Ethical Companies – The Blog

Calls for cigarette-style health warnings on junk food that is ‘as addictive as heroin and cocaine’

Junk food is as addictive as heroin and cocaine, scientists say. Studies show that the fat, salt and sugar rush of fast food affects has the same effect on the brain as hard drugs. The findings have led to calls for cigarette-style health warnings to be placed on boxes and wrappers – and even the suggestion that manufacturers could be sued for knowingly putting people’s health at risk.

Sigh, here we go again.  It’s ABOUT PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.  if I want to eat 15 Big macs a week I will, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, it’s my decision and it’s not for the “nanny state” to decide.  Don’t get me wrong I am not a McDonald’s evangelist (McVangelist ?) but they have as much to sell their produce in this country as fish and chip shops, Kentucky Fried Chicken etc.  What next ?  Health warnings on the Foie Gras at Mosimann’s and Petrus (I don’t know if Anton Mosimann or Gordon Ramsay have Foie Gras on their menus but it’s a relatively safe bet that they have done at some point in time).  For the uninitiated Foie Gras is seriously “loadsa calories” (and cholesterol etc) food, being the fattened liver of a goose.

The research comes as Britain fights a rising tide of obesity, with weight loss surgery alone costing the NHS more than £32million a year. The idea that junk food is addictive is fast becoming accepted by researchers, says this week’s New Scientist. The first hint came from American studies on rats showing that those fed on syrup developed brain and behaviour changes similar to rodents hooked on morphine. Crucially, the animals released the pleasure-seeking brain chemical dopamine after every sugar hit – a hallmark of drug addiction. Allowing rats to binge on bacon, sausage, icing and chocolate also caused ‘very, very striking’ changes to the brain,similar to those seen with cocaine and heroin. Even electric shocks did not deter them from getting their junk food ‘fix’.

I’ve worked with cocaine and heroin addicts, Big macs do NOT have the same effects (either on your health or personal life).

When people are shown pictures of their favourite foods, a decision-making area of the brain called the orbital frontal cortex experiences a surge of dopamine. The same area is activated when cocaine addicts are shown a bag of white power. New Scientist says: ‘There is now compelling evidence that foods high in sugar, fat and salt – as most junk foods are – can alter your brain chemistry in much the same way as highly addictive drugs such as cocaine and heroin. The food industry says that junk food is only addictive to a ‘certain subset of consumers who don’t exhibit the discipline required’.

No kidding Sherlock.

Hank Cardello, a former Coca Cola executive, says solutions include giving tax relief to companies making healthy foods.
He added: ‘People aren’t going to change their behaviour. To me it’s about getting calories of the streets.’

“Getting calories off the streets” hahahaha, ain’t gonna happen.  This springs to mind:

“First they came for the drinkers, and I did not speak out—because I was not a drinker;

Then they came for the smokers, and I did not speak out—because I was not a smoker;

Then they came for the motorists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a motorist;

Then they came for the dog owners, and I did not speak out—because I was not a dog owner;

Then they came for the fat people, and I did not speak out—because I was not fat;

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.”

The comments on that Daily Mail article really are unbelievable though:

Roger in Brighton is a real barrel of laughs isn’t he ?

Steve

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A few snippets from the news on food I don’t want to write long articles on:

Is this Britain’s unhealthiest snack? Chip shop launches calorie-laden deep fried ECCLES CAKE

Well, sounds interesting, I like Eccles Cakes after all. Why not ?

The world’s first ‘lasagne sandwich’: The new ’snack’ from Tesco that rivals even the most fattening American treats.

Apparently these are quite common. Never tried it myself, sounds revolting.

KFC introduces ’sandwich’ with buns made of CHICKEN instead of bread (but at 1,228 calories, it’s not exactly healthy).

Sounds divine I love KFC.

Just can it: U.S. inventors dream up ultimate convenience food… sandwiches in a TIN.

Sounds like a good idea, but I get the feeling it will taste revolting.

Tourists beware: London voted ‘Europe’s worst city for food’.

Not surprised. I can never decide what to eat in London. Unless you go “expensive” it’s hard to find anything worth the money in my experience. I suppose it depends on what they mean by “London”, I’m sure the suburbs have some decent places.

Sell-by date to go in war on waste: 450,000 tons of good food are dumped every year.

About time too ….

Steve

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Panic buying at supermarkets as Britain braces itself for the big freeze.

Hot food and warm clothing were flying off supermarket shelves yesterday as shivering shoppers braced themselves for the deepening big freeze.

Where roads were not already impassable with snow, buyers seized the chance to stock up on vital supplies to see them and their families through in case they end up trapped at home.

I’ve been shopping recently …. Got most of what I wanted, didn’t “stock up” on anything. Could I buy any salt though ? Could I heck, and I don’t want it for the ice, I’ve genuinely run out of salt, so I have to cook my vegetables without salt. Luckily I found some McDonald’s/KFC/Burger King salt sachets in the car so we’re not totally saltless. You ever tried roast potatoes without salt ? Well with not a lot of salt anyway.

Steve

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KFC licked by pub in menu fight.

An American fast food giant has backed down in a row with a North Yorkshire country inn amid claims the pub is using one of its trademark phrases.

The Tan Hill Inn, the highest pub in England, had been told by Kentucky Fried Chicken to remove the words “family feast” from its menu.

KFC’s lawyers said the company had registered the wording as a trademark.

But hours later the American firm’s lawyers decided not to pursue the issue of the pub’s meal description.

Despite the fact that I think KFC was basically being petty/stupid/over the top the real stupidity of this (in my opinion) is the fact that KFC were allowed to register the two words as a trademark in the first place.  Two bog standard generic words as found in the Oxford Dictionary, KFC should have been told the idea wasn’t “finger licking good” and told to get lost.  If it had been McDonald’s instead of KFC then they should have been told to McShove it (TM)

As for lunch I have a tin of cod roe and am going to have a go at battering it and serving it with chips.  They don’t seem to know what battered cod roe is North of Birmingham so it’s not like I can pop to the chip shop and get some ….

Steve

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