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FM65_MH.qxd 11/11/08 10:01 Page 1 Read this magazine and burn off at least 20 kcalories! FOODFOODThe MAGAZINEMAGAZINE Campaigning for safer, healthier food for all Published by The Food Commission Issue 65 N April/June 2004 N £4.95 Is this the most MoDMoD warnswarns ofof expensive fruit juice in the UK? burgerburger threatthreat Are you are a fan of Robinson’s Fruit Shoot Juice Drink? It is a product nder the banner ‘Who Dares Slims’ the Brigadier Little recognised that he would available with children’s U UK Ministry of Defence has announ- be facing a difficult task. “The UK Armed meals around the country. ced plans to tackle what it calls ‘the Forces have traditionally fed soldiers very But did you know that, at modern four horsemen of the apocalypse – well, but even though many are happy to the price charged for obesity, heart disease, diabetes and the regularly stock up on steak and chips, we this Robinson’s product, cheeseburger’. Yes, it seems that the MoD have a duty to provide meals that combine you would need to pay now regards the cheeseburger as a major taste with a healthy diet.” He added that with £22.60 to purchase a threat to public health. a budget of £120m, compared with national litre of pure, undiluted The MoD’s Defence Logistics Organisation food purchases in excess of £70bn, the MoD fruit? That’s equivalent has launched a programme to examine its “needed to be realistic in its targets”. to 33 bottles, each catering and nutrition requirements. ‘The Nonetheless, the military can take the lead containing only 10% intention is to develop menus that optimise in changing the UK’s diet, he believed. fruit. And no, this is not physical and mental performance and address “Generating the cultural change required for a the most expensive the growing problems in society of obesity and generation brought up on cheeseburgers and juice. over reliance on junk food and their impact on TV dinners will be considerably more challen- military personnel’s health and fitness.’ ging and no-one expects immediate results. See pages 12 to 13 for Moves already underway include However, if the MoD can be seen to deliver the true cost of juice in increased provision of salads and fruit improvements, I believe other parts of society juice drinks. alongside the ‘less healthy’ chips and sticky can learn and benefit from our experience.” puddings, said the Director of the Defence Catering Group, Brigadier Jeff Little. Brigadier Little also took a brisk view about Parents Jury fixes Bob the Builder unnecessary additives such as colourings: “There’s very little highly coloured in ration Bob the Builder’s agents have been in touch types of foods they will allow Bob to promote packs. There are some boiled sweets, but with the Food Commission, eager to find out to pre-school children. However, in a that’s about all. There’s nothing in there that what they can do to avoid bad publicity for telephone conversation with the Food would contain these type of additives.” Bob the Builder branded foods. Commission in April, a HIT representative said The services recruit up to 18,000 young The move follows widespread media that they would be starting talks with Heinz adults each year but, with rising rates of child coverage of a new nutrition policy from BBC and HP about reducing the salt in their canned and adolescent obesity, their fitness for duty is Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC. pasta. Currently, HIT characters appear on in doubt. Serving personnel also have to pass The policy commits the BBC to nutritional Heinz and HP products that would take a pre- annual fitness tests. standards for the kinds of foods that can be school child over their recommended salt While civilian politicians might allow promoted by characters such as the intake for a whole day – in a single market forces to determine the nation’s eating Teletubbies, Tweenies and Fimbles. portion. habits, the military cannot afford such Bob the Builder foods were criticised in Bob’s famous theme tune complacency. The move to improve soldiers’ many of the newspaper stories, with the springs to mind, but with new diets is reminiscent of the concern faced by Food Commission and Parents Jury words: ‘Parents Jury, can the British army during the Boer War, when calling on Bob to do they fix it? Parents Jury, 40-60% of men presenting for service were more for toddlers’ yes they can!’ See page 3 found to be too malnourished to be recruited. health. for details. The potential disaster for British colonial Bob the ambitions led to various measures to improve Builder’s agent, HIT diets both within the services and throughout Entertainment has, as yet, society, including the development of the made no detailed commitment on the school meals service. Get the facts with the Food Magazine FM65_MH.qxd 11/11/08 10:01 Page 2 editorial contents News Choosing not to choose MoD warns of burger threat 1 Parent Power works 1, 3 The Food Magazine is published quar- anufacturers love the word ‘choice’, which has the Checkout campaign update 4 terly by The Food Commission, a national double implication that (a) marketeers can throw Obesity is a marketing opportunity 4 non-profit organisation campaigning for World Health Assembly in row 6 the right to safe, wholesome food. We M anything at us and tell us it increases our choice, and Pesticides: right to know 6 rely entirely on our supporters, allowing us (b) pass full responsibility on to us if we make wrong choices. International action on junk ads 9 to be completely independent, taking no Even our government lives by the mantra of choice, offering subsidy from the government, the food Juice: what are you paying for? 12-13 industry or advertising. We aim to provide notional choice in education, health services, pensions and independently researched information on train companies. Health the food we eat to ensure good quality Choice in the food market can be equally barren of Nestlé and Nutricia target mums 5 food for all. meaning. Take McDonald’s. Can we choose a salad at Boots re-labels baby water 5 Aspartame faces lawsuits 6 McDonald’s? Yes, but with 13 grams fat in a crispy chicken The Food Commission Research Charity Children’s food as salty as ever 7 aims to relieve ill health and advance salad (with no dressing!), the ‘healthy’ choice is fattier than a Krispy Kreme: ‘calorie colonialism’ 8 public education through research, regular burger (under 8 grams fat) or even a cheeseburger Obesity top US killer 9 education and the promotion of better quality food. (around 11 grams fat). It’s not a choice at all: like political Costs of obesity 11 parties, you get a bad outcome whatever you choose. Glycaemic Index explained 16 Director: Tim Lobstein And does McDonald’s serve fresh fruit? Not quite fresh, as Policy Officer: Kath Dalmeny GM Nutritionist and Campaigns Officer: the pieces of apple are ready cut and pre-packed in cute blue GM found in organic soya 6 Annie Seeley bags emblazoned with Ronald McDonald’s face. Each bag Office & Subscriptions Manager: costs £0.59, more than the price of a can of cola or a bag of Advertising Ian Tokelove sweets at the newsagent next door, and equivalent to paying Latest rulings on advertising 10 Administrative Officer: Graham Hood £2.50 for a pound of apples. Not even Harrods charges that! Information Officer: Mary Whiting Environment Assistant Research Officers: A recent survey nicely exposed the problem of ‘choice’. The price of meat 14-15 Margaret May, Kate Millington, When it comes to goods and services, consumers said they Marion O’Brien, Helen Sandwell, Marjon Willers did not want meaningless choices between, say, different Science hospitals. They would rather have no choice at all if they could What the doctor reads 17 Cartoons: Ben Nash be sure of a good, high quality service. Trustees and Advisors: With food, too, we don’t want empty choices. We just want Marketplace Joanna Blythman, Dr Eric Brunner Books, posters, subscriptions 18 Tracey Clunies-Ross, Peta Cottee, Prof the best. Michael Crawford, Derek Cooper, Sue Dibb, Farming Alan Gear, Vicki Hird, Dr Mike Joffe, Robin What’s the beef? 19 Jenkins, Prof Tim Lang, Iona Lidington, Dr How do we do it? CAP short-changes fruit farmers 21 Alan Long, Jeanette Longfield, Diane Our budget is often in the red. Our rent has just been McCrae, Dr Erik Millstone, Dr Melanie increased. And the battle for healthy food is becoming more Miller, Charlotte Mitchell, Dr Mike Nelson, Books Dr Mike Rayner, Prof Aubrey Sheiham, and more intense... Yet the Food Commission survives. Reviews of books and reports 20 Colin Tudge, Hugh Warwick, Simon Wright. How? By being as frugal as possible with our resources. By creative campaigning. By paying ourselves low wages. By Feedback I Issue 65 of the Food Magazine April - A dip into our mailbag 22-23 June 2004. ISSN 0953-5047. using volunteer and student help when we can. I Typesetting and design by Ian Tokelove And by asking our readers to help us. And help us you have: Backbites of the Food Commission. our January appeal raised over £5,000, and thanks to Gift Aid I On the lighter side… 24 Printed on recycled paper by Rap/Spider claims we can add another £1,000 to that figure. Web, Oldham OL9 7LY. I Retail distribution by Central Books, 99 And it isn’t just the cash.