Tim Worstall

Well Done Lads!

As you will know, there are new rules in the offing to control what food can be advertised to children during their favourite TV programs. So some group of paper pushers somewhere has to draw up a list of what can and cannot be advertised, of course.

What you cannot advertise to children: Marmite, Flora Lite, half-fat cheddar cheese, Dairylea triangles, bran
flakes, camembert, t, instant hot oat cereal,  reduced calorie mayonnaise, multi-grain hoop cereal,
half-fat creme fraiche,  potato waffles, Greek
yoghurt (sheep), ham, sausages, bacon rashers, low-fat spreads,
peanuts, cashew nuts, pistachio nuts, peanut butter, raisins, sultanas,
currants, low-fat potato crisps, olive oil, butter, pizza,
tomato ketchup,  brown sauce, (yes, I’ve taken a few out).

What you may advertise to children: McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Burger King, Cadbury’s, Kellogg’s.

There was a time when it was said that Britain’s Civil Service was staffed with Rolls Royce minds. Are we now ready to accept that we’ve now got one well stocked with Trabant minds? With all of the performance issues that entails?

In

5 responses

  1. Tom Paine Avatar
    Tom Paine

    At least a Trabant usually got you from A to B. Our public servants make chocolate teapots seem like a design triumph.

    Reply
  2. anon Avatar
    anon

    There was a time when it was said that Britain’s Civil Service was staffed with Rolls Royce minds.
    Look at the people who are ultimately running the show, though. Clueless twats with less experience than a whelk stand owner’s Saturday boy. They get more worked up about the army having met environmental targets than the right body armour.
    If you’re a brilliant mind who actually wants to apply yourself, would you choose to work for Steve “Apple II/Apple Mac/iPod” Jobs or Margaret “Farm Payments” Beckett?
    Then there’s the question of rewards. You work for say, Google and come up with a brilliant idea, and you’ll get a nice fat bonus. The government is so inflexible that pay scales are quoted to the nearest pound.
    A job in the public sector would be an embarrasment to me. An admission of failure.

    Reply
  3. Kit Avatar
    Kit

    This means that commercial TV receives less revenue so fewer and lower quality kids programming – big thanks big government.
    I will be weighing my children to see if watching fat-free TV will reduce their weight.

    Reply
  4. James Hammerton Avatar
    James Hammerton

    These regulations are utter nonsense. No one will eat 80% of a 125g jar of Marmite in one go, let alone do so on a regular basis! 4 or 5 g would be about typical.
    Similar things can be said about the low fat spreads and peanut butter being classed as “junk food”.
    The regulations are equating ridiculously large servings of these things with fairly conservative servings of pizza. And as for “diet cola” not being considered “junk”…
    I suspect they’ll have no impact on children’s diets (since they continue to allow fast food joints to advertise their restaurants) and will otherwise simply add to the cost of advertising and confuse people as to what is and is not “healthy” food.

    Reply
  5. JuliaM Avatar
    JuliaM

    “…I suspect they’ll have no impact on children’s diets…”
    Well, of course they won’t. It isn’t about actually doing something about children’s diets, it’s about being seen to do something about children’s diets.
    Who cares if the proposed policy works? What matters is it can be measured as a policy.
    There will no doubt now be a team of civil servants monitoring TV round the clock…..

    Reply

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