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Nanny State
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
These two adverts appeared one after the other tonight. The Bisto one wants us all to sit round the dinner table once a week as a family, and the Salt one wants us to read the label before buying prepared foods to check the salt levels.
Am I being oversensitive to being patronised by a food company and a government agency respectively, or is the nanny state taking over?
Am I being oversensitive to being patronised by a food company and a government agency respectively, or is the nanny state taking over?
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I know it can seem like the government is trying to over inform us via every possible means but, hell some people in this country *need* the obvious pointed out. Not everyone has enough common sense.
Given that the collective health of this country is going down the pan the government should be doing that kind of initiatives. If anything they're not going far enough. I certainly would adopt a more pro-active approach if I were in charge.
The salt advert is no worse than the anti-smoking ad's.
Something which is evidence based.
... and as a medic you should know the importance of that message.
You might feel patronised but there are many others who will not know this message already.
I don't think it is nanny state either as it leaves both options open to individuals. A nanny state would enforce such advice...
I feel that there is a massive gulf in hunger for information in this country, especially about health. Half the country is desperate to know every little detail about what they do, what they eat, and what medications they should be on; and the other half are very passive about it and don't take any notice either because they don't understand well enough or because they are simply not empowered to make the necessary changes to their lives.
Whilst I agree the Bisto idea is a worthy one (remind me what the evidence base is?), it seems a bit much to be told how to run one's life by a gravy company.
But as MoK, the benefits of a family meal eaten together are well documented. A properly cooked meal will have less salt and fat- especiially trans fats- and that is good for nutrition. Eating at a table is better for digestion. And then there is the emotional side of it- it is important for families to sit together and eat together, because it is important for children to learn social skills. The dinner table is one of the best places to learn social skills, and even to learn more about the world.
Quite right - the 'TV dinner' is probably the biggest contribution to the collapse of a traditional family life there is, and children nowadys definitely suffer as a result of this.
Families don't spend enought time together as a unit nowadays, and relationships between those families probably suffer as a result.
As an incentive to start looking at how much salt is hidden in the processed foods which we all eat.
It's health promotion and they don't exactly have a great track record in find the "best" way to get a message across. It was a slug last year remember...
So true, and often the people who couldn't care less/don't understand will often say that getting the treatment when they want it is "why I pay my taxes" and don't see the link between needing the services and their lifestyle/casuse of their condition.
This is going to be a long hard slog for the DoH and I can see the link between the "salt" campaign and the "ban smoking" one. Neither is being publicised effectively though together they represent the biggest risk of our health for the next 30-odd years. I'm looking forward to the third part which will be about fat intake/obesity...
The evidence base is behavioural studies, from memory.
It is a bit much to be told by a gravy manufacturer. It's actually sad that they think it necessary to even mention it at all, wouldn't you say?
i found it a bit patronising as well, it makes out if you eat 5.9g of salt you'll be alright, and if you eat 6.1g you won't - which is obvious bollocks.
if people actually made their own food, they'll know not to add a lot of salt and add most of it during cooking for best effect and the tiny amount after
Actually putting a figure on it gives something for people to aim for, there is no suggestion that people should eat a minimum of 6g and (one would suspect, although I haven't checked) this is probably evidence based.
Do you think it wrong to have the warnings on cigarette packs?
Everyone should certainly eat at least a few grams of salt, lack of it will do really nasty things to you quickly.
due to the history of tabacco and the lies spread by the tabacco industry, yes
for salt, there's better use of the money, like encouraging people to teach their kids to cook some real even if simple food and to eat all types of food, but in sensible moderation
it doesn't take rocket science to know that if you were to drink a 10% sugar and salt solution all the time that it'd be bad for you, or eat drinking something thats so brightly coloured it cant possibly have any real fruit juice in it a la sunny delight
So anyone who regularly eats ready meals, even sandwiches (and who doesn't do this at work) might be eating far more salt than someone who mostly cooks and eats at home.
The government is right to encourage lower salt consumption. Too bad that it hasn't got the balls to name and shame the more offending food products as they deserve.
yup
having a big coffea dn sandwich form sandwich shop is quite crap tbh, the ingredients are normally a bit susppect mainly, and they always fill them with cheap mayonaise
homemade meals and sandwiches :thumb:
The kind of people that don't sit down to eat a family meal are hardly likely to respond to a request from Bisto to do so imho.
Do you think that there are many smokers, who don't know that it is dangerous?
It's the same concept here. The companies who manufacture the products aren't pointing out that they are, in effect, poisoning you. So the Govt warns people to look out for it themselves. Sadly missing the point that they should be taking the manufacturer to task.
You'd think so, wouldn't you? But for some people it might as well be, they aren't thinking about what is in the food. They are thinking about convenience and cost. This campaign does nothing to change that. Addressing this issue at the manufacturer would.
Next time you are in a supermarket look at the "good for you" type ranges and ask yourself just how "good" they really are. Also look at the packaging claims for fat content. 95% fat free may sound attractive, until you realise that it actually means that the prodice is 5% fat.
It was marketed as a healthy fruit-based drink. It was placed in the chiller cabinets next to the fresh fruit juices. It was branded as just another healthy and nurtitious fruit drink, that kids will love whilst they get the goodness.
Is that not such a great distance away from what the tobacco industry did?
Also, you mention "home made" sandwiches. Using what? Sandwich ham, which is full of salt, sugar and water? Cheese and pickle- full of fat, salt, sugar and water? Tuna- could be OK, but the mayo- full of fat, salt, and water.
The bread is full of water, salt and sugar. It has been mass-produced using a system that has been attributed to IBS. So is just about any spread you put on your bread. So, as I've shown, are many of the fillings.
It's not as easy as "cook your own".
the less that foods altered ...the more expensive ...mad world.
low fat crisps are dearer than normal so ...only eat half a packet if you want 50% less fat crisps.
out here int countryside ...we do have a wide range of unadulterated foods from local suppliers.
the bit i can't get my head round is how expensive lamb is.
millions of 'em wandering about ...the easiest meat in the country to grow ...yet so expensive!
local farm shops have now started selling alotment produce as well ...and cheap.
I can't speak for anyone else, but I take "nanny state" to mean when they pass laws forcing us to do things, or to prevent us from doing things, for our own good. They're laws that shouldn't be there, because we should all be free to be stupid if we so desire.
Root
oh, right, but the advert as Kermit said is just a rubbish one. All adverts patronise to a degree - even the "clever" ones, they are just playing up to the "too good for obvious advertising" market.
I mean look at the church...
On my last ship it was so hot (40degrees+) I needed extra salt to make up for what I was losing through sweat.
The advertisers can suck my cock.
actually its ham off the bone, and the cheese its not like im eating a block a day, which would be a bit silly. and the spread, well i spread it i dont lump it on
its not just what you eat but how you eat it, and i eatmine well proportioned so it tastes nice and isn't too bad for me. theres no such thing as 'junk food', just a 'junk diet'
and i dont like pickle