Moving to France, I decided that I would watch the news on TV in French in order to practice my listening comprehension skills. During the commercial breaks, I was a bit surprised by the warning label on all of the commercials for junk food. At first, I thought that that warning was the initiative of the ad company. Yet, as I started to see it on every ad promoting junk food, I realized that it must be a requirement. After a bit of research, I found out that this is an initiative by Santé Publique France–part of the French Government Department of Health.
In my opinion, these ad warnings above are a very cool way for the government to ensure the health of its nation. The more that the people eat healthily and exercise regularly, the less likely that nation’s citizens fall ill and the less money the government has to spend on healthcare. Besides the cost-saving benefit, the government is invested in maintaining a happy people for a well-functioning society. Finally, specifically for the French, maintaining the image of la cuisine française depends on the image of the French people. If they become known for having larger people, the French image that attracts millions of tourists every year may be put in jeopardy.
To me, these warning labels seem equivalent to the warning labels on cigarettes. What do you think? Is the government too involved in the personal life of its citizens or is it simply doing its job?