We Regulate Tobacco. So Why Not Junk Food?

If the high street was lined with cocaine shops we wouldn’t be surprised if a large portion of the population developed a cocaine problem. But for some reason when the high street is lined with harmful and addictive food, we are surprised to find ourselves in a health crisis.

It seems to me that whilst we address the issues of food-related ill health, we often forget that there is a critical epidemic at the root of the problem: junk-food addiction. We often forget that up against addiction, our efforts to regenerate food and health face a much, much greater challenge. Or perhaps a different challenge altogether.

How can we expect a child to mature into healthy food choices, if from their very first little tooth, they are loaded up with Coke and Mac and KFC? A brain doesn’t want fruit once it’s hooked on Coca-Cola. A brain doesn’t want a fresh vegetable once it’s on the Big Macs. We live in a society that has made obesity and diabetes the fate of innocent children.

The danger of addictive substances is an axiom. Society knows it and protects us from it. I couldn’t smoke in primary school and I can’t buy heroine at Tesco. So why then are addictive food substances, that are proven to cause more harm to us than cigarettes and alcohol put together, readily available for anyone and any child to consume?

In the middle of this health epidemic which has gone far beyond the threshold, how is it possible that such an OBVIOUS cause has not been addressed? When I step back and look at this situation it honestly feels like we’re all taking crazy pills!

One of the foundational problems is that addiction is not even part of the discussion in our health epidemic. I think for us to have a chance in regenerating this food and health crisis, the government needs to begin to perceive and manage junk-food the same way we appraoch things like cigarettes and alcohol. So for example;

1. The harmful substances (dextrose, refined sugar, glucose syrup, to name a few) should be taxed higher so that junk-food becomes more expensive and begins to reflect its true cost to society.

2. The consumption of junk-food by children should be regulated. Should your ID be checked at Mcdonalds?

3. Thirdly, there should be health warning signs like we have on cigarettes.

I’d love to know what you guys think of these ideas.

I’m not one for a nanny-state, I smoke cigarettes and I drink alcohol, and I think people should also eat junk-food if they want, but I just don’t see why it should be treated differently. At least with some regulation we can help stop children from getting addicted, ruining their palettes and their relationship with food, before they have even had the chance to make a choice.

There are lots of much more informed people already doing lots of work on this - Dimbleby, Von Tulleken, Nesta, Food Foundation and many more. But unfortunately any action from the government so far is still miles off; banning the buy one get one frees, the displaying at checkout or the TV advertising before 9pm, will do nothing to stop an addict who needs their junk-food fix.

It’s so obvious that we must begin to regulate junk-food properly.

It’s so obvious that the government is moving far too slowly.

Its so obvious that the government is being controlled by “Big Food”.

Matteo

12/5

note - I have stuck to using the term junk-food here, to refer to what can also be called ultra-processed food.