[sadhuji]

Our country is proud to have in our midst a Minister who wants to see around her a bunch of healthy children who grow up on foods that do not cause any illnesses. The Minister has expressed a desire to formulate legislation to incorporate a ‘health warning’ in ad spots for junk foods during prime time, especially in the cartoon and other similar networks which have the maximum of children as viewers.

It would be an uphill task for her because children have got used to those two-minute-noodles, crispy chips, chocolates, burgers, ice creams and bubbly and fuzzy cold drinks. It would be a Herculean task to wean them way from these mouthwatering recipes. If the Minister is really serious about this, she needs to devise alternate ads to ensure generation of revenue for the channels and all those associated with marketing of the product which has origins in foreign countries. To start with, she would have to explore possibilities of whether Sachin or SRK or Amitabh would like to endorse products like chilled milk or coconut water or idli-dosa or lassis or kulfis – these are healthy, appetizing and purely Indian in nature. She has to realize that the market of any product is decided by he who endorses it and children are easily influenced when they see their idols in the ads.

If only she devoted half her energies to removing malnutrition from the slum children and from those who survive by picking rags (if not already into the profession of picking pockets), and removal of the fear of starvation deaths she would have earned accolades from the people. She should know that in this country of ours one section moves in air conditioned comfort, while others live on the doles of the Government which is denied if they do not follow the dictates of those in power.

[dzibead]

SRK is "Mr. Pepsi Cola"!

It's so suprising to hear that Indian kids (or at least some of them) are eating exactly the same kinds of snack foods/junk foods that American kids are gobbling.

[jyotirmoy]

Some them dzibead? Many of them. On your next visit look at the wayside stalls even in rural places, heaps & heaps of the utter junk. Our celebs are all the time earning money by enticing the kids to eat these. Corn from which the last molecule of oil has been extracted is processed in to snacks. There are two schools near my home. I see the kids picking up these on a regular basis on their way home, streets are littered with the plastic packets. Many working couples have no time to prepare "tiffin" for their kids, they just hand over money. The kids spend the money on these rubbish and drink fizzy drinks. At the home of many of my upwardly mobile friends I find their children eating dinner with a can/bottle of cola. A pretty picture of an affluent family eh?