Sunday 14 December 2008

What do you reeaallly want for Christmas?

After reading the Sunday paper today. If you want something that is bad for you but legal, then blame the advertisers. A heart charity is trying to nail this problem relating to kids and junk food by calling for a ban on unhealthy foods being advertised before 9pm. 

BHF (British Heart Foundation) say that too many shows such as the X-Factor, Kids do the Funniest Things and Emmerdale are sandwiched by adverts enticing parents to buy kids foods which are "bad" for them.

The BHF report says that food companies take advantage of parents' concerns about giving their children unhealthy foods by "bigging up" one aspect of the food item, such as that it is whole grain, but missing out the fact they are tremendously high in fat, salt or sugar.

And when advertising is made illegal, businesses find other sneakier ways...

Cigarette firms have been found to have set up a supposedly independent group called the "Save our shop" campaign. This is for smaller retailers to campaign against government restrictions on promoting cigarettes in shops. MPs believed they were unaware the scheme was funded by tobacco companies and over 100 MPs signed a petition in alliance with the "save our shop" campaign.

So there we have it, always question why you want what you want for christmas before you buy it. Such as the pizza maker when you're on a diet, the mini fridge when you have enough space in the big one in the kitchen or the box of 200 cigarettes when you don't even smoke...

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