How about some junk food tax and affordable healthy food?

The gap in price between junk food and healthy food needs to close. Fatima Al Marzouqi / The National

This is in reference to your article, Order healthy groceries to your door from Dubai start-up Plotos (July 24). Maybe a junk food tax at, say, 250 per cent will result in healthy food proving a lot cheaper in the long run. Across the world, people eat low-grade processed food because they cannot afford fresh and healthy food. In fact, our fruit and vegetable bill for two people reaches Dh350 to Dh400 a week, not including anything else. Until healthy food stops being so expensive – and junk food so cheap – not much will change. If a fruit-filled lunch typically costs about Dh50 versus a junk food meal at Dh16, what option do you think most people will go for?

Tanya Milbourne, Abu Dhabi

Dubai Police video was very informative

The article on the video, Dubai Police shows how a family car can rack up Dh4,200 in fines in 60 seconds (July 24), was very helpful at showing how easy it is to make mistakes. Can we have more videos like this, please?

Satchitananda Ma, Abu Dhabi

You need to understand the value of money

I refer to the opinion article Why we have to change our spend, spend, spend culture (July 26). In the words of the actor Will Smith: “We spend money that we do not have, on things we do not need, to impress people who do not care.” Fortunately, I am not in that category as my parents taught me about the value of money from an early age.

Name withheld by request

Golden memories of early days of this country

I love stories such as this one, Early days of the UAE: Honor Cowell recalls her life as one of the first female expats in Abu Dhabi (July 26). My grandfather worked with Sheikh Shakhbut and I still have a gold watch he gifted to him.

Tina Saad, Abu Dhabi 

Those were the days when life was hard but simple and people were genuine, especially the Bedouin.

Dave Pryce, Abu Dhabi

Instagram’s new algorithm is exhausting

Regarding your news report, Is Instagram’s popularity declining with new algorithm? (August 26), Instagram’s new algorithm is exhausting. It should have kept the chronological feed versus the popularity feed, which causes the same accounts to be shown over and over.

Rgna Cordell, Abu Dhabi