The Food Magazine Issue 66

July/September 2004

Government subsidises snack promotion
British tax-payers are subsidising snack foods to the tune of millions of pounds through a government scheme to support food exports. The money is paid to Food for Britain, which is helping British junk foods establish themselves in overseas markets.

McDonalds evicted from ward
Complaints from parents have forced a hospital to ban McDonald's statff from visiting a children's ward and handing out vouchers for burgers and fries.

Nestlé attempts to lure schools with 'fuel' for kids
Nestlé is rebranding school vending machines as 'Refuel:Pods' which the company claims will 'encourage pupils to have a balanced lifestyle'. Sounds good, until you look at the contents, 85% of which are high fat, high salt, high sugar junk foods.

Chicken - gone to fat
To kick off a series looking at modern farming the Food Magazine takes a look at chickens, and finds they have become fattier, have lost valuable nutrients and are no longer the supposed healthy alternative to red meat.

Children's meals flunk nutrition standards
Research finds that the children's meals served in restaurants, cafés and leisure centres are a nutritional nightmare.

Trust me, I'm a doctor
Apparent endorsements by the NHS and celebrity doctors such as Dr Hilary Jones are being used to re-enforce the questionable health claims made by advertisers.

Parents go hungry to feed their children
Food Commission research finds that almost half of all parents on a low income have gone without food so that another family member can eat.

Poor meal deals
The bargain meal deals offered by outlets such as Boots, Whistlestop, Shell, Texaco and on GNER trains are certainly convenient, filling and cheap - but are they as good as they seem?

Eat like a king? No thanks!
The cheap ingredients which make up processed food don't cost very much, the principle costs being distribution and advertising. Manufacturers can thus make bigger profits from bigger portions - but do we really need king size chocolate bars that contain a quarter of an adult's daily energy requirements?

Traffic lights for Tesco
Tesco has promised a 'traffic light' labelling scheme to indicate the levels of fat, sugar and salt in its products. But shoppers may have to prepare for shelves full of red warnings, as we find that even Tesco's 'Healthy Living' range would score plenty of red lights.

Can advertising promote healthy eating instead of junk foods?
The food industry spends millions on getting the likes of David Beckham, Miss Dynamite and Justin Timberlake to endorse their products. Should a government that is unwilling to regulate use advertising techniques to promote health - and would it work?