Cadbury's Chocolate
Apparently, the uk government has decided to fight obesity by promoting chocolate consumption. It has endorsed a campaign by Cadbury Schweppes to sell chocolates to school children.
Under the plan, titled Get Active! children can buy sports equipment by turning in chocolate wrappers. The campaign is aimed at communities, read schools, rather than individuals. To be eligible for the top offer -- a set of volleyball net posts -- a school will have to make its students consume about one-and-a-quarter million calories, while spending over 2,000 (about us $ 3200).
The British government's sports minister, Richard Caborn, has officially endorsed the scheme in a Cadbury's press release. But the programme is receiving flak from health specialists and the National Union of Teachers. The uk Consumers Association has described the Get Active! campaign as "an irresponsible ploy to encourage unhealthy eating among kids!"
Independent health groups have revealed that Cadbury's would be able to sell at least 160 million chocolate bars under the promotion. They calculate that to be eligible for a single netball, priced about 5 (about us $8), primary school children would have to spend about 40 (about us $64) on chocolate, consuming over a kilogramme of fat, or 20,000 calories.
Trying to defend his company's project, John Sunderland, the chief executive officer of Cadbury Schweppes, contradicted himself in a letter to The Financial Times. While denying that the programme was targeted at children, he admitted that "children are the targeted beneficiaries."