12 July 2018 12:00 am
McDonald’s gives away a free toy with meals intended for kids. So what? No big deal, right?
Do they give away a free toy with a salad? Well, no. Ever thought why? Let’s give it a try.
Did you know that obesity with the risk of diabetes, heart disease and cholesterol issues is rising in children?
Science tells us that salt and sugar-loaded foods, such as burgers, fries and soda, are the ones which are more likely to ensure that the child would make a habit of eating them.
This is not so with salads.
So, it is profitable, in the long-run, to get children started on a lifelong journey of soda, burgers and fries.
You don’t have to give away toys when they grow up!
Furthermore, it is pretty clear why they give away free-toys. More business! More clients! More child customers.
It is not a secret that they use the media and movie world to create a demand for these useless pieces of plastic which they call toys.
Fast food companies learned this trick arguably from Tobacco Companies. However, the teacher hasn’t forgotten the lesson.
Recently, it was reported that Ceylon Tobacco Company “has launched a new cigarette, which is a line extension of their regular Gold Leaf product, in a bid to attract new segments – possibly females.”
According to the report this red berry flavoured cigarette “was put to the market with the intention of injecting modernity into the brand”, and also targeting, in addition to women, “more sophisticated ones who are willing to try out new flavours, similar to the menthol products”.
This shows us how the tobacco industry thinks:
More customers...
How to create more customers...
Actually, women hardly smoke in Sri Lanka. Sooo..... LET’S TARGET WOMEN.
Also, there is much demand for things considered Modern, Western, upper class and foreign. Therefore, let’s make it red-berry-flavoured, rather than ambilla-flavoured.
And - no need to make a statement over that - but we will continue with our goal of targeting children and youth.
Fruit-flavoured cigarettes to recruit children into this habit? No, No!
It’s Fruit-flavoured Cigarettes to cater to the needs of young adult smokers – possibly females!
Once the new users, children and, maybe women, are recruited, they will form a habit.
Soon, they will graduate to other brands. No need to supply the fruit-flavour all the time. Even if some crazy tobacco-control freaks get this banned in future, the tobacco industry will still have made a significant new clientele.
Scientific evidence shows that fruit and menthol-flavoured cigarettes are more appealing to young people.
Numerous Tobacco Companies the world over have introduced various flavoured cigarettes. Currently the e-cigarette industry (which is mostly owned by the same Tobacco Companies) has introduced an array of flavoured e-cigarettes with names such as:
Magnificent Menthol, Cherry Crush, Vivid Vanilla,Glacier Mint, Pina Colada, Mint Chocolate, Caramel Café, and, of course,Blueberry Strawberry Mint and Berry Cobbler!
To counter this heinous attempt of Tobacco Companies to recruit our children, many governments and jurisdictions have introduced progressive people-friendly legislature. For an example, the European Union’s Tobacco Products Directive bans flavourings (such as candy, vanilla, fruit, spice, herbs) in cigarettes that give the product a ‘characterising’ flavour other than tobacco.
Our own NATA (National Authority on Alcohol and Tobacco) Act states that a “person shall not manufacture, import, sell or offer for sale, any tobacco product as may be prescribed by regulations.”
So, the authorities only need to prescribe what isn’t allowed, which they have already done!
In September 2016, a Gazette notification officiated a regulation under NATA act banning manufacture, import, display and sale of any flavoured tobacco products. So, what the CTC has done appears to be illegal!
We need to bring this to the notice of The President, The Prime Minister, The Minster of Health, Customs Department, Excise Department, National Medicines Regulatory Authority Other relevant Government Officials
Why not ban the entire cigarette industry?
This is what some pundits ask. Well, it is not difficult to understand why it cannot be done overnight.
However, we cannot, as decent parents, adults and citizens with an iota of human dignity, allow CTC to rob our children of their health in broad daylight like this.
(The writer is a Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Consultant Psychiatrist, National Hospital of Sri Lanka, Director at the Centre for Combating Tobacco (CCT), Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo and Chairman, Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC), Sri Lanka)