Shops should not be allowed to sell any food or drink that has been scientifically proved to be bad for people's health.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
These days there are many processed foods that are of questionable nutritional value, possibly justifying bans. However, whether such foods are actually bad for people's health is up for debate, and they should therefore generally continue to be sold.
There are many foods sold in supermarkets that are not particularly healthy, and there are certainly grounds for banning them from sale.
Soft drinks and high-fat fast foods are generally energy dense but nutritionally poor and may lead to chronic or even fatal diseases like diabetes or some cancers. If manufacturers were prevented from selling them, there would be considerable savings in health costs and even deaths.
However, practically speaking there are probably insufficient reasons for preventing shops from selling unhealthy food items. First of all, there is the dilemma over defining what is bad for people's health. The effect on people's health of any food is likely to depend on the amount consumed and any person's overall diet. Therefore, unless foods contain a particularly harmful substance, drawing a clear line about what scientists might define as unhealthy or healthy is very difficult, particularly since almost all foods contain useful calories for the body. In addition, care needs to be taken not to affect people's individual freedoms with dietary choices.
In conclusion, while there are some good arguments for banning foods that are unhealthy, overall it can be said that such a decision is too problematic. At the end of the day, individuals' well-educated judgement calls may be the best approach.
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