Beppe Grillo's Blog

Advertising obesity

photo by florecita_roquera86
What’s good is not good. If it’s got a trademark it’s good. If not it’s insipid. The contents are different. We are eating the container. We are eating the advertising of the container. A study carried out at the University of Stanford to see how children make choices about food has shown that McDonalds is better. The same chips, one lot in the branded container, the other without. TV advertising makes the difference. Advertising of food for children, in which the children are the target, the viewer who is bombarded. Transformed into apprentice consumers. The snack, crisps, biscuits, hot dogs, drinks and all the rest. This advertising should be banned. Child obesity in Italy never existed, now it’s the norm. It’s advertising obesity. The fattening virus is the TV commercial. Advertising is dangerous for adults, but it can be lethal for children. It’s commercial paedophilia, the abuse of minds in formation. Children must get used to eating food, not brands. And if possible, without containers. For example, milk, must go back to being just milk. Cow, milk, bottle, child. Simple. In certain countries, it’s possible to buy milk, just milk and no brand name, from automatic distributors. You turn up with your bottle and you fill up. And the milk is local and costs less. You ask for it as well from your local Town Hall. According to the 2007 European Community’s White paper on obesity: “The last three decades have seen the levels of overweight and obesity in the EU population rise dramatically, particularly among children, where the estimated prevalence of overweight was 30% in 2006.” From Mediterranean cooking to soft food and tinned meat. Italian mothers where are you? Your children must not get fat like me.
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Comments

In our rebuplic - MOLDOVA, government make CHIPS illegal product for schools.

Posted by: rocker | September 20, 2007 01:06 PM

Sad to read, but truth: it's not personal taste or food real smell wich make us choice what introduce in our mouth... But the right color... The tempting bright text or logo of the right brand

Posted by: Alessandro Cottone | August 10, 2007 10:36 PM

Of course it is only 'Italian mothers' who feed their offspring - males have no role. Doesn't anyone else find it ironic and hypocritical that this blog uses Grillo's 'most famous Italian comdeian' name and face to promote an agenda which is calling for a revolt against 'branding'?

Posted by: Lauchlin Murray | August 10, 2007 04:02 PM

Well it is just not a matter of Tv advertising. Our choice is guided and conditioned by price, availability, position in the shop and other factors that may be important in particular situations.
And I believe advertising can play an important part in our choices.
Ultimately the problem is with the product itself and not the media.
What if we had advertising for natural and nutritious, balanced and maybe organic food? I bet nobody would complain.
Again the real problem is that our governments allow substandard food to enter the market. The pre-packed, microwavable, chicken Korma, is a disgrace! Nothing wrong with chicken Korma itself, but the pre-packed one contains a disproportioned amount of fat, salt, preservatives and colorants that would be better suited for a car fuel tank than a human stomach!
I say, force the industries to make and sell only high standard food that just contains…Food! Then let them do all the TV commercial they want!
Finally, to be fair, we have also to say that most of these obese kids and their parents should take their own responsibilities.
How about turning off the PS2 and go for a healthy football match or a bicycle ride?
When I was a kid I did eat healthier thanks to my parents, but I did also go out to do physical activities. And not with my thumbs only!

Posted by: andrea ceccanti | August 8, 2007 09:36 PM

What a bunch of wimps!

That sounds like an oxymoron.

Posted by: Giovanni Principe | August 8, 2007 03:04 PM