Eat this and die - the government health warning they won't swallow

By George Tyndale on Jul 24, 08 11:40 AM

The Government is formulating a new strategy to tackle our epidemic of obesity.

The initiative is based around a ÃÂ£200 million package of publicity supplied by companies including Coca Cola and Mars.

They are promising advertising campaigns and on-pack messages to promote healthy living.

Now what's the only kind of meaningful health message that could be placed on a Mars bar?

"Eat this and you'll get even fatter. Throw it away NOW".

It's not going to happen, is it?

Instead, we can bet our walking boots that Mars will want to feature a scheme which involves saving the wrappers from 25 calorie crammed snacks and getting a free football.

Or a free seat at the 2012 Olympics with which, for some ludicrous reason, this Change4Life Campaign has been linked.

Just what the connection is between a fortnight's drug-tainted competition between professional athletes and the fact that 90 per cent of us are going to be overweight by 2050 escapes me.

What we really have here is a group of extremely wealthy companies who can see a golden opportunity to associate their products with "healthy living" and align themselves with the Department of Health while maximising sales of quite unnecessary foodstuffs which are helping to create the problems they are supposedly addressing.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson has fallen for this smart multi-million pound ruse because he doesn't have an idea in his head about how to tackle the massive health problem obesity presents.

He's still intoning meaningless phrases like "offering every citizen the encouragement and support they need to get healthy".

But, insists the clueless Mr. Johnson, this is not a licence to hector and lecture people.

Why not?

Faced with the grim reality that our overweight children could be the first generation in history to live shorter lives than their parents surely the time has come for a bit of hectoring and lecturing?

The trouble is, of course, that Mr Johnson doesn't have the appetite for real straight talking to voters. He would rather watch people die than hurt their feelings by telling the truth about their gluttony and indolence.

And "Eat less and get off your fat backsides more" or "A mouthful of this will help kill your child" are not the kind of messages that the likes of Nestle and Kelloggs will be prepared to pay for, I guess.