Saturday 27 February 2010

Pass The (Small Portion, Healthy, Low-salt) Popcorn...

Cinema-goers should be warned about how many calories are contained in popular snacks such as popcorn, fizzy drink and icecream, according to the nutrition watchdog.
Really? Having been to the cinema increasingly fewer times over the last few years, I'd say a warning about the decibel level produced when chewed by slackjawed morons would be more sensible.

So why are we paying these cretins at the FSA anyway?
The Food Standards Agency is also concerned that portion sizes offered to filmgoers are getting out of control and have called on cinemas to act to tackle the obesity crisis.
Ah, yes. That non-existent 'crisis' again.

If iDave is looking to cut some fat out of his budget, then I'd start with this quango; it's obviously resolved all the serious food safety issues if it has time for its chief executive, one Tim Smith, to meddle in this area:
'There is a myth that popcorn is calorie-free, but that is not the case. It is a concern to us,' he said.
Really? It shouldn't be. It should be none of your remit, frankly.
Mr Smith added: 'When Coke started out in America it was sold in a 5oz bottle and now you can get it in a 64oz bucket. There are 20 fluid ounces in a pint, so that is a three and a bit pints. There can be nothing materially sensible about that, and no one needs that amount of soft drink.'
This used to be a free country, where when you requested a portion of food or drink from a retailer, it never entered their heads to wonder if you needed it. They simply sold it to you!
He said entertainment venues needed to take responsibility.
In other words, the public are greedy, stupid children who need a nanny. And Tim Smith obviously fancies the job. Mind you, who wouldn't, at nearly £200,000 p.a...?

10 comments:

Furor Teutonicus said...

And of course, cinemas, as with other food outlets, will be only too willing to comply, because the only thing that is NOT reduced about these smaller "portions" is the price.

Pavlov's Cat said...

But if you shut down the FSA, then CASH won't have any money and have to close down as well......

oh right

Brian, follower of Deornoth said...

The public sector has long since become a cancer rotting away the country, and the FSA is a particularly malignant tumour.

The question is, whether surgery or chemotherapy is the best way to get rid of it.

In other words, machine-gun or flame-thrower?

Anonymous said...

I dunno. Look at the popcorn carton in this clip. Something has obvious frazzled their brains and it must be popcorn.

Fat Hen said...

Popcorn has 1800 cals?

Most corn is air poppped and then stuff is added, not saying that it's slimming, but even if you pop it in oil and smother it in butter-maple-syrup sauce and sprinkle it with sugar, you'd have a hard time to reach this value.

http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-popcorn-ic2508

Brian, follower of Deornoth said...

Fat Hen,

Have you seen the amount of calories these temperance fanatics claim there is in beer?

Given that horrifying data, it is hardly worth counting the salt you sprinkle on the popcorn and the cholesterol in all that butter.

In the meantime, why don't we just tell these scum to fuck off and die?

blueknight said...

Food does contain calories, that's the reason we eat it. I would guess that most people do not visit the cinema more often than every two weeks and the ones that do probably don't eat a bucket of popcorn and 3 pints of coke.
If the Govt is concerned about obesity, it should target the obese and not the average person who wants to be free to enjoy a burger or a cream cake once in a while.

JuliaM said...

"...only too willing to comply, because the only thing that is NOT reduced about these smaller "portions" is the price."

Given they are losing money hand over fist as the recession bites and more people wait for the DVD release, they may even welcome this move...

"oh right"

There's method in my madness! :)

"In other words, machine-gun or flame-thrower?"

Both. Just to make absolutely sure.

"Something has obvious frazzled their brains and it must be popcorn."

Heh!

"Most corn is air poppped and then stuff is added, not saying that it's slimming, but even if you pop it in oil and smother it in butter-maple-syrup sauce and sprinkle it with sugar, you'd have a hard time to reach this value."

Ahhh, you had me at butter-maple-syrup sauce.. ;)

"If the Govt is concerned about obesity, it should target the obese and not the average person who wants to be free to enjoy a burger or a cream cake once in a while."

Government is incapable of targeting the real problem, it prefers blanket solutions, such as the reintroduction of a dog licence for all in an effort to crack down on 'status dogs'.

More on that later.

Furor Teutonicus said...

JuliaM said...

"...only too willing to comply, because the only thing that is NOT reduced about these smaller "portions" is the price."

Given they are losing money hand over fist as the recession bites and more people wait for the DVD release, they may even welcome this move...


Well, I did say ALL food outlets. But cinemas deffinately as you said.

Restraunts are the obvious ones. But seeing the shite they serve as a "portion" I ask "how bloody small can you GO!?"

Half a fucking green been and a 1CM³ pice of something purporting to be Steak hiding under half a diced bloody carrot, and dribbled all over with some sausse shite that makes it look like it has been pissed on by a drunken incontinent rat on speed.

THAT is a MEAL?

THEN these bastards come along and say "the portions are too big"???

FUCK me!

banned said...

Brian, follower of Deornoth. shooting is too good for the FSA and their overpaid idiot staff; not that I care about cinemas since I haven't been to one since they banned smoking before the legal ban.