Gosling's Grouse: You may say I'm a dreamer

GOSLING'S GROUSE

Imagine what the country would be like if the government banned food advertising? It has slowly but surely reduced smoking by making it harder for tobacco companies to advertise their wares, and look at the positive impact it has made on the nation's health. And the Exchequer is not suffering too much from a reduction in income from tobacco taxes.

If the government did the same with food, would it help obesity? We could start with banning McDonald’s and Burger King, particularly in association with sporting events. Then we could stop chefs appearing on our TV screens in adverts for food products, then we could move onto supermarkets and so-called ‘healthy’ foodstuffs like yoghurt or diet products. I know this all sounds a little Draconian but, let us be honest, obesity is an epidemic in this country. And surely there is a correlation between the size of people’s waistlines and the volume of food-related advertising? Remember, the ...