expensive, nutrient-rich options like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. History backs this up: countries that increased cigarette taxes saw sharp drops in smoking, especially among low-income groups. Children and teenagers are particularly sensitive to price changes, so a sugary-drink tax could steer whole generations away from the early habits that lead to lifetime addiction to sweetened products. In this way, higher prices act as both a brake on runaway consumption and a nudge toward wiser food choices.

Critics claim these taxes hit low-income households hardest and intrude on personal choice. Yet the chronic health fallout stemming from excess sugar—type 2 diabetes, heart disease—places a more sizable and lasting strain, particularly on families already facing narrow healthcare access. Revenue from the levies can itself be channelled into cheaper fruit, vegetables and school meal programmes, thus levelling the playing field. Absent action, companies will stick with strategies that crown profit while sidelining public health. Adjusting prices through taxation is therefore not merely defensible; it is an imperative public-health intervention.

To conclude, making sugary products more expensive is a practical and evidence-based approach to addressing preventable health issues. Evidence shows that small price hikes steer shoppers toward less-sweet choices, shrinking future hospital bills and fostering lasting behaviour change.