The relentless march of the nanny state into the minutiae of people’s lives continues unabated. A quote: WA will ban ham and cheese sandwiches from school to hand teens with the lunch meal classed as red under new dietary rules. This is on a traffic light system of red, amber, and green. Ham and cheese toasties were previously rated green, while a plain ham sandwich was classified as amber but was allowed to be sold every day. Now, ham has been taken off the menu, hit with a red classification.
This is absolutely without any basis in reality, in as much as the low-fat dietary guidelines, introduced without any evidence in the 1980s, not only haven’t been a success but have led to a significant increase in problems with overweight and obesity. Why? Because we get rid of foods that people traditionally ate and replace them with processed carbohydrates. So, if there is a problem with ham and cheese sandwiches, it’s not the ham or the cheese; it’s the bread. But is it OK to have a couple of slices of bread as a sandwich? Then the answer to that one is yes.
But there are two major issues with this. Number one, the government is interfering with food choices, which is the responsibility of parents. Number two, it is based on a flawed system. A flawed system.
Now, there may be some guidelines (in inverted commas) that can be usefully applied in school canteens, and that might include not selling soft drinks. Fair enough. It’s reasonable. If parents want to give children a soft drink, they can do that at home. And for those who’ve heard me speak previously, it is something to have as a treat—certainly not for every day. The best drink for children is water. The best drink for adults as well. So, there isn’t a need for a school canteen to sell soft drinks. There’s no need for them to sell lollies either. These can be treats at home that don’t need to be had in the middle of the day at school.
But ham and cheese sandwiches? Now we’re talking about something completely different. And what are we going to have in their place? A muesli bar and an Up & Go drink? Something else with a high sugar content that gets ticks, stars, or elephant stamps from the powers that be?
Two key issues in this:
- Food choices for children are the domain and responsibility of parents. Now, some of you out there might say, Look, not all parents get every choice right. No, they don’t. But they’re more likely to get it right than a government with a one-size-fits-all approach and agenda. Parents have responsibilities for their own children and, in that regard, for people in their care.
- It’s all just muddle-headed. Completely muddle-headed. If you wanted to have a crack at ham and cheese sandwiches, you’d probably say, We’ll get rid of the bread because of the amount of refined carbohydrate—not the ham or the cheese. Should we live on ham and cheese alone? No. Should we be eating it three times a day? Again, obviously, the answer to that one is no.
Now, I think it’s worth, before we finish up, just pointing out that the reason—or the official reason—behind this is a completely discredited work put out by the WHO nearly a decade ago, talking about increased risks of cancer in people who ate processed meats. That includes ham, salamis, bacon, and a whole lot of other foods.
Now, that people may get bowel cancer and that they may eat some of these foods from time to time does not, has not, and did not establish any cause-and-effect relationship. The statistical correlation was something less than 0.8%, something in that order. I can’t remember the exact number, but it was minuscule. And certainly, a child having a ham and cheese toastie—even if it’s two or three times a week, a slice of ham—is not going to in any way, shape, or form significantly affect their chances of getting cancer later in life.
So, essentially, this is again the nanny-state bureaucrats looking for something to do. The intrusion of the state into the lives of parents and children. Really, it’s up to us as citizens to start pushing back against the relentless march of the nanny state.
Thank you for reading Doctor Joe Unplugged! If you found this insightful, feel free to like, share, and subscribe. Stay connected on all social media platforms, and for more exclusive content, visit my Substack: drjoeunplugged.substack.com. New posts go live every week—don’t miss out!
Dr Joe Kosterich – Doctor, Health Industry Consultant and Author
Doctor, speaker, author, and health industry consultant, Joe is WA State Medical Director for IPN, Clinical editor of Medical Forum Magazine, Medical Advisor to Medicinal Cannabis company Little Green Pharma and Course Chair, and writer for Health Cert. He is often called to give opinions in medico-legal cases, has taught students at UWA and Curtin Medical schools and been involved in post graduate education for over 20 years.
A regular on radio and TV, Joe has a podcast – Dr Joe Unplugged, has self- published two books and maintains a website with health information. He has extensive experience in helping businesses maintain a healthy workforce.
Past Chairman of Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association, current Vice President of Arthritis and Osteoporosis WA, Joe previously held senior positions in the Australian Medical Association and has sat on numerous boards.
