In the News - Tim Hortons & Burger King jump on eco-bandwagon

Well... on top of the Tim Horton's eliminating double-cupping... they are now jumping on another eco-bandwagon.

The company signed a deal last month with TerraCycle Loop to try out reusable cups and containers with deposits.

Customers buy their Timmies double-double, pay a small deposit, get their coffee in a reusable cup, which they can later return for a refund.

The cups and containers will then be professionally cleaned by TerraCycle and sent back out for reuse. And it's not just Timmies, Burger King has jumped on the bandwagon as well.

It's an admirable move... trying to reduce the amount of single-use plastics and single-use disposable packaging. I can't tell you how many Timmies cups I've found lying on the ground in local parks, often with a garbage can mere meters away. And let's not mention the number of cans and bottles (all with refundable deposits) that also clutter up local parks and roadways.

Sooo... if people still toss cans and bottles (which have deposits)... why do we think Timmies coffee drinkers will be any different? Or maybe it's just an incentive for litter-picker-uppers... one more thing that can be returned for a deposit and cold hard cash.

I'm a bit skeptical about this Timmies venture. Far better to encourage people to bring their own reusable cups (if Covid-19 ever loosens its grip on us) and or tiffin containers - be it a tiffin tin or just a rubbermaid container with a lid.

It remains to be seen how this will play out. I saw another headline go by, while researching TerraCycle, which noted that Loblaws had partnered with them in February 2019 in certain parts of the country (Toronto of course). The idea being that customers could return empty PC product containers (in a new durable, reusable format) via Loop. I haven't been able to find any recent news articles about the success/failure of this project... perhaps derailed by Covid-19.

What do you think... a success or not?

In the News - UK does an About-Face on Regulating Junk Food Advertising

You heard about Boris Johnson, right? Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and staunch opponent of the "nanny" state. This is the same guy who criticized levies on foods high in salt, fat and sugar, stating that he preferred a libertarian non-interventionist approach. Basically... if you choose to eat junk food, then that's your choice, and you get to reap the consequences. Just don't expect the "nanny" state to bail you out. Right... that guy...

Well... since his bout with Covid-19, he's come to realize a few things. He admits now that being obese put him at greater risk of Covid-19 complications, and landed him in the ICU. More and more studies are confirming that obesity, and its associated comorbidities (diabetes, cardiovascular illness, etc) put individuals at a much higher risk of death due to Covid-19. A recent study in the UK concluded that being obese increases your chances of death from Covid-19 by 40%. That's no small deal.

Check out the check-out candy...
Possibly a thing of the past in the UK

In light of his own personal experience, Johnson has made a few changes. He's taken up running and biking and is making a concerted effort to watch what he eats. On a much larger front, he has also launched a government campaign aimed at helping Brits combat the obesity epidemic. I guess Johnson has amended his libertarian views after realizing that it's hard for people to "choose" to eat healthy when they are being bombarded with junk food advertising day and night. As the government campaign says: "It’s hard to make the healthy choice if you don’t know what’s in the food you are eating. That is why we want to make sure that our labeling of products in store and in cafes and coffee shops helps us to make healthier choices."

The campaign has junk food squarely in its sights:

• banning ads for high fat, high salt and high sugar products (HFSS) on TV and online before 9 pm - I presume this is aimed at kids
• mandating calorie labeling in restaurants, cafes and takeaways - the idea being that if you know that your choco mocca americano latte has 600 calories, you will make a better choice (chai tea is my friend)
• ending the promotion of high fat, high sugar and high salt products in-store and online - this sounded quite similar to the first point but... what it really means is limiting the placement of HFSS products in prominent locations intended to encourage purchasing, both online and in physical stores - i.e. no more chocolate bars and junk food at the check-out tills!
  
• ditching Buy One, Get One free promotions on HFSS products
• a national campaign to help people lose weight and eat more healthily after the "wake-up call" of coronavirus
• looking at having hidden "liquid calories" listed on alcoholic drinks
  
• a consultation on whether to stop fast food adverts online altogether
• reviewing traffic light labeling on food and drinks sold in shops
• a consultation on making calorie labeling on alcohol drinks mandatory
• greater incentives for doctors to tackle excess weight, including the use of apps and exercise-on-referral

All of this is super great news. It's just kind of sad that it only came about because the leader of a First World country got sick with Covid-19. The scientific evidence has always been there... and yet... nothing was ever done... until now. On top of that, there is growing scientific evidence that eating animal products is also a huge contributor to obesity and its associated comorbidities. But there's not mention of that... I guess one battle at a time. If the UK can pull this off, it would be amazing... particularly given that 70% of UK males and 60% of UK females are obese. Makes me wonder what it will take to get such fast action from the Canadian government?