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Can the you rely on the general public to make healthy choices on their own? Absolutely not. There are way too many social and cultural constraints that pose insurmountable barriers to those seeking a healthy lifestyle. And one of the structural barriers is economics.

When biscuits, crisps, cheap white bread and fizzy pop with almost negative nutritional value is cheaper than fresh produce, there's something seriously wrong. When you go into a pub and want to get a drink an soda costs less than than water, then you confirmation that something is seriously wrong. (What could be cheaper than water? There's something fishy going on there!)

Obesity is a rapidly growing epidemic, not only in developed countries but also in developing. The burden of disease associated with obesity is HUGE and if it continues to grow (pardon the pun) at the rate it is now, will surpass the global burden of disease of HIV, injuries, and maternal mortality etc. And yet it is so preventable.

The problem with healthy eating is that there is no immediate exchange, and that is what most people operate on. If I eat an apple instead of that apple turnover, I want to be thinner now. I want to have better skin now and better teeth now. I want to have a healthier heart now. Unfortunately, human biology does not match human psychology, and so an artificial exchange has to be put in place. And economic rewards and penalties is something that is immediately understood by all.

So whack on that tax! And while you're at it, increase the taxes on petrol, and smoking. The sooner we have a healthy population the better - and if history shows that free choice does not move it in that direction (and it hasn't), then bring on the legislation!

Learn more about this author, Yvonne Gruendler.
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