Getting Real With Wanda Morrissey
It seems to me, that lately there’s been a huge backlash against various food products. The cases I’ve heard a lot about lately are: McDonald’s being sued by a woman who claims that eating there made her children fat and Ferrero is being sued by another woman because their Nutella hazelnut spread isn’t as healthy as the commercials claim. When I hear about these kinds of lawsuits, the first thing I think of is that someone is looking for their 15 minutes of fame and a huge pay off.
I’ve read several articles, blogs and debates on this topic and people are really divided on it. There’s a group of people that are all for banning any form of advertising for these products because they’re targeted to children who then in turn beg their parents to buy them. This group doesn’t think advertisers should be allowed to advertise to children. The second group, and I firmly belong to this group, believe that it’s up to the parents to say ‘no’ to their children when they beg for things that we don’t want them to have. We’re the ones with the money, it’s up to us how we spend it.
What happened to being responsible for your own actions? It’s not my fault I’m fat, it’s McDonald’s fault. Really? Did the McDonald’s employees drag you inside the restaurant and stove Big Macs down your throat with a broom handle? No? Then guess what, it’s not McDonald’s fault. Same rules apply to Nutella. Unless the Nutella staff are sneaking around grocery stores and forcing you at gunpoint to buy Nutella, then you have no case. As consumers of these products and others like it, it’s up to us to be aware of what we are buying. It’s up to us to read the labels and use common sense to decide what’s the best for us and our families.
I have nothing against McDonald’s or Nutella. I occasionally eat at McDonald’s and there’s always a jar of Nutella in the cupboard. I know that these choices probably aren’t the best for my family but I also believe that indulging now and then isn’t going to kill me or them. And that is the key – indulging now and then- if you made these choices a habit in your life then there is no one to blame but yourself.
Fabulous post.
I think there’s two different issues at work here…
(1) It’s ridiculous to blame the companies that advertise and to tell them not to advertise to children. If someone does not want their kids to be exposed to advertising, they need to find alternatives to television for entertainment. Whether someone is 2, 20, or 200, they need to be made aware that their life is going to be full of advertisements all the time, and that it’s their responsibility to understand and resist them. Parents need to talk to their children and teach them that colorful packaging and cartoon characters do not a healthy snack make. Requesting any alternative is simple laziness on their part, and does not prepare their children for adulthood well.
(2) Regarding the claim that Nutella isn’t as healthy as advertised… I haven’t actually seen any Nutella advertisements lately, but there is an issue to be addressed about truth in advertising. If, for example, Nutella is making specific claims that are false, then yes, I agree that is wrong and that action should be taken. Who better to do it than an individual? There are far too many falsehoods (I’m looking at you, Fox News) being permitted to stand as truth in our society, and those that tell lies should be held accountable.
Here here! However, I think the false advertising claim with Nutella is a little sketchy – they’ve got some responsibility.
But parents – be parents and take care of your children! Say “no!”