Home Truth

Gone are the days when kids like me bought their breakfast cereal on the basis of the tacky plastic figure advertised on the box. I can still recall the anticipation. Of course, I could never wait for it to plop one day without warning into my coco pops. What a day that would have been! But delayed gratification has never been my strong point and I would always rip the box open, tip the plastic bag this way and that, trying to get this most coveted prize to surface above the rice crispies being crushed to dust in my eager hands…

Having a Proustian moment? I can’t have been the only one. I can remember too the shouts and screams of ten years ago when my two oldest boys would fight to the death over a Tony the tiger spoon that changed colour in cold milk, only for it to be discarded broken in a corner by the end of the day.

Ah but times are a-changing. Have you noticed it too? Cereals are now sold with books, educational CD Roms, coupons for schools, vouchers for free activity sessions, healthy eating tips, less sugar, more fibre….so worthy, so appealing to parents with a conscience… and the kids are left wondering where all the fun and anticipation of opening a new cereal packet has gone.

I was coping with all that. So were my kids, I think. But the new Sugar Puffs box jumped into my trolley and found a place in my cupboard (I just can’t resist a special offer!). And as I read it, I discovered we could all become honey heroes by supporting Hives saves Lives Africa. We could send off for a personalised certificate, membership card and badge, exclusive charity wristband and furry honey bee keyring (so the tacky toy is still an incentive!).

And for some reason, I was incensed. What’s the point of yet another charity? Aren’t there people doing this already? What about buying fair trade honey? Doesn’t that make you a honey hero too? Is making the world a better place really about making us feel warm and fuzzy? (with a wristband and keyring to prove it?) Isn’t this another attempt by a big company to appeal to the consumer by jumping on the ethical bandwagon? Are breakfast eaters a captive audience? What about the honey in the sugar puffs? Where does that come from? Is it fairly traded? Is the world going mad? Am I going mad?

I feel a letter to the manufacturer coming on. I’ll keep you posted.

Filed under: fair trade, shopping, africa on May 9th, 2007