According to this article, shops are guilty of promoting junk food over healthy options. What do you think. Personally I can walk past the crisps & chocolate without feeling the need to load up the basket, although sausage rolls are different :(

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1401755,00.html

Personally I can walk past the crisps & chocolate without feeling the need to load up the basket
You and I can, but have you noticed how supermarkets display all the chocolate at kiddie level near the checkouts?

Originally posted by viking
You and I can, but have you noticed how supermarkets display all the chocolate at kiddie level near the checkouts?

That's why most supermarkets have lines of screaming kids at the checkouts, they know that most parents would rather dispense a bag of crisps to keep the kids quiet rather than a quick slap on the a**e, they both work, and after dispensing the second one to my kids they soon learned that no meant NO.

it's just product placement, they do it with all their goods. There have been studies on where to place things to sell them better.

a potential discussion about the rights and wrongs of smacking children and alternative ways to discipline them, but haven't we done it before?

Originally posted by viking
You and I can, but have you noticed how supermarkets display all the chocolate at kiddie level near the checkouts?
some s.markets had that many complaints from parents they moved em, i think asda is one!

I would like to agree with Owdlad. there are so many parents who are so soft with their kids, that they get away with far too much. I'm not a parent, but I would be much more strict about buying junk like this.

I think Cyclone is missing the point about smacking. Obviously you don't want to be seen smacking kids in shops, but surely being more firm and disciplined with them is the general point that Owdlad was making.

kids only know sweets are treats if you tell them that, if you tell them fruit is a treat, theyll learn that! my friend lets her kids snack on raw carrot and apples

Originally posted by NatalieSheff
some s.markets had that many complaints from parents they moved em, i think asda is one!

Some S Markets have a " NO SWEETS CHEK OUT".

I have to say I found this survey quite amusing.

You can go to any of the badly performing supermarkets and still find fresh fruit and veg, fresh meat and fish, etc. There's no compulsion to buy the products with high salt and sugar and fat.

I guess the real question is why parents buy this crap for themselves and their kids. I doubt there is anyone in the UK who hasn't now cottoned on to the fact that a lot of convenience and fast foods are not exactly healthy. If people carry on purchasing them they must do so for a reason - and that's likely to be that they value their time more than their health.

There are no, or very few, short term consequences to a bad diet. In other words, the 'slap' is missing. Whereas if someone is late for a night out or a meeting or whatever then there is an immediate consequence.

It's the old 'importance' vs 'urgency' issue - it's important to have a good diet but more 'urgent' concerns of having fun, housework, etc. tend to overwhelm this.

And, to be honest, a lot of folks couldn't care less....:)

Joe

Here in the US, poorer areas always seem to have more than their fair share of crappy markets stocked with junk food, liquor stores, fried chicken and fast food joints, where you can find every food preservative, additive and artificial color under the sun, but not an apple.

I don't know if this http://www.supersizeme.com/ film is available in the UK, but I recommend watching it. You will NEVER eat fast food again. Ever!

:) Sierra

The whole poverty / junk food issue is a nasty one.

I've found through practicality that you CAN eat healthily and cheaply by shopping around and, in my case, reducing the amount of meat eaten and going on a more vegetarian diet.

But it DOES take longer to cook and rpepare the food - and there's a bit of a 'start up' cost in seasoning and 'basics'.

And finally, many people just never learnt how to cook, and don't wnat to learn now.

Joe

the situation in america is as i understand it quite difficult. I read somewhere that living in certain area of philadelphia without a car makes it a 1.5hr journey to the nearest store that stocks fresh fruit and veg. It could be a huge exageration, i'd be surprised if people living in uk cities weren't within 20 or 30 mins by bus at the absolute most. Personally i'm within 10 mins walk, or 2 mins drive to the nearest supermarket and so is everybody at the same end of town.

Buying junk food is just lazyness, it's not like it takes a long time to prepare a pre mixed salad or to prepare an apple is it.

I agree Cyclone, we have a friend who lives in Colorado, and her journey time to the nearest shop is around an 1 1/2 hours, but as she says "you learn to plan" and she always eats healthy.
The big problem here is that it's easier to send the kids to the chip shop, or have in some microwave meals, than it is to think ahead.

always amazes me when people say "things are tight this week" and then take kids to macd's

some s.markets had that many complaints from parents they moved em, i think asda is one!
I have just come from Asda at Handsworth and all the checkouts are full of sweets at kiddy level.