Are airports a microcosm of unhealthy consumption behaviours in society?

Without naming any airport in particular, I’ve come to notice that airports are quite unhealthy places in which they relate to consumerism. The last three airports I visited had commonalities; there was a McDonalds, Burger King & KFC and there weren’t any places to grab a fresh green juice.

Airports, if you think about it are your first and last impression of any city you visit, and by that, can set the tone. Now, if you have an early flight, you may just as well grab breakfast at an airport — persons got to eat right? The question this article poses, is, are the options in the majority of airports setting an unhealthy, and therefore dangerous tone for society?

Without going into airport data, it’s obvious that fast-food chains are abundant, as are Duty-Free stores selling booze and cigarettes, while the consumer goods stores pertain mostly to electronics. Taking it as a given, that every passenger is a consumer, and when in an airport, consumes, it extrapolates that everyone going through an airport (and that’s everyone basically), is likely to have an unhealthy experience. Isn’t that dangerous? Think about the amount of time you’ve spent in an airport over your life.

Imagine this changed, and airports were an abundance of healthy food options, oxygen bars, chill-out zones, meditation areas, gyms and nap areas. If airports were designed to give the consumer the healthiest experience possible, what could this mean for society as a whole? While we can’t say this will fixate healthy patterns in people, but it could set the tone for someone to have a healthier holiday, or arrive home with more vigour.

I vote for policymakers to create health quotas in airports, that negate the monopoly power that many unhealthy consumer product facing companies have in these important, and well-visited spaces.