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Comedic "things you would ban": minor things that irritate you

birchesgreen

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Their self-crafted fantasist titles make me laugh.
These two are genuine examples: "Chief Ideation Officer" and "Head of Smiles".
Just. WHAT?
In my first job (senior programmer then production manager at a web design agency) we created a spin off company, i was to lead it and they mooted giving me the title of "Mayor" of this new company. Luckily the spin off never went anywhere...
 
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dangie

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Plastic squirty sauce bottles.
Some are ok, but others you have absolutely no control over.
Slight squeeze nothing…. Bigger squeeze nothing…. Bigger bigger squeeze still nothing.

Final two handed squeeze explodes half the contents of the bottle onto your burger [other foods available]….

’Anyone want some sauce…?’ ‘I’ve got plenty…….’
 

61653 HTAFC

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We do because after much pressure from consumer groups, shops now put the price per volume/weight on shelf edge labels to make comparison easy.
However, back on topic, we're talking about nutritional information here not cost per unit. What you are asking for is illogical, - if the contents of a 330ml can is used as a mixer, 110ml might be just right, but that would make a mockery of printing the nutritional value of a whole one litre bottle.
As someone who HAS to count carbs, it is a bit of a pain when manufacturers can't be bothered to print more than the legally required standard. Worse than that though, is a product I had the other week (can't remember specifically what it was) which gave a "per portion" count but neglected to specify anywhere on the packet what their portion size actually was!

See also the "traffic light" system for foods, which only looks at simple sugars and not complex carbohydrates... or the so-called "sugar tax" and the daft response to it by the manufacturers of Lucozade: "Oh, there's a new tax on sugars? Better change the recipe of our well-known product whose only Unique Selling Point is that it contains lots of simple sugar!" :rolleyes:
 

trebor79

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See also the "traffic light" system for foods, which only looks at simple sugars and not complex carbohydrates... or the so-called "sugar tax" and the daft response to it by the manufacturers of Lucozade: "Oh, there's a new tax on sugars? Better change the recipe of our well-known product whose only Unique Selling Point is that it contains lots of simple sugar!" :rolleyes:
Worst impact of the sugar tax was that McDonalds stopped doing ice cream sundaes, the toffee ones were lovely.
At least you can still get a full fat coke for a small additional cost.
 

Richardr

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Worst impact of the sugar tax was that McDonalds stopped doing ice cream sundaes, the toffee ones were lovely.
At least you can still get a full fat coke for a small additional cost.

How was that affected by the Sugar Tax - which is on soft drinks?

Meanwhile my connected ban would be on governments who think adding Aspartame rather than sugar is the answer to being overweight.
 

trebor79

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How was that affected by the Sugar Tax - which is on soft drinks?

Meanwhile my connected ban would be on governments who think adding Aspartame rather than sugar is the answer to being overweight.
Don't know, it was about the time the sugar tax came in. I think at the time there was some threat of legislation if companies didn't reduce the amount of sugar in some products, some chocolate bars etc were made smaller around the same time too I think. Or it might have been McDonalds trying to head off the sugar debate by dropping a relatively small seller from their menu. Dunno, it was all around that time though. McFlurries just aren't the same.

Agree re: aspartame. I refuse to buy or consume anythign that contains it, and have done for a very long time - it's not just the potential carcinogen, it tastes horrible!
 

dangie

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Computer printers…..
I don’t use my printer very often. It takes 5 ink cartridges. Yellow, Cyan & Magenta plus 2 Black cartridges. Why it needs 2 black is beyond me, but never mind it just does.

My gripe is that whenever I need to print something at least one of the cartridges always seems to show low ink level even though it hasn’t been used much. My printer (Canon) appears to drink ink when it’s off……
 

yorksrob

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Worst impact of the sugar tax was that McDonalds stopped doing ice cream sundaes, the toffee ones were lovely.
At least you can still get a full fat coke for a small additional cost.

Ah yes, I used to like the strawberry one !
 

AM9

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As someone who HAS to count carbs, it is a bit of a pain when manufacturers can't be bothered to print more than the legally required standard. Worse than that though, is a product I had the other week (can't remember specifically what it was) which gave a "per portion" count but neglected to specify anywhere on the packet what their portion size actually was!

See also the "traffic light" system for foods, which only looks at simple sugars and not complex carbohydrates... or the so-called "sugar tax" and the daft response to it by the manufacturers of Lucozade: "Oh, there's a new tax on sugars? Better change the recipe of our well-known product whose only Unique Selling Point is that it contains lots of simple sugar!" :rolleyes:
As someone who HAS to count carbs, it is a bit of a pain when manufacturers can't be bothered to print more than the legally required standard. Worse than that though, is a product I had the other week (can't remember specifically what it was) which gave a "per portion" count but neglected to specify anywhere on the packet what their portion size actually was!
If the nutritional content is correctly declared against a fixed mass/volume, any portion size can be determined according to the desired nutritional content. I am referring to food, not a medication.

See also the "traffic light" system for foods, which only looks at simple sugars and not complex carbohydrates... or the so-called "sugar tax" and the daft response to it by the manufacturers of Lucozade: "Oh, there's a new tax on sugars? Better change the recipe of our well-known product whose only Unique Selling Point is that it contains lots of simple sugar!" :rolleyes:
The traffic light system seemed to be more prevalent with more 'price is the only important issue' retailers. I think that it's inherent poor definition of food's harmful content was what attracted those vendors to use that method.
The sole intention of the levy on high sugar content drinks was to reduce the intake by those that refused to choose lower content products. The fact that manufacturers did change their products' recipes is some sort of a success.
 

61653 HTAFC

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The sole intention of the levy on high sugar content drinks was to reduce the intake by those that refused to choose lower content products. The fact that manufacturers did change their products' recipes is some sort of a success.
Then it was very poorly implemented.
 

AM9

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Then it was very poorly implemented.
Short of a total ban on high sugar levels, which would trigger "nanny state" calls from those who want to distract attention from the health disaster that such products promote, a price penalty is probably the most viable move that could be taken. Just consider the decades of warnings about the dangers of smoking and the attempts by the tobacco industry both with legal challenges and encouraging their customers to use everything including their 'human rights' to inflict themselves and others with that carcinogen.
 

Gloster

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Search engines that throw up results close to what you have specified without differentiating between ‘exact’ results and ‘close’ ones. No, you dastardly machine, I have asked for OAA wagon photos: I do not want loads of photos of OBA with ones of OAA mixed in at random.
 

61653 HTAFC

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Short of a total ban on high sugar levels, which would trigger "nanny state" calls from those who want to distract attention from the health disaster that such products promote, a price penalty is probably the most viable move that could be taken. Just consider the decades of warnings about the dangers of smoking and the attempts by the tobacco industry both with legal challenges and encouraging their customers to use everything including their 'human rights' to inflict themselves and others with that carcinogen.
A simple exception for products with a medical use would have solved the problem I'm talking about. Whilst the effectiveness of "having Lucozade when you're ill" is a bit of an old-wives tale, there was really nothing better for quickly treating a low blood sugar. Better education for parents would help too, so they don't use cans of sugary pop as a pacifier. Adding 10-15p to the cost clearly hasn't solved the problem (still lots of fat kids around), so the "solution" was not a success.

I haven't looked it up, but I'd be very surprised if sales of Lucozade (discounting all the various 'sport' varieties) haven't plummeted since the recipe change.
 

Richard Scott

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Short of a total ban on high sugar levels, which would trigger "nanny state" calls from those who want to distract attention from the health disaster that such products promote, a price penalty is probably the most viable move that could be taken. Just consider the decades of warnings about the dangers of smoking and the attempts by the tobacco industry both with legal challenges and encouraging their customers to use everything including their 'human rights' to inflict themselves and others with that carcinogen.
What about alcohol?
 

Richard Scott

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What about alcohol?
Well you're going on about sugar and tabacco, alcohol is just as big, if not a bigger, problem yet doesn't get a mention so why demonise sugar and tabacco then ignore alcohol?
 

Techniquest

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Well you're going on about sugar and tabacco, alcohol is just as big, if not a bigger, problem yet doesn't get a mention so why demonise sugar and tabacco then ignore alcohol?

Quite right. It's high time that alcohol consumption was dealt with. I won't go into my views on it, most people here will no doubt know I'm very opinionated on alcohol/tobacco/animal product consumption!
 

py_megapixel

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Search engines that throw up results close to what you have specified without differentiating between ‘exact’ results and ‘close’ ones. No, you dastardly machine, I have asked for OAA wagon photos: I do not want loads of photos of OBA with ones of OAA mixed in at random.
Also search engines that automatically broaden your criteria.
e.g. "No results for toilet roll. Here are our results for roll." followed by a list of items from the bakery section.

If there are no results, just tell me there are no results and I'll decide what to do by myself!
 

AM9

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Well you're going on about sugar and tabacco, alcohol is just as big, if not a bigger, problem yet doesn't get a mention so why demonise sugar and tabacco then ignore alcohol?
I chose the most relevant comparison. As yo've brought it up, maybe you could describe the situation with alcohol in the context of this conversation.
 

Richard Scott

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I chose the most relevant comparison. As yo've brought it up, maybe you could describe the situation with alcohol in the context of this conversation.
On the point of dangers to health and nanny state love of banning certain things. Scotland has put a bigger tax on alcohol but, I believe, it has made next to no difference.
 

cb a1

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On the point of dangers to health and nanny state love of banning certain things. Scotland has put a bigger tax on alcohol but, I believe, it has made next to no difference.
ICBW, but my understanding is that it's not a tax as such, because the extra cost doesn't go to government, just higher profits for the retailer / producer.

BMJ wrote: "The introduction of minimum unit pricing in Scotland is associated with significant reductions in deaths from alcohol consumption, research has found.

Over a period of two years and eight months after the policy was rolled out in Scotland a 13% reduction was seen in deaths from alcohol consumption when compared with an estimate of the deaths that would have occurred without the legislation, using data from England. This is equivalent to avoiding 156 deaths a year, found the study by Public Health Scotland and the University of Glasgow, published in the Lancet.

The greatest reductions in deaths were seen in people living in the most socioeconomically deprived 40% of Scotland and in men."

Predominantly saves poor men from dying. I think that's quite a difference, but each to their own.
 

yorksrob

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Minimum unit price is a far better way to deter problem drinking than continually upping alcohol duty, which just damages the hospitality industry.
 

duncanp

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Minimum unit price is a far better way to deter problem drinking than continually upping alcohol duty, which just damages the hospitality industry.

Minimum unit pricing only affects alcohol sold in supermarkets and other retail settings, and raising the price of alcohol sold in shops would arguably help the hospitality trade, as there would be less of a price difference.

I don't know how much an average pint in Scottish pubs costs these days, but an average strength beer (4% ABV) at £4 per pint equates to £1.76 per unit.
 

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