The Fat Police

As pointed out over at an Englishman’s Castle, you just couldn’t make it up:

HIGH Street giants Marks & Spencer are to hire food police to help customers eat healthily.

An army of 1500 staff will be employed to dish out advice in the aisles to shoppers.

It forms part of a new £200million Eco Plan, where M&S pledged to become environmentally friendly and help customers live healthier lifestyles.

The food police are being trained by the British Nutrition Foundation and will advise on fat, sugar and salt content.

Sainsbury’s too, I understand are getting in on the act.

I’d like to say that now I’ve heard it all, but somehow, I doubt it…

7 Comments

  1. I know of a recovering anorexic who will tell them where to put their advice – and seek out some suitably fatty “junk” food to put in the basket at the same time.

  2. I think we can be reasonably sure that neither Marks and Sparks nor Sainsbury’s are going to employ people to piss off customers other than by trying to persuade them, in the nicest possible way, to try the absolutely delicious and really healthy whatever it is (which just happens to be on special offer, too) — do try a free sample — in addition to their normal purchases.

    C’mon… do you think, in the real world, they’re going to start rummaging through your shopping and telling you that you really shouldn’t be buying all these cream buns and crisps from their store because they’re bad for you?

    Kudos to the Daily Record for managing to turn a press release about a ‘healthy eating’ promotion into a news story, though.

  3. Thing is though this type of thing is getting more prevalent in all sections of society and one day there will be people who will have been brought up under it all and won’t no any different, it will be normal to them.

  4. Not Saussure, for some reason, my SPAM software thinks you are a spammer… Sorry for that.

    Do I think M&S an Sainsbury’s will deliberately set out to piss of their customers? No, of course not. However, when I shop, I want to be left alone to get on with it – I do not want anyone coming up to me, talking to me or trying to promote the latest offers. I most certainly do not want their “help” to manage a healthy lifestyle. I’m a big boy now, I can manage all by myself.

    So, inadvertently, they will piss people off. The underlying message here – however it is presented – is “we know best”.

  5. [Comment ID #1847 Will Be Quoted Here]

    Yes indeed, I’m thinking about making up badges which say: ‘When I want your ‘help’ I’ll sodding-well ask for it. In the meantime just piss off and let me get my groceries’

    I get so utterly hacked off with other people’s ‘well meaning’ interference.

    ‘Only trying to help’, more and more ‘support’ from central and local government, ‘sharing’, ‘visions’ and so on. The moronic list of interferences is endless.

    My local supermarket now has official ‘greeters’ to grin at you on your way into and out of the shop. Why? Do they want to put forward some sort of human face? What sort of a job is that?

    Then they introduce ‘self-checkouts’ where the customers do their own packing, weighing, and paying without a single member of staff being present to ‘interact’ with. So now they don’t have to employ so many people on tills.

    What is this all about?

  6. I think it’s weird. They want to seem all nice and caring yet when you actually want the supermarket to employ some staff (like at the checkout) they are desperately trying to cut down on staff.

    I will never use a self-service checkout – why on Earth should I do the supermarket’s job for them for nowt?!

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