Junk food and alcohol a public menace

Dr Alistair Humphrey’s startling parallel between McDonald’s and Columbian drug lord Pablo Escobar (The Press,

Nov 17) is spot on.

Dr Humphrey is making the point that big money has the capacity to build social marketing campaigns to obfuscate their underlying business enterprises that are killing innocent people.

New Zealand is leading the world in bringing the tobacco industry under control for the sake of improved public health, especially by banning tobacco marketing.

However, the rampant junk food and alcohol industries remain a public menace.

Their damage is mitigated in the public eye through these industries’ spending of millions on marketing strategies and campaigns such as Ronald McDonald and Tui billboards to make their underlying businesses seem a friendly and integral part of society.

Doug Sellman University of Otago, Christchurch

Principles no match for reality

Dr Humphrey (Nov 17) is setting ideology ahead of the welfare of his patients and their families.

His attitude is similar to that of the anti-vaxxers he no doubt (rightly) opposes.

Yet the existence of a Ronald McDonald House will probably sell not one extra hamburger.

And if it did?

A hamburger a month, for instance, is not going to destroy someone’s health. One a day, yes. But that – the self-control of his patients – is not at issue.

Talk to the parents who have benefited from the Ronald McDonald House system.

It is impressive.

There is an answer: If it fits his strange conscience, let the local DHB provide a similar facility at the same cost to taxpayers.

I suspect principles would melt in the face of reality.

Anton Petre Tasman