The Ministry of National Health Services recently marked World Obesity Day (March 4) with a staggering disclosure: nearly 38 million Pakistanis are now living with obesity. This crisis, costing our economy an estimated $3.41 billion annually, is less about individual willpower and more about a systemic price inversion in our food markets. Currently, ultra-processed, calorie-dense foods are significantly more affordable than fresh produce or quality protein. When a bottle of soda is cheaper than a kilogram of seasonal fruit, the state is effectively subsidising a future of chronic illness. As the world’s fourth most diabetic nation, we can no longer afford to treat healthy eating as a luxury.
The government must move beyond awareness campaigns and implement aggressive fiscal policies. This includes ‘sin taxes’ on sugar-sweetened beverages and the reallocation of those funds to subsidise essential fresh foods. Without shifting the financial burden from the consumer to the manufacturer, our healthcare infrastructure remains on a path towards certain bankruptcy by 2030.
Laraib Fatima
Karachi
