Final Word from Thursday, December 23, 2004
The last thing Czechs want to hear as they prepare to dig into their Christmas sweets is that overindulging in them is just as dangerous as abuse of alcohol or tobacco. ODS Vice Chair Miroslava Němcová told TV Nova's "7" debate show that if advertisements for alcohol and tobacco are to be banned, so should ads for sweets, because the long-term effects are similarly destructive (diabetes, obesity, etc.). Martin Veselovský of "7" was stunned. Sugar is our most cherished poison, and a big part of TV ad revenue comes from sugar dealers. One estimate says that 90% of supermarket food contains sugar. Even some mustard has it. Němcová's point was controversial but valid. Why should only alcohol and tobacco - both of which, of course, have a high sugar content - get all the blame for our bad health? We should also watch how much sugar we shoot. Except at Christmas, of course. [Czech Republic television]