junk_food_and_sport_.pdf
junk_food_and_sport.mp3
BBC LEARNING ENGLISH
6 Minute English
Should fast food sponsor sport?
Neil
Hello This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English I’m Neil
Sam
And I’m Sam
Neil
The Olympic Games happen every four years and the most recent games were
held in Tokyo this summer Did you watch them, Sam?
Sam
Yes, I saw British swimmer, Adam Peaty, win a gold medal and - my personal
favourite - 13-year-old, Sky Brown, competing in an exciting sport which was
added to the Olympics this year: skateboarding
Neil
Olympic athletes inspire people around the world to take on new challenges, eat
healthily and get fit So it seems strange that some of the companies
that sponsor – or pay for, the Olympic Games also sell food and drink which is
linked to obesity, heart disease and diabetes
Sam
Tobacco advertising was banned from international sport in 2005 because of the
harmful effects of smoking But other companies selling less-than-healthy
products still sponsor big sporting events
Neil
These could be sugary drink companies, or others who sell fast food – hot food,
like hamburgers, that is quick to cook and serve but which is often unhealthy
Sam
In this programme we’ll be asking whether it’s right for companies selling
unhealthy products to sponsor sporting events
Neil
But first it’s time for my quiz question, Sam McDonalds had a long history with
the Olympic Games until the company ended the partnership ahead of the 2024
games in Paris But why did McDonalds choose to quit? Was it because:
a) they wanted to change the name of French fries to McFries?
b) they didn’t want to call their hamburger, ‘Le Big Mac’? or,
c) they wanted to be the only company selling cheese for cheeseburgers?
Sam
Hmm, I think maybe it’s a) because they wanted to call French fries, McFries
Neil
OK, Sam, we’ll find out the answer later in the programme
Sam
Someone who is worried about the relationship between fast food and sport is Dr
Sandro Demaio He worked for the World Health Organisation specialising in
obesity before starting his own public health agency in Australia
Neil
Here is Dr Demaio speaking with BBC World Service programme, The Food
Chain, about the problem with unhealthy brands and food products:
Dr Sandro Demaio
By having their brand alongside a young person’s favourite sporting hero, on the
chest of their national team, it does two things First of all, it creates brand
attachment, so if you’re a young child you built the connection in your mind that
basically fast food equals success At the same time it also gives a health halo to
that brand Then you start to think in your mind, even subconsciously, that it
can’t be that bad…
Sam
You’ve probably heard of ‘brand loyalty’, where people have a favourite brand
they always buy, but Dr Demaio is concerned about brand attachment
Neil
Brand attachment is the emotional connection between humans and brands It
goes deeper than loyalty so that people mentally connect a particular company
with feelings of winning, being healthy and success
Sam
The problem comes when these feelings attach to companies that aren’t healthy
at all Dr Demaio says this creates a health halo – the belief that something is
good, like an angel’s halo, even though there is little evidence to support this
Neil
On the other hand, fast food and fizzy drink companies invest large amounts of
money in sport, over 45 billion dollars since the 2016 Rio Olympics, much of it
supporting athletes around the world
Sam
Yes, with travel, training and equipment the cost of being an Olympic athlete can
be huge And depending on your country and your sport, there may be little
financial help
Neil
Many athletes are desperate for any sponsorship they can get - but does that
make it right to promote unhealthy eating in return?
Sam
Not according to Dr Demaio, who thinks people should worry about the
nutritional value of fast food, as he explained to BBC World Service’s, The Food
Chain:
Dr Sandro Demaio
When we think about foods and beverages of public health concern, we tend to
start by talking about highly-processed foods, particularly ultra[1]processed foods These are foods that have been really broken down to their
basic elements and then built up – they’re more products really than foods –
they’re made in a laboratory not a kitchen
Neil
Dr Demaio mentions unhealthy foods and beverages – another word for drinks
Sam
He’s concerned about the public health risk of ultra-processed food – foods
containing extra ingredients like chemicals, colourings and sweeteners that you
wouldn’t add when cooking homemade food
Neil
A potato, for example, is natural - minimally processed Bake a potato and it
becomes ‘processed’ Make French fries and it’s ‘ultra-processed’
Sam
And speaking of French fries, Neil, what was the answer to your quiz question?
Neil
Yes, I asked Sam the reason behind the decision McDonald’s made not to
sponsor the 2024 Paris Olympics
Sam
I said it was, a) because they wanted to call French fries, McFries
Neil
Which was… the wrong answer! In fact, McDonald’s wanted to be only company
allowed to advertise cheese so it could boost cheeseburger sales
Sam
This didn’t go down well with officials in France, a country with over a thousand
different types of cheese! OK, let’s recap the vocabulary from this programme
starting with fast food – hot food that is quick to cook but may be unhealthy
Neil
Companies that sponsor sports events, pay for them to happen
Sam
Brand attachment is a psychological connection between someone and a brand
Neil
A health halo is the perception that something is healthy for you, even if it’s not
Sam
Ultra-processed foods are foods containing added artificial ingredients like
colourings and preservatives
Neil
And a beverage is another word for a drink
Sam
That’s all from us, but if you’d like to find out more about the business, science
and culture of food, why not download The Food Chain podcast! – it’s updated
weekly and available now
Neil
Join us again soon for more topical discussion and vocabulary here at 6 Minute
English Bye for now!
Sam
Goodbye!
Vocabulary
sponsor
pay for an event or tournament in order to advertise a company or brand in
return
fast food
hot, often unhealthy, food such as hamburgers or pizza that is quick to cook and
serve
brand attachment
a deep emotional connection between humans and brands
health halo
the perception that something is healthy for you even though there is little
evidence to support this
ultra-processed food
foods containing added artificial ingredients that you wouldn’t add when cooking
homemade food
beverage
any type of drink
