Too far?

In the news this morning, is this article regarding plans to tackle child obesity - Checkout sweets targeted in obesity fight

Now, whilst I agree that we do have a problem in this country (and indeed almost all 'developed' countries*), I am not sure that I entirely agree with this nanny-state approach.

Banning having sweeties at checkouts - fair enough, but how does that affect smaller, independent shops who really only have their counter as display space?

A ban on buy one get one free, well that is a bridge too far for me - I would even question if it isn't in some way price fixing - the only winners would be the manufacturers and sellers.

And lastly, the ban on 'junk food' adverts - this would remove significant revenues from media channels of all sorts (including websites like this one!) which rely on advertising to stay afloat. Who would decide what classifies as 'junk food'? Is pizza 'junk food'? Or is it only not junk food when Jamie Oliver is serving it?

Surely we would be better off going back to the days when all of our fruit and veg was being sold or used one way or another - not discarding massive amounts just because it is an odd shape would surely make all fruit and veg cheaper? If we are going to invest money in something like this, then would it not be better to invest in basic gardening classes, or cooking classes for kids and parents?

And are there not much bigger issues that the government needs to look at more urgently, not least kids killing each other? It is almost daily now that we see in the news that another kid has been stabbed by other kids - Teenager killed in London party stabbing

 

I think a lot of the problem is that there seems to be less parks and swimming pools than there was when I was a kid? I know they have video games now that we never had (I remember how chuffed I was when I got my 11" black and white portable telly for my bedroom!), but truthfully there does seem to be a distinct lack of things for kids to do nowadays. I live on the edge of our capital city, and there isn't all that much for kids around here.

And yes, I think you have hit the nail on the head by saying snowflakes - we seem to have lost our sense of humour, backbone, and get up and go nowadays.

 

I tend to agree with most of what you said but have a few comments.

Small independent shops will not be included in the checkout ban. How they define 'small' is another matter.

I've never agreed with the BOGOF culture. Just cut the price of each item. They just use the BOGOF as a 'loss leader' to get people into the store. A lot of the food is wasted because people take more than they really need.

They're talking about the ban only being after the watershed. How you do that on websites is beyond me.

Definitely agree. When I was a lad...

 

I think that sums up my problems with it @shiney - it is yet another, ill thought out idea that our government is jumping at as an ideal solution. I am still waiting for the day they wake up and realise the environmental disaster that electric cars really are - and how many deaths there are going to be thanks to fierce battery fires...... anyway, I digress....

I agree that reducing prices of individual items rather than BOGOF deals would be much better, but we all know that retailers are never going to stop using tactics like that; if they are banned from doing so on particular items, they will still press their suppliers for deals, but I doubt they will be passed on just as readily.

Don't get me wrong, I understand the need for legislation for some things - but do we really need to be dictated to what we eat and drink? What right does anyone have to dictate to anyone else what they eat or drink?

Legislate on knives, drugs and guns by all means, but Mars bars?

PS - I have to clarify the * next to 'developed' countries in my original post; I put that there with the intention of adding a footnote that I hate that particular phrase, but couldn't think of anything else at the time.

 

Run around, climb trees, fall out of trees, hurt yourself! Don't play with the busses. All parts of growing up.

We live in a village and there's plenty of space for kids to play - and a very big village green. Do the kids play on it? Never! They're all too busy on their electronic devices.

We used to regularly see families having picnics on the very big village green and kids running around. Most Sundays there's cricket on the cricket field in the middle of the green but very few spectators nowadays.

 

Its sad really - in the summer, we used to take a baseball bat and a ball down to the park (a field essentially) and play rounders until it was too dark to see. It was a regular thing for our parents to take turns in coming kid-hunting to get us all to go to our respective homes for food or bed.

 

If you take a baseball bat down to the park today you'd get arrested!