Governments Should Subsidise Fruits And Vegetables | Band 9 IELTS Essay Sample
Some people think the government should subsidise fruits and vegetables to make healthy food more affordable. Others argue that the government should tax unhealthy food instead. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
This topic was asked on a recently held IELTS exam. Here is a band 9 essay on this topic.
Band 9 IELTS essay sample
According to some people, in order to encourage people to eat healthy, governments should make fruits and vegetables more affordable by subsidising them. Others, however, argue that a better strategy is to increase the tax on junk food. In my opinion, both measures are required to promote healthy eating habits among people.
If fruits and vegetables are subsidised, more and more people will definitely be able to afford them. Everybody knows the health benefits of consuming more fruits and vegetables. However, in most markets around the world, these food products are expensive. This is one of the reasons that reduces their consumption. If the governments can reduce their price more people will be able to include them in their daily diet. While this measure can increase the financial burden on governments, it also helps to improve public health. If people are healthy, the government will be able to reduce its spending on public healthcare. In other words, while the governments have to earmark more money for subsidising healthy food, they can compensate for that loss by spending less on healthcare. Another advantage is that healthy people are more productive and help the economy grow.
However, making healthy food more affordable alone will not improve the situation. In order to limit the consumption of unhealthy food, the government has to make them less affordable by increasing the taxes on them. Unhealthy food, unfortunately, is more delicious and a major chunk of the world population is addicted to it. People are unlikely to give up junk food just because now they have greater access to healthy food. Many people are already aware of the health consequences of eating junk food and still they consume it because they are addicted to its taste. Making unhealthy food less affordable is the most effective way to discourage their consumption. When people realize that unhealthy food will burn a hole in their pocket, they will automatically gravitate towards less expensive healthier options.
In short, one of the reasons that discourage people from consuming fruits and vegetables is their price. By making them less expensive, the government can certainly encourage more and more people to make fruits and vegetables an integral part of their diet. However, this measure alone will not help as limiting the consumption of junk food is as important as increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Hence, in my opinion, the governments need to increase the tax on junk food as well.
