It is rather irritating to avoid things that pleasure us regardless of their effects. Unfortunately, most humans’ pleasures are in one way or another connected to negative effects, such as smoking, drugs, and junk food. Some people would never even think about giving up on those habits despite knowing their harmful effects. Considering junk food as one aspect of this issue, it is more widespread than ever and the effects are no less harmful than other bad habits. Of course, this is not about occasional eating of junk food, but rather about junk food as a modern societal phenomenon that has negative effects on public health.
The matter of junk food is not about whether we know the negative effects that are associated with junk food or not. People still eat junk food although they know the health issues that are associated with it in the long term. Some theories explain the reasons for this phenomenon.
In this context, marketing efforts that are done by food chains around the world are enormous and they contribute to intensifying this habit. Junk food is illustrated in attractive ways that awaken food euphoria and work on humans’ desires to satisfy their needs. Another reason that is interesting in this context is the price. Food chains have calculated and sophisticated pricing strategies that make junk food a more economic choice in terms of time and money. That is, we save money and time when buying junk food because it is almost served instantly when we order at a reasonable price compared to food that we make at home. Furthermore, it is actually delicious for many people who consider eating it instead of eating some homemade meal that might not have the same taste.
All these factors contribute to humans’ acceptance of junk food despite knowing the harmful health issues that can come with consuming it. Finally, consuming junk food is a widespread phenomenon in our modern world that should be addressed and tackled because it is becoming more of a public health issue.