The major mults remind me of certain of my kids. You say: "Right, when your friend comes round, you won't play soccer in the playroom with your size 5 leather replica World Cup football, will you?" The answer comes with instant conviction: "No, Dad." "Why not?" "Because it'll break things, Dad." "Good. Off you go." Pal arrives. Give it 10 minutes. Crash! There goes the plasma. ............................................................................................................................................................ Why do kids play football in the house when they know they shouldn't? Because they can. (And it's good fun... I do it myself when there's no one in.) Why do the supermarkets promote 'unhealthy' foods when they know they shouldn't? Because they can. (And it's good for profits, sales, traffic etc.) The latest National Consumer Council report lambasting the mults for over-promoting HSSF foods (high in sugar, salt and fat) is naive in the extreme if the NCC thinks it can appeal to the better nature of the buying fraternity and expect them to treat their customers like their families. Sure - you can bet there are people in every buying office of note who won't let their kids near a blue fizzy drink or a bumper bag of crisps or a multipack of chocs - but will they sell them to their customers? Not half! This is business. Why would anyone think a company would do other than pay lip service to a pressure group bent on damaging its dividends? If the supermarkets were meant to be responsible for the health of the nation, they wouldn't stock alcohol (and by the look of the shrunken half-starved neds you see arrested on reality tv, there aren't many obese kids causing trouble on the block). ............................................................................................................................................................ The only effective way I have found of avoiding the playroom being smashed up is to ban the kids from entry. (Nicking their ball's no use - they'll soon improvise with a rolled-up sock, cushion or even - at a push - a smaller sibling.) No... if they want the supermarkets to stop selling junk food to us dim consumers, they need to ban us from their stores.