Everything is fast in modern times-fast transportation, fast communication, fast service etc. It is from the need for fast service that the term ‘Fast Food’ came into usage. It means food that can be prepared and served quickly. Such type of food is prepared on a large scale using standardized production methods.

Over the past 20 years, fast food and other Western products have marched into Kuwait thanks to globalization. It is believed that food is the oldest global carrier of culture. Fast food is one of the fastest growing food types and is a popular American export to both developed and developing nations around the world. Here in Kuwait also, it has gained popularity to the level of becoming a cultural norm; overshadowing traditional eating habits. Thus it has become an integral part of the life style for both Kuwaitis and non Kuwaitis residing here. The smell of French fries wafts everywhere, be it shopping malls, cinema theatres or even the airport here! When the first American fast food outlet opened in Kuwait city in 1994, around 15000 customers queued 10 km for its drive thru!!!!

What makes fast food so popular here? The point that comes immediately to our mind is that it is easily affordable even for a person with modest means of earning. In most of the fast food restaurants,' value meals’ are common. It means offering a group of items together at a lower price than they would cost individually. In Kuwait, you can get a meal for just KD 1.500!! One can buy fast food through vending machines, drive through restaurants and 24 hr convenience stores. There are restaurants in all residential areas which were not there some 20 years ago. Fast food chains also have the facility of home/office delivery too.

Kuwaitis are food lovers. Food is always at the top of the menu in family gatherings and social events. They eat out 2 to 3 times a week. The more quantity and variety of the food presented; the more will be their social status in the eyes of their guests. Restaurants offer regional menus to cater to local tastes and most overseas outlets are owned by native franchisees. Fast food varies widely in food type, encompassing almost all kinds of meats, preparation methods and ethnic cuisines. So, one can get a broad menu of items to choose from to fulfill one's appetite.

Another reason for the wide spread popularity of fast food culture in Kuwait is that the per capita income here is among the richest in the world. Further, there are limitations to do other outdoor activities, due to various reasons; prominent among them being the harsh weather conditions, prevailing here in most part of the year. Homes are equipped with latest advanced technology devices in addition to servants at home to do housework and to look after kids which give additionally more free time to venture out into the malls. For many, the popular ways to kill time is to roam around the air-conditioned malls with family and friends during weekends to do window shopping and eating out. The afore said reasons play an important role in increasing the popularity of the fast food chains. Food courts form a major part of malls here and attract maximum crowds, whereas the other shops will be rather empty!!! The fact that the larger middle class population cannot afford expensive shopping in high end malls, they find it rather easier to spend time on food courts. Normally one entire floor will be dedicated to the fast food outlets in most of the malls here.

Obesity, heart disease, diabetes are the diseases which are most commonly discovered in people who consume more fast food. This is because a single meal of fast food gives more than the ideal share of the daily intake of fat, cholesterol, salt and sugar. Just an extra 100 calories per day may equate to about 10 pounds of weight gain per year! Some alarming results of excess fast food consumption among Kuwaiti population (listed below) will make us ponder where this fast food culture is leading our lives to!!

According to latest reports by WHO and International Diabetes Federation, Kuwait is among the top 5 countries suffering from diabetes or its complications with approximately 26% diagnosed (14.4% are adults). Around 80% of the population is overweight or obese. (28.8% are adults). Recently launched GETHEALTHYKUWAIT.COM (GHK) nationwide Health campaign reported that 45 % of the female students analyzed for obesity during school visits over a four month period were overweight or obese GHK jointly funded by Diet Care, the leading provider of diet and nutrition services in Kuwait & Taiba Hospital

also determined that out of the 232 teenage girls tested by expert nutritionists from Diet Care and Taiba Hospital in 6 schools in Kuwait within the last two months,17% suffer from high cholesterol levels and 9 % have high glucose levels. The Body Mass Index (BMI) results of kids were above 30 in many cases, whereas the ideal range should be between 20 & 25.Type-2 diabetes is found to affect kids as young as 8! Whereas the above startling statistics do not mean only fast food has caused this damage, but surely addiction to fast food is of a prime concern.

Ultimately we ourselves are responsible for our health. Such campaigns will be fully successful only if each one of us takes individual effort towards developing healthy eating habits. The best way is eating more of home cooked meals or in case one is eating out then one should eat only after considering the calorie information of each menu item. Even modest adjustments in calorie intake over a regular basis can avert weight gain and lead to better health overtime.

Let us remember always, “We are what we eat''.