Pub pie and chips next on hit list
Now smokers have been banned from Scotland's pubs and drinkers are being told not to drink outside them - it appears pub pie and chip menus are next on the health hit list.
Plans are afoot to make licensees come up with a healthy eating commitment as part of their licensing conditions.
Lawyer Janet Hood was on the national forum advising the Scottish Executive on the new legislation.
Hood, head of the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) Scotland, said it was not a licensee's job to tell people what to eat.
She said: "What if a hefty person comes in asking for something considered unhealthy? Do we direct them to the salads and face accusations of being 'fat-ist'?
"Licensees are not qualified to deal with this. It's about personal choice and health education."
Colin Wilkinson, secretary of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, also slammed the plans.
He told morningadvertiser.co.uk: "It's up to the individual if they eat healthily. Most pubs offer a healthy food option but this is a step far too far. Once again the licensed trade is being targeted."
He added: "Surely it's up to the individual. And isn't it about eating in moderation? If you spend your whole life eating lettuce I'm sure that won't be very good for you."
A spokesman for the Scottish Executive stressed that the proposal did not come from them.
It was one suggestion from the National Licensing Forum, which is made up of council licensing experts, alcohol safety campaigners and trade groups. The group advises ministers on changes to licensing in Scotland, which will happen in 2009.
"This is very much a first stab at the issue," said the spokesman. "If the licensed trade has any concerns we will reflect that."
Mick Macauley, 05/05/2006Healthy Eating - we all know that we should eat healthily and cut down on the 'bad' fats and eat salads and low cholesterol meals. I would suggest that before the Government try to change what the pubs are offering to eat, they should look carefully at the planning departments and stop allowing the fast food outlets, like McDonalds, Burger King and KFC from taking over the country, let's face, what town has not been invaded by the American eating habit. I am sure that they don't propose to tell these outlets what they can sell.
Lay off the publicans we are only trying to make a living, most of use provide a varied range of food including vegetarian options, kids menus and salads. It appears that all they are trying to do is ban pubs, after all if you can't smoke, can't drink and can't eat in them, what's left?
Simon Delow, 05/05/2006I wholeheartedly agree that it is about time the government stop their interfering in everyday peoples lives. We have a law in this country that I believe the government is not abiding by; "FREEDOM OF CHOICE and FREEDOM OF SPEECH".
Blair and his half-witted cronies have the audacity to give speeches about foreign dictatorships and it is now time to look at themselves as they are rapidly turning this once great country into a dictatorship itself. TIME TO BUTT OUT BLAIR and GO!
Robert Feal-Martinez, 06/05/2006"Licensees are not qualified to deal with this. It's about personal choice and health education."
Licensee's were not qualified to make judgements on the health of their smoking customers but have now been told they have too. Sadly The BII, UK wide did not support the fight to stop a smoking ban. Perhaps a lot of them now feel threatened by this abuse of power. We warned this would ne the next line of attack by this Government. The SE will lead the way, and the rest of the UK will follow. However I have a question for MA. Could they find out for sure who instigated this Forum. Clearly the SE are denying ownership. We do know though that Government bend to the will of vocal minorities. This will become the next smoking ban, mark my words, the justification will be that fried food creates carcinogens similar to smoke, as do BBQ's, wood fires, coal burning and bonfires, so it's only right isn't it that we ban all these things. Hitler would have been proud.
Robert Feal-Martinez via email 09/05/2006"A spokesman for the Scottish Executive stressed that the proposal did not come from them.
It was one suggestion from the National Licensing Forum
Who set up the forum?
On June 22, Tavish Scott (then Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform) announced the establishment of a National Licensing Forum. It will be jointly chaired by the Deputy Minister for Finance, Public Service Reform and Parliamentary Business, and the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care. The first meeting of the Forum will take place on Monday, 4 July.
So it didn't come from the SE. Why are we just a little bit cynical about these so called represenatives of the Scottish people."
Liz Barber via email 09/05/2006"To any rotund anti smokers out there - we told you so ....
By the way HMG have told doctors this week they must now actively raise the subject of weight (or OBESITY, as we must now call it so it sounds worse) with their patients.
Fat, is of course, as visible as smoke. Do we see the beginnings of 'fat' people being villified, verbally abused and socially excluded? Entirely possible. Is this, or smoking, any of the landlords responsibility? In a sane world, no, but we are in the hands of a government and a health lobby who have removed personal responsibility and free will and handed the policing of these matters to wherever the'crime' is likely to occur.
