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Should junk food ads be banned?

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Original post by shooks
The Commons health committee thinks so. Among its recommendations on tackling the 'obesity epidemic' is a proposed ban on TV advertising of junk food before 9pm.



Do we need this kind of legislation? Is the big stick approach the best way, or should we allow people to make their own life choices?


It worked with smoking. It also worked with things like asbestos.

It is a big stick, but only part of an Arsenal including education. However with a £5billion bill per year something needs to be done.
Original post by shooks
The Commons health committee thinks so. Among its recommendations on tackling the 'obesity epidemic' is a proposed ban on TV advertising of junk food before 9pm.



Do we need this kind of legislation? Is the big stick approach the best way, or should we allow people to make their own life choices?


We are our own teachers in life, if we as adults can't work out eating too much junk food cause us to become fat and many health issues, then we're thick as **** and deserve to die young. Thing is the NHS is put under pressure because of it and our Dr's.

Eat healthy, enjoy junk food at treats or eat it but exercise, it's not at all difficult. With children again the parents are responsible, if they don't care let them ruin their children's life, it's their choice.
Original post by Nicholas Nelson
people can eat whatever they want and society if free to judge them for it.


And banning ads will change what people want.
Reply 23
Avatar for kka25
kka25
18
Original post by the bear
my favorite junk foods are not actually advertised ?

£1 frozen curries ftw


I tried making my own curry once (I know I know, very ambitious of me). It tasted so bad that I'm amazed that I didn't mutate into something else!
Reply 24
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Andy98
20
Won't make any real difference.
Can't harm to try it.

Before anyone comes moaning with their whole waa waa businesses are important too waaa bull****, so is the health of the nation. I am fully aware there are other techniques that could be implemented, but it would be a worthwhile thing to try and see if it has any effect.

Also it's ludicrous some of you are suggesting advertising has absolutely no effect on people at all.
They could then be replaced by adverts that were more useful to us.

Like the latest online casino, loan shark company or PPI recovery service.
I think all adverts should be banned, especially given that a lot of people pay subscriptions for their TV anyway.
Original post by MichaelGreen
If these ads have so little impact why is so much money spent on them? :s-smilie:


Most of the junk I eat I'd still eat regardless of ads.
Why alcohol is allowed then?
Original post by Inexorably
Also it's ludicrous some of you are suggesting advertising has absolutely no effect on people at all.


The easily influenced in denial?
Original post by MichaelGreen
The easily influenced in denial?


Pretty much. The amount of pompous people strolling around claiming "advertising has absolutely no effect on me!!!" is absolutely insane sometimes.
Original post by Retired_Messiah
Most of the junk I eat I'd still eat regardless of ads.


But would you have started in the first place had there never been any ads while you were growing up? It's obviously not going to solve anything overnight.
And yet again we have the "sugar tax" thing being brought up. Restricting advertising is fair enough, but why should I have to spend more money for sugary food and drink just because other people can't (or won't?) control what they eat and what they feed their kids?

Restrict advertising, restrict where sweets and chocolate are placed in shops, etc. That's all fine. But this sugar tax idea needs to die already.
Original post by MichaelGreen
But would you have started in the first place had there never been any ads while you were growing up? It's obviously not going to solve anything overnight.


I think that I probably would. Most of the junk food I've ended up eating a lot is just crap that was around in the house while I was a midget, irrespective of any adverts that were on. Nowadays they make no difference cause I hardly ever sit down and watch TV proper anymore, netflix master race an' all that.

Regardless, banning them now wouldn't do anything cause people are still just gonna buy the same old things they've always been eating, just new junk might struggle to make dem initial profits.
Original post by MichaelGreen
And reducing marketing firms ability to make money from pushing harmful products is a pretty long way from fully removing bodily autonomy, so you voted yes I guess? I mean who gives a **** about marketing firms, complete waste of human productivity.

I simply think people are responsible for their own actions. Children less so, but junk food ads are a very small part of the beyond ludicrous amount of advertising they are exposed to. In the end the responsibility shifts to their parents for developing an immunity in their children to the unrelenting tide of lies in the media, and much like a vaccine, the cure requires some exposure.
Original post by MichaelGreen
And banning ads will change what people want.


I'll tip my fedora to that.
Well, theoretically, some of the ideas would stop junk food being bought on a spur of the moment (sweets on the end of the till etc), but if someone was going out to buy junk food in the first place, they have already decided that, and are considerably less likely to swap a £2 ready meal for £10 worth of healthy ingredients to make it from scratch. A solution I see is to make junk food less convenient. That, and making healthier foods far more convenient and cheaper. Because if it's still the cheapest thing, people will still buy junk food.
Just make it so that fat people have to pay for healthcare related to obesity, as decided by doctors and the likes, not the taxman. Now there is a massive financial incentive to remain of healthy weight, and if fat people can't afford healthcare then they die and stop abusing their children by overfeeding them ****ty food, or have to make cuts on the shopping bill. Fat people do not often starve to death. Demand for junk food falls, price goes up, demand for healthy food rises, price goes down. There, problem solved. No significant negative externalities, no more burden on society, fewer fat people.

The market solved this problem before it even began.
Reply 39
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Lacesso
9
Original post by wrangle1
Just make it so that fat people have to pay for healthcare related to obesity, as decided by doctors and the likes, not the taxman. Now there is a massive financial incentive to remain of healthy weight, and if fat people can't afford healthcare then they die and stop abusing their children by overfeeding them ****ty food, or have to make cuts on the shopping bill. Fat people do not often starve to death. Demand for junk food falls, price goes up, demand for healthy food rises, price goes down. There, problem solved. No significant negative externalities, no more burden on society, fewer fat people.

The market solved this problem before it even began.


United States of America.

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