Amateur Brain Surgery

So we are about to see new, graphic warnings on cigarette packets presenting the grizzly effects that smoking has upon the human body. Good idea. If it contributes towards people kicking the habit then it’s a good thing, in my opinion.

We here at Amateur Brain Surgery think that the visual warning system should be extended even further. Food packaging has been required to tell us how much fat, salt, lead and heavy-metals are in our foods for some time. But who actually reads these labels? In fact, who actually reads at all? Some supermarkets have been trying a simple traffic light indicator system to tell shoppers which food products are the most healthy. The supermarket accurately recognised that it is only the Guardian reading middle classes who can actually read and therefore everyone else needs simple stop or go instructions presented pictorially. Why not take a few snapshots of the ‘typical’ consumers of various foods and present these images on the packaging. Those shoppers who aspire to become (or already are) obese, crisp-noshing burdens on the national health system would quickly be able to recognise the foods that would best support their aim.

And what about alcohol? A few choice images on the back of various alcopop bottles accurately reflecting the state that some people get into after over-consumption may go some way towards dissuading the ever-so-slightly more sensible from over-imbibing. The image of a young girl getting shagged up against the wall of a rancid toilet cubicle whilst puking down the back of her young casanova would be one picture that I would use. Another would be of a young man getting his face stitched back on after being glassed in a booze fuelled punch-up at a club. Forewarned is forearmed. But would anyone actually take any notice?