The 21st century is the era of bullet trains and supercomputers. We are living in the age of fast transactions and fast transportation. Everyone around us is in a hurry. We can see similar trends in food and dining habits. Everybody is in a hurry. So, they don’t have time to cook for themselves. Sales of fast food, especially in developed countries, are on the rise.
Fast foods are cheap and easily prepared foods especially sold pre-cooked or even cooked. When we go around Kathmandu, we can see various fast-food merchandise—KFC, Pizza Hut, and Burger to name a few. Fast food is popularized because it is more convenient than cooking food, in some cases fast food is cheaper than home-cooked meals. Fast foods are especially popular in developed countries where people are always in a hurry and work till late at night. The younger generation in Nepal is also catching up to this new trend.
Fast food has started gaining popularity in the recent age due to longer working hours and increase in the cost of living. People have no time to prepare their own food and share a hearty meal with loved ones. People start work early in the morning and return only at night. Fast food is a convenient meal for them—as they can buy frozen, pre-cooked food and store it in their refrigerator, and heat it in the microwave when needed. Children also seem to like the taste of fast food due to its attractive color and its taste enhancers. The preservatives in fast food have been found to be harmful to our health but people don’t seem to care much. The trans-fat and MSG in fast food are especially harmful. The red, yellow, and orange dyes used in fast food to make it more attractive have been found to be cancer-causing. Because of this, the governments of Norway and the UK have banned such dyes but in developing countries like Nepal, the government does not seem to care.
Advertisement is one of the causes of fast food’s rising popularity. Global fast-food chains like Starbucks, McDonald’s, KFC, and so on collaborate with influencers and celebrities to draw more and more attention to their products. The colorful advertisement and the appealing billboards draw the attention of millions. The consumption by the working age group and young people has contributed to the rising popularity and consumption of fast food. Fast food may have made our life quick and easy but the health problems that follow the consumption of fast food must be taken into account by the consumers and health officials.
By: Prarup Adhikari (Science, A2)