Fast food restaurants encourages unhealthy eating habits that result in obesity.
Fast foods are mass produced, compact, hot meals or snacks that can be eaten by hand on the spot, or taken away from where they are prepared or sold. Obesity is defined as a condition of abnormal or excessive fat accumulated in adipose tissue to the extend that health may be adversely affected.Obesity is increasing in the Caribbean and fast food restaurants are a contributing factor to unhealthy eating habits and obesity.
A Survey conducted in Jamaica in 2001 reveals that the trend of eating at least two meals at home is disappearing fast and fast foods are becoming the preferred diet of many Jamaicans. Consumers eat fast food due to their busy schedules. It is even now more convenient with the continued increase in the availability of food wagons and restaurants. Other contributing factors are the long working hours of family members an increase in single parent household, long distances to school or work, and short lunchtime are also factors. Recent research have shown that Jamaicans spend 31% of income on Fast food, the Kingston metropolitan Area had a higher expenditure of 39.9%.
The most popular fast food restaurants in Jamaica are KFC,Burger King, Tastees , Mothers,Juici Patties and Island Grill.An interview with Chief Accountant MR James Harvey chief accountant for KFC revealed volume of sales for 1999 was 1.5 billion dollars, 1.7 billon dollars in 2000 and 2 billon dollars in 2002. Between the years 2000 to 2003 they have opened an average of three restaurants each year. Fast food restaurants do good business due to consistency of meals and good marketing schemes. Fast foods contain important nutrients such as calcium, iron, vitamin A and C but are too high in sodium, saturated fat and cholesterol. This was stated in an article titled " Beware The Fast Food Craze" written by Dr Emulate Thompson published March 25,1998 in the daily gleaner.