A few days after I wrote this post, it's reported McDonald's and PepsiCo are to help write UK health policy. To be fair Kelloggs, Unilever, Mars and Diago are also at the heart of writing the government's policy on obesity. Health secretary Andrew Lansley has set up five 'responsibility deal' networks with business, co-chaired by ministers, to come up with policies. Of course these businesses will be completely altruistic.
Then the Daily Mail, (ok, ok), say MPs have employed a food adviser to the Commons administration committee because they are furious about Commons food. They regard it as 'overpriced' and 'literally uneatable'. Bob Ainsworth is asking for Commons catering to be privatised as 'it could not be worse'. A bacon roll in Portcullis House used to cost £1.30 and is now £1.90 and the MPs aren't impressed - to put it mildly - with the new ' all or as little as you eat' £15 flat fee for up to three courses which was introduced in the MPs' dining room recently.
A spokesman for the Commons administration committee insisted it was normal for Commons select committees to draft in expert outside advice. The new MPs' food tzar is expected to be paid around £500 a day, but then surely he's worth it. After all Jon Hewitt is an expert with considerable experience in the industrial catering trade. He must have thought it was Christmas when he was invited to undertake this investigation. It will be interesting to read his evaluation but I doubt if it will ever be published.
Then we have the pantomime Happiness Patrol which aims to measure our happiness levels. I'm speechless.
'They're behind you.' 'No they're not.' 'Yes they are.' You'd better believe it.
Posts
