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Aussies outraged over price of staple snack

Australians have expressed outrage over the price of Tim Tams, after one Reddit user spotted the staple snack being sold in stores and online for $6 per pack. “I (remember) when a double pack used to only be about $4.50. F**k this shit,” the user who posted the photo stated. Others blasted the price hike as excessive and "un-Australian". One commenter pointed out that the iconic Australian biscuit was potentially cheaper overseas, despite the import taxes. “That’s in Australia? They’re half that in Canada and they have to import them from Australia,” one said. “Like many other shrunken and quality reduced products I can live without them," another added. Arnott's traditional flavours are currently listed at $6 in Coles and Woolworths, while a family packet will set buyers back $7. An Arnott's spokesperson told the Daily Mail that the price hike was due to increased input costs. “Like most Australian manufacturers, we are experiencing a significant increase in our input costs, including the surging price of cocoa," the spokesperson said. “This has led us to make the difficult decision to increase the price of our Tim Tam biscuits. “We continue to invest in promotional programs with our retailers year-round, to ensure consumers can buy our products at great value prices. ‘The changes are necessary for Arnott’s to remain competitive as an Australian manufacturer and to continue to make the delicious products Australians know and love.” Image: Reddit

Money & Banking

What causes food cravings? And what can we do about them?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gabrielle-weidemann-91497">Gabrielle Weidemann</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/justin-mahlberg-1634725">Justin Mahlberg</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> Many of us try to eat more fruits and vegetables and less ultra-processed food. But why is sticking to your goals so hard? High-fat, sugar-rich and salty foods are simply so enjoyable to eat. And it’s not just you – we’ve evolved that way. These foods <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5928395/">activate</a> the brain’s reward system because in the past they were <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030684">rare</a>. Now, they’re all around us. In wealthy modern societies we are bombarded by <a href="https://theconversation.com/junk-food-is-promoted-online-to-appeal-to-kids-and-target-young-men-our-study-shows-234285">advertising</a> which intentionally reminds us about the sight, smell and taste of calorie-dense foods. And in response to these powerful cues, our brains respond just as they’re designed to, triggering <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12354">an intense urge</a> to eat them. Here’s how food cravings work and what you can do if you find yourself hunting for sweet or salty foods. <h2>What causes cravings?</h2> A food craving is an intense desire or urge to eat something, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15589112/">often focused on a particular food</a>. We are programmed to learn how good a food tastes and smells and where we can find it again, especially if it’s high in fat, sugar or salt. Something that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12354">reminds us</a> of enjoying a certain food, such as an eye-catching ad or delicious smell, can cause us to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12354">crave it</a>. The cue triggers a physical response, increasing saliva production and gastric activity. These responses are relatively automatic and difficult to control. <h2>What else influences our choices?</h2> While the effect of cues on our physical response is relatively automatic, what we do next is influenced by <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1090198107303308">complex</a> factors. Whether or not you eat the food might depend on things like cost, whether it’s easily available, and if eating it would align with your health goals. But it’s usually hard to keep healthy eating in mind. This is because we tend to prioritise a more immediate reward, like the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.04.029">pleasure of eating</a>, over one that’s delayed or abstract – including health goals that will make us feel good in the long term. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3999(00)00076-3">Stress</a> can also make us eat more. When hungry, we <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8656885/">choose larger portions</a>, underestimate calories and find eating more <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666315000793">rewarding</a>. <h2>Looking for something salty or sweet</h2> So what if a cue prompts us to look for a certain food, but it’s not available? <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2014.04.005">Previous research</a> suggested you would then look for anything that makes you feel good. So if you saw someone eating a doughnut but there were none around, you might eat chips or even drink alcohol. But our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2024.107640">new research</a> has confirmed something you probably knew: it’s more specific than that. If an ad for chips makes you look for food, it’s likely a slice of cake won’t cut it – you’ll be looking for something salty. Cues in our environment don’t just make us crave food generally, they prompt us to look for certain food “categories”, such as salty, sweet or creamy. <h2>Food cues and mindless eating</h2> Your <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/161283824.pdf">eating history</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.24179">genetics</a> can also make it harder to suppress food cravings. But don’t beat yourself up – relying on willpower alone is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2015.01.004">hard</a> for almost everyone. Food cues are so powerful they can prompt us to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613484043">seek</a> out a certain food, even if we’re not overcome by a particularly <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613484043">strong urge</a> to eat it. The effect is more intense if the food is easily available. This helps explain why we can eat an entire large bag of chips that’s in front of us, even though our pleasure decreases as we <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9384(81)90310-3">eat</a>. Sometimes we use finishing the packet as the signal to stop <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.03.025">eating</a> rather than hunger or desire. <h2>Is there anything I can do to resist cravings?</h2> We largely don’t have control over cues in our environment and the cravings they trigger. But there are some ways you can try and control the situations you make food choices in. <ul> <li> Acknowledge your craving and think about a healthier way to satisfy it. For example, if you’re craving chips, could you have lightly-salted nuts instead? If you want something sweet, you could try fruit. </li> <li> Avoid shopping when you’re hungry, and make a list beforehand. Making the most of supermarket “click and collect” or delivery options can also help avoid ads and impulse buys in the aisle. </li> <li> At home, have fruit and vegetables easily available – and easy to see. Also have other nutrient dense, fibre-rich and unprocessed foods on hand such as nuts or plain yoghurt. If you can, remove high-fat, sugar-rich and salty foods from your environment. </li> <li> Make sure your goals for eating are <a href="https://www.aafp.org/pubs/fpm/issues/2018/0300/p31.html">SMART</a>. This means they are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. </li> <li> Be kind to yourself. Don’t beat yourself up if you eat something that doesn’t meet your health goals. Just keep on trying.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/237035/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> </li> </ul> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gabrielle-weidemann-91497">Gabrielle Weidemann</a>, Associate Professor in Psychological Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/justin-mahlberg-1634725">Justin Mahlberg</a>, Research Fellow, Pyschology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-causes-food-cravings-and-what-can-we-do-about-them-237035">original article</a>. </div>

Food & Wine

Want the health benefits of strength training but not keen on the gym? Try ‘exercise snacking’

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/justin-keogh-129041">Justin Keogh</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jackson-fyfe-134774">Jackson Fyfe</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> The science is clear: <a href="https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/full/10.1139/apnm-2020-0245">resistance training</a> is crucial to ageing well. Lifting weights (or doing bodyweight exercises like lunges, squats or push-ups) can help you live independently for longer, make your bones stronger, reduce your risk of diseases such as diabetes, and may even improve your <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28919335/">sleep and mental health</a>. But not everyone loves the gym. Perhaps you feel you’re not a “gym person” and never will be, or you’re too old to start. Being a gym-goer can be expensive and time-consuming, and some people report feeling <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/StartingStrength/comments/j3hq32/unwelcome_feeling_at_the_gym/">unwelcome</a> or <a href="https://www.quora.com/I-feel-awkward-and-I-want-to-start-a-gym-but-could-not-What-should-I-do">awkward</a> at the gym. The good news is you don’t need the gym, or lots of free time, to get the health benefits resistance training can offer. You can try “exercise snacking” instead. <h2>What is exercise snacking?</h2> Exercise snacking involves doing multiple shorter bouts (as little as 20 seconds) of exercise throughout the day – often with minimal or no equipment. It’s OK to have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01605-8">several hours of rest</a> between. You could do simple bodyweight exercises such as: <ul> <li> chair sit-to-stand (squats) </li> <li> lunges </li> <li> box step-ups </li> <li> calf raises </li> <li> push-ups. </li> </ul> Exercise snacking like this can help improve muscle mass, strength and physical function. It’s OK to hold onto a nearby object for balance, if you need. And doing these exercises regularly will also improve your balance. That, in turn, reduces your risk of falls and fractures. <h2>OK I have done all those, now what?</h2> Great! You can also try using resistance bands or dumbbells to do the previously mentioned five exercises as well as some of the following exercises: <ul> <li> <a href="https://youtu.be/IP4wM2JpDdQ?si=1B1GyV_FY5rcArW8&t=6">seated rows</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://youtu.be/G6GIffCaJCQ?si=RxXZtzMqQ0DGxF3k&t=48">chest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUnnz5i4Mnw&t=5s">shoulder presses</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://youtu.be/z0omicIkYu4?si=8WffT3ij12SNTqEs">bicep curls</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wXVnxBgLHo">knee extensions</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtTcXXgeRYo">leg curls</a>. </li> </ul> When using resistance bands, make sure you hold them tightly and that they’re securely attached to an immovable object. Exercise snacking works well when you pair it with an activity you do often throughout the day. Perhaps you could: <ul> <li> do a few extra squats every time you get up from a bed or chair </li> <li> do some lunges during a TV ad break </li> <li> chuck in a few half squats while you’re waiting for your kettle to boil </li> <li> do a couple of elevated push-ups (where you support your body with your hands on a chair or a bench while doing the push-up) before tucking into lunch </li> <li> sneak in a couple of calf raises while you’re brushing your teeth. </li> </ul> <h2>What does the evidence say about exercise snacking?</h2> One <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31687210/">study</a> had older adults without a history of resistance training do exercise snacks at home twice per day for four weeks. Each session involved five simple bodyweight exercises (chair sit-to-stand, seated knee extension, standing knee bends, marching on the spot, and standing calf raises). The participants did each exercise continuously for one minute, with a one-minute break between exercises. These short and simple exercise sessions, which lasted just nine minutes, were enough to improve a person’s ability to stand up from a chair by 31% after four weeks (compared to a control group who didn’t exercise). Leg power and thigh muscle size improved, too. Research involving one of us (Jackson Fyfe) has also <a href="https://bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12877-022-03207-z">shown</a> older adults found “exercise snacking” feasible and enjoyable when done at home either once, twice, or three times per day for four weeks. Exercise snacking may be a more sustainable approach to improve muscle health in those who don’t want to – or can’t – lift heavier weights in a gym. <h2>A little can yield a lot</h2> We know from other research that the more you exercise, the more likely it is you will <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167268119302586">keep exercising in future</a>. Very brief resistance training, albeit with heavier weights, may be more <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29975122/">enjoyable</a> than traditional approaches where people aim to do many, many sets. We also know brief-and-frequent exercise sessions can break up <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26378942/">periods</a> of sedentary behaviour (which usually means sitting too much). Too much sitting increases your risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, whereas exercise snacking can help keep your <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36921112/">blood sugar levels steady</a>. Of course, longer-term studies are needed. But the evidence we do have suggests exercise snacking really helps. <h2>Why does any of this matter?</h2> As you age, you lose strength and mass in the muscles you use to walk, or stand up. Everyday tasks can become a struggle. All this <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36907247/">contributes</a> to disability, hospitalisation, chronic disease, and reliance on community and residential aged care support. By preserving your muscle mass and strength, you can: <ul> <li> reduce joint pain </li> <li> get on with activities you enjoy </li> <li> live independently in your own home </li> <li> delay or even eliminate the need for expensive health care or residential aged care. </li> </ul> <h2>What if I walk a lot – is that enough?</h2> Walking may maintain some level of lower body muscle mass, but it won’t preserve your <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38190393/">upper body muscles</a>. If you find it difficult to get out of a chair, or can only walk short distances without getting out of breath, resistance training is the best way to regain some of the independence and function you’ve lost. It’s even more important for women, as muscle mass and strength are typically lower in older women than men. And if you’ve been diagnosed with osteoporosis, which is more common in older women than men, resistance exercise snacking at home can improve your balance, strength, and bone mineral density. All of this reduces the risk of falls and fractures. You don’t need <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37171517/">heavy weights</a> or fancy equipment to benefit from resistance training. So, will you start exercise snacking today?<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/232374/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/justin-keogh-129041">Justin Keogh</a>, Associate Dean of Research, Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jackson-fyfe-134774">Jackson Fyfe</a>, Senior Lecturer, Strength and Conditioning Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/want-the-health-benefits-of-strength-training-but-not-keen-on-the-gym-try-exercise-snacking-232374">original article</a>. </div>

Body

Will watching the Olympic Games make you eat more?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/birau-mia-1238429">Birau Mia</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/em-lyon-business-school-2363">EM Lyon Business School</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/carolina-o-c-werle-1434243">Carolina O.C. Werle</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grenoble-ecole-de-management-gem-2181">Grenoble École de Management (GEM)</a> Ever wondered why you reach for a snack after hitting the gym? <a href="https://joe.bioscientifica.com/downloadpdf/view/journals/joe/193/2/1930251.pdf">Research shows</a> that physical exercise often leads to increased food consumption, whether it is treating yourself for a job well done or replenishing the energy you have burned. With countless sports events airing and our screens constantly filled with sports’ competitions, a new question arises: Can watching sports on a screen also influence how much we eat? The answer is yes. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950329317300915">Our research</a> co-authored with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jannine-lasaleta-94504987">Jannine Lasaleta</a> reveals that watching sports’ videos can increase candy consumption. But there is more to the story: the difficulty of the sports you are watching plays a crucial role in these effects. <h2>From screens to junk food</h2> We first invited 112 students to the <a href="https://www.grenoble-em.com/campus-gem-labs-grenoble">Grenoble Ecole de Management experimental lab</a> to watch a video and test some candies. Half of the students watched a video with men and women <a href="https://fr.adforum.com/creative-work/ad/player/51706/train-barefoot/nike">playing sports</a>, while the other half watched one <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyqR5yI6boo">without any physical activity</a>. We then gave each student a 70g cup of candy and asked them to judge its quality for three minutes. The students who saw the sports’ video ate more candy than those who saw the one without physical activity. Our initial test thus revealed that watching sports’ videos can boost candy consumption, but here’s the twist: male students indulged in far more candy than female students, so maybe the results were triggered by males’ consumption. Plus, we were still unsure if the type of sport watched affects the candy intake. To learn more, we invited just the female students to watch videos portraying either easy (light running) or difficult-to-perform sports (athletics long jump, gymnastics, baseball, rugby or rock climbing). After, the students were invited to test the same candies as before. Students who watched the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SMXKGE_u-Y">easy sports video</a> (showing a woman and a man running through different landscapes) ate much more candy (30.1 grams) than those who watched the <a href="https://fr.adforum.com/creative-work/ad/player/51706/train-barefoot/nike">difficult sports video</a> (18 grams). We can thus conclude that the ease or difficulty of the exercise shown significantly impacts candy consumption – watching easy-to-perform sports leads to considerably higher candy intake than watching difficult ones. <h2>Why is this happening?</h2> To explain our findings, we looked at research on <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jcr/article-abstract/32/3/370/1867208">goal motivation</a>. When people feel they are not meeting a goal, they push harder; but once they see progress, they tend to slack off. For example, after a workout, those aiming to stay fit might feel they have made good progress and then ease up on their efforts. This can lead to a drop in motivation to pursue related goals, like healthy eating. <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2006-09808-003">Research</a> shows that achieving smaller goals (like exercising) can make people feel they have earned a break, which can result in indulging more in food. So completing a workout might make you more likely to reward yourself with extra food than if you had not finished your session. And why are women more susceptible to the phenomenon of eating more candy after watching an easy-to-perform sports video? Simply because it has been long <a href="https://phys.org/news/2005-04-women-weight-men.html">shown</a> that women are more concerned with their weight than men and therefore their dieting goals are more salient. Our research suggests that merely watching sports can lead to a sense of vicarious fulfilment of fitness goals. When people can picture themselves doing the activity they are watching, they feel as though they have already exercised, which can lead to more-indulgent food choices. If they perceive the exercise shown as easy rather than difficult, they can more easily imagine themselves doing it, leading to greater feelings of progress toward their fitness goals. This perceived achievement can make them feel they have earned the right to indulge and influence their search for a reward, often resulting in increased food intake. <h2>So what?</h2> This knowledge can be used by policymakers or marketers who aim to encourage healthful lifestyles. When promoting healthy activities by picturing physical activity that seems too easy, people may feel a greater sense of achievement that could backfire and lead to increased consumption. We suggest showing an easy exercise (like walking or jogging) followed by a tougher one (like sprinting or marathon running) as an alternative solution. This approach can motivate people to start with basic exercises while reminding that there is still a long way to go to reach their fitness goals. This strategy could offer an alternative to promote physical activity without giving a false sense of accomplishment. So what is the takeaway for us? Be mindful of how watching sports can affect our eating habits. If you are aiming to stay on track with your diet, watch more challenging sports – it might just help you resist that extra chocolate bar. Moreover, when setting dieting goals, remind yourself that real progress comes from consistent effort, not just imagining yourself doing a workout. Engage in activities that genuinely challenge you, and pair them with mindful eating habits. This way, you can avoid the trap of feeling the fitness goal to be prematurely accomplished and then overindulging. In conclusion, should you watch the Olympic games if you want to keep up with your diet? Of course, but it might be better to choose the physical activities you find the most difficult to perform – and watch them without moderation.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/231199/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/birau-mia-1238429">Birau Mia</a>, Associate Professor of Marketing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/em-lyon-business-school-2363">EM Lyon Business School</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/carolina-o-c-werle-1434243">Carolina O.C. Werle</a>, Professor of marketing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grenoble-ecole-de-management-gem-2181">Grenoble École de Management (GEM)</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/will-watching-the-olympic-games-make-you-eat-more-231199">original article</a>. </div>

Body

Yes, Australia’s big supermarkets have been price gouging. But fixing the problem won’t be easy

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bree-hurst-174985">Bree Hurst</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/carol-richards-153226">Carol Richards</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hope-johnson-125018">Hope Johnson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rudolf-messner-1373038">Rudolf Messner</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a> A much-awaited report into Coles and Woolworths has found what many customers have long believed – Australia’s big supermarkets engage in price gouging. What <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Supermarket_Prices/SupermarketPrices/Terms_of_Reference">started</a> as a simple Senate inquiry into grocery prices and supermarket power has delivered a lengthy 195-page-long <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Supermarket_Prices/SupermarketPrices/Supermarket_Prices">report</a> spanning supermarket pricing’s impact on customers, food waste, relationships with suppliers, employee wages and conditions, excessive profitability, company mergers and land banking. The report makes some major recommendations, including giving courts the power to break up anti-competitive businesses, and strengthening the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). It also recommends making the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct mandatory for supermarket chains. This code governs how they should deal with suppliers. The government’s recent <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/consultation/c2024-510813">Independent Review of the Food and Grocery Code</a> also recommended making it mandatory for the supermarket giants. But at this point it’s hard to say what, if anything, the recommendations will mean for everyday Australians and the prices they actually pay. <h2>Price gouging isn’t illegal</h2> At the heart of the Senate inquiry was the question of whether Australian supermarkets were price gouging. According to the committee, the answer is a “resounding yes”, despite the evidence presented by supermarkets to the contrary. Price gouging is when businesses exploit a lack of competition by setting prices well above cost price. But the practice is <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/pricing/setting-prices-whats-allowed">not explicitly illegal</a>. The committee put forward a number of recommendations that could help reduce price gouging. These include making it an offence to charge excess prices and establishing a new “Commission on Prices and Competition” to examine price setting practices in different sectors. The committee also wants the ACCC to be given enhanced powers to investigate and prosecute unfair trading practices, and to be better funded and resourced. The committee says supermarket claims that price gouging does not exist should mean the giants have nothing to fear under tougher legislation. However, it says: <blockquote> the evidence brought forward by people willing to speak out about the business practices of Coles and Woolworths suggests that maintaining margins and increasing margin growth is occurring at the expense of suppliers, consumers, and best business practices, and without proper justification. </blockquote> <h2>It’s unlikely we’ll see relief anytime soon</h2> Will these recommendations actually deliver any relief on prices? It’s hard to say at this point. The recommendations put forward are comprehensive, but they’re unlikely to result in any short-term change for consumers. At any rate, the Albanese government does not support many of them. In the report’s additional commentary, Labor senators argue that Australian competition law already addresses excessive pricing by prohibiting misleading and deceptive conduct. They also don’t support establishing a new commission to examine prices. Rather, the report calls for a dramatic overhaul of current regulatory settings, which it says are “not appropriate or fit for purpose”. This is not going to be an easy or fast process. <h2>What does the report mean for the Greens’ divestiture bill?</h2> While the inquiry was underway, the Greens <a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;page=0;query=BillId%3As1413%20Recstruct%3Abillhome">introduced a bill</a> which would give courts “divestiture powers”. This means a corporation could be ordered to sell some of its assets to reduce its market power. While the bill lacks support from the major parties, the committee suggested that such divestiture powers should be introduced specifically for the supermarket sector. Where abuse of market power was able to be proven, supermarkets could be forced to sell certain stores. While Australia does not have divestiture powers in this context, some other countries do. In New Zealand, the UK and the US, courts can force corporations that are abusing their market power to sell components of their business. Such powers are very rarely used, but the deterrent they impose can be <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-time-to-give-australian-courts-the-power-to-break-up-big-firms-that-behave-badly-226726">highly influential</a> on corporate behaviour. Labor rejects creating any forms of divestiture power in the report’s additional commentary. But the Coalition isn’t entirely against the idea, noting that it “does not believe the committee has persuasively found that divestiture powers should not be pursued at all” and that “divestiture powers should be targeted to sectors of concern”. <h2>What’s next?</h2> At this stage, the report suggests there’s only one action all political parties agree on at this stage: making the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct mandatory and ensuring its full enforcement. We’re unlikely to see much unity on the other recommendations. In a scathing commentary, the Coalition argues the report represents “a missed opportunity to address some of the structural imbalances in our supermarket sector that are impacting Australia’s growers, farmers, small businesses, and ultimately consumers”. While this is a harsh assessment, the reality is that unless these structural imbalances in our food system are addressed, we’re unlikely to see meaningful change. The report draws on substantial evidence to paint a troubling picture of the food system in Australia – in particular, how growers and consumers are struggling. The task for regulators is working out what mechanisms can be used to address the imbalance of power in the market, in a way that doesn’t force growers or Australian consumers to bear the cost.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/229602/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bree-hurst-174985">Bree Hurst</a>, Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Law, QUT, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/carol-richards-153226">Carol Richards</a>, Professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hope-johnson-125018">Hope Johnson</a>, ARC DECRA Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rudolf-messner-1373038">Rudolf Messner</a>, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a> Image credit: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/yes-australias-big-supermarkets-have-been-price-gouging-but-fixing-the-problem-wont-be-easy-229602">original article</a>. </div>

Money & Banking

No, taking drugs like Ozempic isn’t ‘cheating’ at weight loss or the ‘easy way out’

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/clare-collins-7316">Clare Collins</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-newcastle-1060">University of Newcastle</a> Obesity medication that is effective has been a long time coming. Enter semaglutide (sold as Ozempic and Wegovy), which is helping people improve weight-related health, including <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37952131/">lowering the risk</a> of a having a heart attack or stroke, while also silencing “<a href="https://theconversation.com/some-ozempic-users-say-it-silences-food-noise-but-there-are-drug-free-ways-to-stop-thinking-about-food-so-much-208467">food noise</a>”. As demand for semaglutide increases, so are <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/in-a-fat-phobic-world-ozempic-is-hardly-the-easy-way-out-20240401-p5fgjd.html">claims</a> that taking it is “cheating” at weight loss or the “easy way out”. We don’t tell people who need statin medication to treat high cholesterol or drugs to manage high blood pressure they’re cheating or taking the easy way out. Nor should we shame people taking semaglutide. It’s a drug used to treat diabetes and obesity which needs to be taken long term and comes with risks and side effects, as well as benefits. When prescribed for obesity, it’s given alongside advice about diet and exercise. <h2>How does it work?</h2> Semaglutide is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GLP-1_receptor_agonist">glucagon-like peptide-1</a> receptor agonist (GLP-1RA). This means it makes your body’s own glucagon-like peptide-1 hormone, called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucagon-like_peptide-1">GLP-1</a> for short, work better. GLP-1 gets secreted by cells in your gut when it <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38218319/">detects increased nutrient levels</a> after eating. This stimulates insulin production, which lowers blood sugars. GLP-1 also slows gastric emptying, which makes you feel full, and reduces hunger and feelings of reward after eating. <iframe id="tc-infographic-1031" class="tc-infographic" style="border: none;" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/infographics/1031/c11b606581d4bc58a71f066492d7f740b52c04e1/site/index.html" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) medications like Ozempic help the body’s own GLP-1 work better by mimicking and extending its action. Some studies have found less GLP-1 gets released after meals in <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38218319/">adults with obesity or type 2 diabetes mellitus</a> compared to adults with normal glucose tolerance. So having less GLP-1 circulating in your blood means you don’t feel as full after eating and get hungry again sooner compared to people who produce more. GLP-1 has a very short half-life of about <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28443255/">two minutes</a>. So GLP-1RA medications were designed to have a very long half-life of about <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33567185/">seven days</a>. That’s why semaglutide is given as a weekly injection. <h2>What can users expect? What does the research say?</h2> Higher doses of semaglutide are prescribed to treat obesity compared to type 2 diabetes management (up to 2.4mg versus 2.0mg weekly). A large group of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36691309/">randomised controlled trials</a>, called STEP trials, all tested weekly 2.4mg semaglutide injections versus different interventions or placebo drugs. Trials lasting 1.3–2 years consistently found weekly 2.4 mg semaglutide injections <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36691309/">led to 6–12% greater weight loss</a> compared to placebo or alternative interventions. The average weight change depended on how long medication treatment lasted and length of follow-up. Weight reduction due to semaglutide also leads to a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36769420/">reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure</a> of about 4.8 mmHg and 2.5 mmHg respectively, a reduction in <a href="https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/triglycerides">triglyceride levels</a> (a type of blood fat) and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38041774/">improved physical function</a>. Another recent trial in adults with pre-existing heart disease and obesity, but without type 2 diabetes, found adults receiving weekly 2.4mg semaglutide injections had a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37952131/">20% lower risk</a> of specific cardiovascular events, including having a non-fatal heart attack, a stroke or dying from cardiovascular disease, after three years follow-up. <h2>Who is eligible for semaglutide?</h2> Australia’s regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), has <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/safety/shortages/information-about-major-medicine-shortages/about-ozempic-semaglutide-shortage-2022-and-2023">approved</a> semaglutide, sold as Ozempic, for treating type 2 diabetes. However, due to shortages, the TGA had advised doctors not to start new Ozempic prescriptions for “off-label use” such as obesity treatment and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme doesn’t currently subsidise off-label use. The TGA has <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/prescription-medicines-registrations/wegovy-novo-nordisk-pharmaceuticals-pty-ltd">approved Wegovy to treat obesity</a> but it’s not currently available in Australia. When it’s available, doctors will be able to prescribe <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36934408/">semaglutide to treat obesity</a> in conjunction with lifestyle interventions (including diet, physical activity and psychological support) in adults with obesity (a BMI of 30 or above) or those with a BMI of 27 or above who also have weight-related medical complications. <h2>What else do you need to do during Ozempic treatment?</h2> Checking details of the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36691309/">STEP trial intervention components</a>, it’s clear participants invested a lot of time and effort. In addition to taking medication, people had brief lifestyle counselling sessions with dietitians or other health professionals every four weeks as a minimum in most trials. Support sessions were designed to help people stick with consuming 2,000 kilojoules (500 calories) less daily compared to their energy needs, and performing 150 minutes of <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/tips-for-getting-active">moderate-to-vigorous physical activity</a>, like brisk walking, dancing and gardening each week. STEP trials varied in other components, with follow-up time periods varying from 68 to 104 weeks. The aim of these trials was to show the effect of adding the medication on top of other lifestyle counselling. A <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38041774/">review of obesity medication trials</a> found people reported they needed less <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28652832/">cognitive behaviour training</a> to help them stick with the reduced energy intake. This is one aspect where drug treatment may make adherence a little easier. Not feeling as hungry and having environmental food cues “switched off” may mean less support is required for goal-setting, self-monitoring food intake and <a href="https://theconversation.com/9-ways-wont-power-is-better-than-willpower-for-resisting-temptation-and-helping-you-eat-better-71267">avoiding things that trigger eating</a>. <h2>But what are the side effects?</h2> Semaglutide’s side-effects <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38041774/">include</a> nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, constipation, indigestion and abdominal pain. In one study these <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33567185/">led to</a> discontinuation of medication in 6% of people, but interestingly also in 3% of people taking placebos. More severe side-effects included gallbladder disease, acute pancreatitis, hypoglycaemia, acute kidney disease and injection site reactions. To reduce risk or severity of side-effects, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36934408/">medication doses are increased very slowly</a> over months. Once the full dose and response are achieved, research indicates you need to take it long term. Given this long-term commitment, and associated <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/topics/private-health-insurance/what-private-health-insurance-covers/out-of-pocket-costs#:%7E:text=An%20out%20of%20pocket%20cost,called%20gap%20or%20patient%20payments">high out-of-pocket cost of medication</a>, when it comes to taking semaglutide to treat obesity, there is no way it can be considered “cheating”. <hr /> Read the other articles in The Conversation’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/ozempic-series-154673">Ozempic series</a> here.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219116/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/clare-collins-7316">Clare Collins</a>, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-newcastle-1060">University of Newcastle</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-taking-drugs-like-ozempic-isnt-cheating-at-weight-loss-or-the-easy-way-out-219116">original article</a>.

Body

The easy way Aussie airfares could be halved in the future

A federal taskforce has found that there is a way for Aussies to pay half the amount on airfares, and that is by simply introducing some competition. Early results from their research found that the "mere threat" of rivalry can be enough to lower airfares. Just last year the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/industries/tourism/accc-blames-qantas-and-virgin-australia-duopoly-for-high-flight-prices-and-poor-service/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> that the duopoly between Qantas and Virgin Australia was a key contributor to the "high prices and underwhelming customer service." The early findings of the Competition Taskforce, which was set up last year, found that having flights serviced by three carriers instead of one can significantly reduce the cost. When serviced by a sole carrier, airfares average 39.6 cents per kilometre - this drops to 28.2 cents a kilometre with a second rival, and to 19.2 cents a kilometre with a third. Assistant Minister for Competition Andrew Leigh said that competition exerted "significant" downward pressure on airfares. He added that a lack of competition in the aviation industry was problematic for a country that relies heavily on flying to connect cities to reach other parts of the world. "For a resident of Darwin, it is often cheaper to fly from Darwin to Singapore than it is to fly from Darwin to Sydney, even although the international flight is longer than the domestic one," he said. Leigh added that more than a dozen airlines operated in Australia before World War Two, but from the 1950s to the 1980s, a duopoly prevailed which kept prices high. "Only with the deregulation of aviation in the late 1980s did flying become affordable for many middle-class families and small businesspeople," he said. "Australia's aviation history shows the value of competition." Just last year the aviation sector came under fire after the government's decided to block Qatar Airway's from running additional flights in Australia, with accusations that the move was made to protect Qantas from competition. The federal government has since issued a review of the sector - including its competitiveness - and a white paper is expected to be released mid-year. Image: Getty

Money & Banking

Mum slammed for being "stingy" after refusing to buy $2 snack for daughter's playdate

A mum has come under fire for being "selfish" and "stingy" after refusing to buy a $2 snack for her 11-year-old daughter’s best friend. The woman, believed to be from the US, and her daughter Ellie were invited for a playdate at an indoor playground with 12-year-old Sophie and her mum. Sophie's mum offered to put them on her membership card so that Ellie and her mum could go to the indoor playground for free. “Sophie’s mum called me... and Sophie wanted to know if Ellie could come and play," she began in a Reddit thread called Am I the a****** . "She offered to put me on her membership card so it would be free for me so I got Ellie in the car and we met them at the playground.” Trouble started when the girls got hungry after an hour of playing, and Ellie's mum only packed a snack for her daughter. “Sophie’s mum didn’t have any snacks on her,” she said. “I told her they sell snacks in the front but she claimed that she didn’t have any money on her and asked me to buy Sophie some Goldfish." Ellie's mum agreed to grab the crackers on one condition - Sophie's mum had to transfer the money to her. “She says she paid for my kid to get in so I could cover the $2 for the Goldfish. I said no, I took care of my kid and it’s not my job to take care of hers too. “I told her if she wanted me to bring snacks she should’ve told me when she invited me but I won’t be wasting $2 for a 50 cent bag of Goldfish because she was unprepared.” She added that Sophie's mum eventually managed to get snacks for her own daughter, and wondered "if she lied about not having money". She then accused Sophie's mum of being "petty" for asking her to pay back for “all the times” she's used her membership to get a guest pass at the indoor playground, adding that "they regularly pay for us to join them on outings.” Her post was met with over 2500 comments slamming her for being “selfish”, “stingy” and “ungrateful”. “You were invited to a place for free that you would otherwise have had to pay for. You only packed snacks for your child? Why didn’t you also take snacks for the other child?" one wrote. “Yes, you did not have to do so, and that child is not your responsibility, but if I was meeting someone for a playdate for my child, not paying to get in, knowing, at some point both girls were going to be hungry, I would have packed snacks for both, as a thank you for the invitation and just because," the commenter continued. “If someone asked me to transfer them $2, I’m rolling my eyes big time. It’s petty, especially when someone gave you something likely far more valuable," another added. “Seriously. I don’t even think I could tell a stranger no when it comes to feeding their hungry child, much less a person I know and spend time with," a third commented. Others called the mum a "fool", for potentially causing Ellie to lose her best friend. “Don’t be an idiot. Apologise. You might care about 50 cents. But your daughter will lose her best friend. And that is worth a lot more. Your daughter might never get a friend like that... And the fact that universe gift wrapped a friend for your daughter. And you choose to throw it in the trash. Wow, you are truly a fool," they said. Image: Getty

Family & Pets

A quick and easy guide to the holliest and jolliest Christmas cocktails

When it comes to the holiday season, nothing screams festive like Christmas-themed food and drinks. For your next holiday party, or if you're looking for a festive tipple on Christmas Eve to welcome in the big day, here's a list of our three favourite Christmas cocktails. All easy to make and undeniably delicious, these festive cocktails are guaranteed to have you in the Christmas spirit quicker than you can say "Another round!" Holiday Margarita · 30 ml Cointreau · 30 ml Blanco Tequila · 30 ml Fresh Lime Juice · 6 drops Aromatic Bitters Method: 1. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and add ice 2. Shake and strain into a cinnamon sugar-rimmed coupe glass 3. Garnish with rosemary sprig Holiday Cosmopolitan Ingredients: · 20 ml Cointreau · 40 ml Vodka · 20 ml Fresh Lime Juice · 20 ml Cinnamon Clove Cranberry Syrup Method: 1. To make the syrup: Add 1 cup cranberries, 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 1 stick cinnamon, 5 cloves in a saucepan and heat up until boiled 2. Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake until well chilled 3. Strain into chilled glass 4. Garnish with a cinnamon stick Holiday Jam Ingredients: · 20ml Cointreau · 40 ml Vodka · 20 ml Fresh Lime Juice · 10 ml Cranberry Juice · 1 Bar Spoon Blackberries Method: 1. Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake until well chilled 2. Strain into chilled glass 3. Garnish with a blackberry Image credits: Supplied

Food & Wine

“I have not looked back”: Stamp out cramps as easy as you please

Muscle cramps can be excruciating and disruptive, causing sudden, involuntary contractions that leave you wincing in pain. These spasms can occur in various parts of the body, most commonly in the legs, and they often strike at the most inconvenient times. While the exact causes of muscle cramps can vary, one potential remedy that has gained popularity is Magnesium. However, what most people don’t realise is that taking Magnesium supplements by themselves will actually address only ONE of the major causes of cramps: mineral deficiency. Fortunately, there is a better way; one that covers a multitude of common triggers for cramps, and which will help you rest easy and move more for active days and restful nights. <h3>What causes muscle cramps?</h3> Muscle cramps can occur for a variety of reasons, and sometimes the exact cause remains elusive. Some of the most common triggers include: <ol> <li>Dehydration: Insufficient fluid intake can lead to an electrolyte imbalance, causing muscles to contract involuntarily.</li> <li>Overexertion: Strenuous physical activity, especially in hot weather, can lead to muscle fatigue and cramps.</li> <li>Mineral deficiencies: An imbalance of essential minerals like potassium, calcium and magnesium can contribute to cramping.</li> <li>Poor blood circulation: Reduced blood flow to muscles can result in cramps, especially during prolonged periods of immobility.</li> <li>Medications: Certain medications, such as diuretics and statins, can increase the risk of muscle cramps as a side effect.</li> </ol> <blockquote> Crampeze Testimonial: “Started getting really bad cramps in my feet and calf muscles in both legs. I have never experienced cramp this severe, ever. I Googled ‘severe cramping’ and this is when I came across Crampeze… I have not looked back since I started on them. So glad I found them.” – Julie Daniels, Product Review </blockquote> <h3>How Crampeze and Crampeze Forte can help</h3> <a href="https://crampeze.com.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Crampeze</a> is a supplement designed to address the root causes of muscle cramps, providing relief and promoting overall muscle health. Here's how it can help: <ol> <li>Magnesium: Crampeze contains magnesium, an essential mineral that plays a crucial role in muscle function and relaxation. Magnesium helps prevent cramps by regulating muscle contractions and maintaining proper electrolyte balance.</li> <li>Vitamin B Complex: This supplement includes a blend of B vitamins, such as B1 (thiamine), B3 (niacin), and B6 (pyridoxine), which are important for nerve and muscle health. .</li> <li>Herbal ingredients: Crampeze also contains natural ingredients like feverfew extract, Viburnum Opulus (Cramp Bark), can help alleviate muscle cramps and mild muscle spasms and twitches, as well as Ginkgo Biloba that acts as an antioxidant, reducing free radicals formed in the body, while supporting blood circulation to the legs, hands and feet.</li> </ol> <h3>How Crampeze Forte differs</h3> Crampeze Forte is an added benefit formulation of Crampeze, with nicotinamide, feverfew extract and vitamin B5 providing comprehensive support for cramp prevention and relief. Ideal for intermittent sufferers or sports related cramps. <blockquote> Crampeze Testimonial: “Just to say a huge thank you for your Crampeze Forte! Bedtime is no longer terror time. I am cramp free at last.” – Betty H, Product Review </blockquote> By offering a more holistic approach to managing and preventing muscle cramps, the 2-in-1 benefits of <a href="https://crampeze.com.au/product/crampeze" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Crampeze</a> and <a href="https://crampeze.com.au/product/crampeze-forte" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Crampeze Forte</a> help address the root causes of cramps through their unique formulations. Of course if you suffer from frequent muscle cramps, it's advisable to consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new supplement regimen to determine the best option for your specific needs – but with the right approach, you can find relief and enjoy a more comfortable, cramp-free life. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2023/10/CrampezePackaging_1280.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="520" /> All images: Supplied. This is a sponsored article produced in partnership with Crampeze.

Body

The 7 most addictive (and delicious) foods on the planet

Why we can't get enough What is it about the three Cs: Chocolate, cheese and chips? For some reason, we can never get enough of them. But wanting to chow on a particular food is one thing, being addicted to it is another. Fact is, you can become addicted to a certain food, and you can blame your brain’s response to it. That’s because certain foods elicit a release of dopamine in the brain, which can lead to more cravings for that particular treat, especially when it comes to foods that are high in sugar, salt and/or fat. Addictive foods are ones that hit your brain right in its pleasure centre, ostensibly telling you that you need more, more, more. “When this pleasure/reward centre is stimulated, the brain starts secreting dopamine and other chemicals that make us enjoy the experience even more,” says registered dietitian Ashvini Mashru. “Because your brain loves the sensation caused by that dopamine release, it seeks more of it by creating cravings, that if listened to can cause a vicious cycle of addiction.” Chocoholics take note That bowl of Smarties sitting on your colleague’s desk is a delicious temptation, a crunchy chocolatey treat that’s hard to resist. What we know is that chocolate is one of the most addictive foods around because it binds to the same pleasure centres in the brain as alcohol and certain drugs, according to a 2011 study conducted by Drexel University. It also boasts a nice ‘mouth feel’, which stimulates oxytocin production, another feel-good hormone, according to Dan DeFigio, author of Beating Sugar Addiction for Dummies. “Over time, our brains start looking for that dopamine hit, and every time we eat chocolate, it reinforces that ‘wiring,’” he says. More cheese please If you’ve hovered over a cheese platter and piled up the cubes, you’ll be relieved to know that it’s not just you. Cheese, which is generally high in fat and cholesterol, also contains a substance called casomorphin that binds to the opioid or feel-good receptors in the brain. “Casomorphins attach to neurotransmitters in our brains and release dopamine, feel-good chemicals, that often lead us to wanting more,” says Dr Neal Barnard, author of The Cheese Trap. “While cheese does have its health benefits, it also can be seriously addictive.” Carb fix Reach into that bowl of potato chips, tortilla chips or pretzels over and over again, and you’ll know something is happening on the addiction front. And, while there’s no particular compound in these foods that bind to specific brain receptors to cause a euphoric, stimulating, or addictive behaviour, there’s something else at play. “Simple carbohydrates are seen as ‘addictive’ because they cause a quick glucose release, and this quickly increases a person’s energy, says nutritionist Celina Jean. “This energy will quickly be used up, and then you’ll be forced to eat more simple carbohydrates to keep your blood sugar raised.” Oh, sweet sips Not only do sugary soft drinks (including sweet tea) provide us with very little nutrients, but one 375mL can contain a staggering 43 grams of sugar. Like sugary treats, fizzy drinks can stimulate the release of dopamine. Add caffeine and you’re getting a double-energy hit. “Once you’re hooked on caffeine, you can suffer symptoms of withdrawal if you try to stop, including sluggishness, headaches and emotional distress,” says Mashru. Pass the fries Hot chips or French fries are typically crisp, hot and salty. This is a triple-threat that signals the tongue and the brain to eat more, Mashru says. The fat content in fries triggers receptors in our mouths that send a signal to our brain and gut reinforcing the desire to eat more. “These little potato sticks are also a comfort food,” Mashru says. “Therefore, every time you go through the line in a restaurant and see them on the menu, you may find the urge to order them as a side to your entrée irresistible.” Ice cream, you scream Cravings for ice cream can be insatiable – it’s all about the sugar content and creamy texture, and researchers agree that foods like ice cream, which is basically cream and milk, stimulate the brain in the same way drugs do, inducing behaviours that resemble addiction, says dietitian Keri Glassman. “The sugar ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ you experience are consistent with sugar ‘dependency’,” she says. “When your body gets used to sugar, you feel out of sorts when you consume less, which causes you to eat more.” Pizza Whether it’s the stringy salty mozzarella cheese, the fluffy dough or the sugar in the tomato sauce, pizza ranks first in food addiction, according to a recent University of Michigan study. That’s because when you eat it, your blood sugar zips up quickly and then when it drops, you feel hungry again and want more. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/food-home-garden/the-most-addicting-foods-on-the-planet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Food & Wine

Returning and Earning for your community

Charities and community groups across NSW are cashing in empty drink containers to support their important work in the community, all with the added benefit of helping the environment. It’s an easy win-win to fundraise through Return and Earn, and it makes donating to a local charity or community group very easy. Return and Earn is the incredibly successful container deposit scheme in NSW, where 10 cents is refunded for every eligible drink container returned for recycling through the network of 600+ return points across the state. Since launching over five years ago, <a href="https://returnandearn.org.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Return and Earn</a> has become an important and well used channel for charities and community groups fundraising to support a range of local and broader causes. Groups such as Rotary and Lions Clubs, animal rescue organisations, and fire and rescue services are just a few of the many different cohorts that have partnered with Return and Earn and relied on the generosity of NSW citizens to help them do vital work in their communities. “We’ve seen many groups really embrace the scheme, showing a humbling passion for giving back to the community – whether it’s to help fund an event for a local club, or to donate to a charity,” said Danielle Smalley, CEO of scheme coordinator, Exchange for Change. “Some of these groups have raised a lot of money from recycling drink containers through Return and Earn. Often local residents and businesses are handing over their containers or donating their refunds to support the cause, proving there is enormous goodwill in the community.” The Gerringong Lions Club recently celebrated one million containers collected, raising $100,000 that was donated to a variety of causes including medical research, local sporting facilities, as well as helping both Australian and oversees Lions Clubs provide relief during catastrophes. <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-67811" src="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Gerringong-Lions-Club-image-2-for-article-2_RD.jpg" alt="" width="770" height="500" /> The Gerringong Lions Club are now raising around $20,000 each year. The COVID shutdowns and restrictions put a halt to the activities that would normally bring funds to the club. Return and Earn was the only means for the club to generate an income to help the community during this time. As routine users of the scheme, the Gerringong Lions Club are now raising around $20,000 each year, all the while making positive impacts to the environment. Bruce Ray is a past president and active member of the club, and says he gets a sense of satisfaction knowing they are helping the community while also looking out for the environment. “We have the bins at the hotel, the bowling club, and campgrounds. The club also provides the container collection bins for events such as weddings and uses them at local New Years’ Eve events,” said Mr Ray. In Cobar, the local Rotary Club is also using Return and Earn to support the work in their community. They partnered with the local Girl Guides who help the club sort through any drink containers collected. They’ve now raised more than $25,000 since they began in early 2020. Club Secretary Gordon Hill said that one of the benefits for the Girl Guides is the real-world experience in seeing how much locally created waste can be recycled. “It also provides a healthy opportunity for a challenge to see which girls can pack the most containers during a 1.5 to 2 hour session. The record currently stands at 3,080, but the challenge continues,” Gordon added. <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-67813" src="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Cobar-Rotary-Club-image-for-article-2_RD.jpg" alt="" width="770" height="500" /> In Cobar, the local Rotary Club has partnered with the Girl Guides to help with sorting! Since Return and Earn launched in December 2017, over $42 million has been raised through donations and return point hosting fees. The funds have made a significant difference to individuals and groups who have received the support. “There are a lot more collection drives in the community that we don’t track, so the total fundraising amount is in fact even higher,” Ms Smalley said. “We encourage all our Return and Earn users to consider donating containers to a local charity or community group either at the nearest Return and Earn machine or using the Return and Earn app. “And if you’re a member of a group looking for an easy and effective way to fundraise, consider Return and Earn where you can double the benefit by raising funds while also helping the environment.” Every Return and Earn machine features a local donation partner, to whom users can donate part or all of their refunds to. The charity listed changes every six months to give as many groups as possible the opportunity. Charities and groups can also elect to be listed on the Return and Earn app, allowing anyone using the app at a machine or automated depot to donate direct to their favourite charity. There are currently over 170 charities featured on the app. When using a Return and Earn machine, select donate, then select which of the charities listed you want the funds to go. If you’re using the Return and Earn app, simply select donation as your payout option and then select the charity or group you would like to donate your refund to. “Contributions don’t need to be big to make a difference. It can be as easy as collecting a few eligible drink containers and donating them to a charity, helping local communities thrive while looking after the environment.” said Ms Smalley. For more information on donating through Return and Earn visit <a href="https://returnandearn.org.au/donate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">returnandearn.org.au/donate/</a> Images: Supplied This is a sponsored article produced in partnership with Return and Earn.

Money & Banking

19 cruise hacks to make travel easy

Cruising can be wonderful. The wide-open space of the sea gives you time to relax and reconnect. You can tick off multiple destinations and only unpack once. But there are a few little tricks that cruise experts tell us will make your cruise even cruiser. Here’s the best tips we have uncovered. 1. Pack duct tape On occasion the cruise may hit rough seas. If drawers begin to open, or cabin items go rolling, grab your duct tape and secure them. 2. Pack balloons When our office manager told us to bring balloons on the cruise, we did think it was for a party. But in fact, she says that most cruise ships only have one or two hooks. Even the door handles don’t have surfaces for you to hang things. If you plan on doing washing in your room, then you can blow up the balloons and drape the clothes over them to dry. 3. Pack magnets Another way to get organised is to bring magnets with you. Many cabin walls are made from metal. So, head to the hardware store and grab a bunch of magnets. Then you can attach hooks or even stick up important notes and your itinerary on the wall. 4 Put your bag under the bed Normally when you travel, you stow the suitcase in the cupboard. Experts tell us that on a cruise, you should stow your bag under the bed. Wardrobe space is limited and storing your bag in there will reduce the space for clothes and shoes. 5. Steam your clothes Most cruise ships don’t have irons. Fire and cruising don’t go together. They don’t want to take any chances. But what about when you need to wear a fancy shirt or dress to dinner and it’s been wrinkled from packing? Use the steam from the shower. It will un-wrinkle your clothes in no time flat. Alternatively, we’ve been told that you can buy “de-wrinkle spray” for clothes. We haven’t tested it though, so we can’t guarantee this will work. 6. Bring a multi-charger or power board Most cruise cabins only have a few power points. These days most people travel with multiple devices. Grab a multi-charger and you can plug in multiple devices to the one power port. Or you can always bring a power board. 7. Pack a first aid kit Yes, they have first aid on the ship. Yes, they have shops. But save your money and pack medicines that you may be likely to use such as Panadol, gastro-stop, antihistamines and antiseptic cream in a first aid kit. 8. Bring a HDMI cable Love a great night in bed with a good film? Download them onto your laptop and you can use the HDMI cable to watch the films you want to see on the cabin’s TV. 9. Pack an extension cord As we said, cruise cabins often have limited power points and sometimes they are in annoying locations. If you want to use your laptop and it has run out of battery, you will thank us for telling you to pack an extension lead. 10. Buy in bulk This is one that surprised us. Apparently, some cruise lines give you a discount for buying drinks in bulk. Five beers for the price of four can save you $8 a round. Just pop the extra in the fridge for later. 11. Book excursions in advance A huge part of cruising is visiting the onshore destinations. If you plan on cruising on a large boat, make sure you book your on-shore excursions early. That way you can be sure that you will be going. There would be nothing worse than getting off the boat only to find out that the tour you want to do is all sold out. 12. Budget for excursions It seems obvious, but many first-time cruisers forget to factor in the added extras. Make sure you know which excursions you want to do and how much they cost. Then factor that into your budget. 13. Pack sticky notes Need to remember the departure time? What time the bar opens? Or the time you will have your massage? Bring sticky notes and make your own message board on the cabin wall. 14. Stay fit A lot of cruises have endless and bottomless food options. You will indulge. You will enjoy it. But maybe find some time to stay fit on board, even if it is just taking the stairs instead of the lift or swimming daily and doing early morning laps in the pool. 15. Pack ginger First-time cruiser? Not sure if you are going to get seasick? Ginger is your friend. Ginger helps ease seasickness. 16. Choose your cabin wisely Worried about seasickness? You are better off booking a lower deck room in the middle of the ship. Want a great view and never feel sick? Go for the upper deck edges. Whatever room you choose, think long and hard about what you really want to get out of the cruise. How long will you actually spend in the room? 17. Be hygienic Sickness can and does spread on ships. To avoid nasties, make sure you have good hygiene habits. Wash your hands properly and perhaps pack some hand sanitiser. 18. Notify the ship of any medical conditions Even if it is minor. In the event of an emergency, the staff will be the ones to help you. 19. Wear rubber shoes It can get slippery on board. Written by Alison Godfrey. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.mydiscoveries.com.au/stories/travel-hacks-to-make-your-cruise-easier/">My Discoveries</a>. Images: Getty

Cruising

4 easy ways to avoid food temptations

While you may have made some health-conscious new year’s resolutions, it’s very easy for our good food intentions to go flying out the window as soon as the year starts to get busy and booked up with events. Luckily, there are a few easy strategies you can use to help avoid temptation while you’re out and about. Eat consciously – There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a delicious savoury or sweet treat when you’re out and about – say at a party or BBQ. The problems only start when we completely lose track of what and how much we’ve eaten! With multiple courses on offer (nibbles/dips/chips, mains/salads/sides, dessert), a plethora of drink options and plenty of distraction, it’s very easy to overindulge without even realising it. Try and keep your food intake in check by holding onto the same plate for the evening (so that you can see what you’ve eaten previously), consciously noting and enjoying your food (instead of piling it into your mouth at rapid speed) and filling up on mains and salads as opposed to high calorie nibbles. Eat well while at home – With all the deliciousness on offer at the shops and at parties, it’s easy to pile your shopping trolley and plate high with food you wouldn’t usually eat. Try and avoid temptation at home by sticking to your usual diet as much as possible and only bringing home occasional treats. By ensuring you’re eating adequate amounts of protein/carbs/good fats, you’ll help keep cravings in check and also feel more satisfied and less likely to overindulge when out. Be treat wise – There’s nothing like a helping of delicious dessert to really top off a meal. While refraining completely isn’t always possible, being wise with what you choose to indulge in can help keep your healthy eating on track. Dark chocolate is a fantastic after dinner treat. Decadent and rich, a small amount goes a long way. Manage your emotional health – When we are feeling stressed, we often turn to food as a source of comfort. Unfortunately the food we turn to usually isn’t baby spinach or a healthy salad. Simple carbs, sugar and fat are generally what we crave. By managing your emotional health and staying on top of stress, we can help minimise cravings and emotional overeating. Image: Shutterstock

Food & Wine

Five easy ways to use less water at home – and not just in a drought

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/niko-wanders-1234321">Niko Wanders</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/utrecht-university-1354">Utrecht University</a> With so much of the world suffering from drought, you might think your ability to help is minimal. But when you consider the average person in the UK uses around <a href="https://www.water.org.uk/news-item/vast-majority-of-brits-have-no-idea-how-much-water-they-use-each-day/">142 litres of water a day</a>, it’s easy to see how small changes to your routine can add up. More than half of the water that is extracted from rivers, streams and aquifers in the UK feeds the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/env15-water-abstraction-tables">public water supply</a>. These abstractions, as they’re called, worsen drought conditions by draining local waterways, depriving vegetation, fish and other aquatic life of the water they need to survive droughts. Filling paddling pools to cool off, taking multiple showers each day to stay clean, watering the garden to revive wilting plants – all these extra activities contribute to a sharp increase in public water use on hot and dry days. And these impacts can endure for months, as freshwater systems need a lot of additional rainfall to recover from droughts. If each person can reduce their water use during a drought, it would significantly benefit the natural world in its recovery. Here are five things you can do, starting today. <h2>1. Shower less</h2> Most of the water you use is <a href="https://www.water.org.uk/news-item/vast-majority-of-brits-have-no-idea-how-much-water-they-use-each-day/">in the shower</a>. For every minute you’re under the shower head (depending on how powerful it is), around 10 litres of water drains away. Since most people shower for <a href="https://www.mirashowers.co.uk/blog/trends/revealed-what-brits-are-really-getting-up-to-in-the-bathroom-1/#:%7E:text=Most%20Brits%20(62%25)%20bathe,latest%20UK%20shower%20habits%20survey.">an average of seven minutes</a>, half of your daily water use takes place first thing in the morning. Turning off the shower while shampooing your hair or applying shower gel can help conserve water, as can shortening the length of your shower overall. Be sure not to switch to a bath though – the average soak in the tub uses <a href="https://www.water.org.uk/news-item/vast-majority-of-brits-have-no-idea-how-much-water-they-use-each-day/">around 80 litres of water</a>. <h2>2. Use rainwater in the garden</h2> <figure class="align-right zoomable"><figcaption></figcaption></figure> During a dry spell, the average gardener can use <a href="https://www.southwestwater.co.uk/siteassets/documents/uwu-0618-web-version.pdf">hundreds of litres</a> of water to keep their plants hydrated. Some people will use a watering can (good), others might leave a sprinkler on all day (bad). Most use drinking water, which is a waste – plants are happy with rain water. Add a water butt that collects the rain which falls on your roof and use it for the garden. To find out how to install one, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jk0lstsu5o">watch this</a>. <h2>3. Use the short flush</h2> Per flush, your toilet uses about <a href="https://www.water.org.uk/news-item/vast-majority-of-brits-have-no-idea-how-much-water-they-use-each-day/">5 litres of water</a>, and up to 10 litres in older models. If available, use the short flush to significantly reduce how much water is wasted. <h2>4. Cut back on car washing</h2> If you need to wash your car, do it the old-fashioned way with a bucket and soap rather than hosing it down. The water contained in a bucket (<a href="https://www.water.org.uk/news-item/vast-majority-of-brits-have-no-idea-how-much-water-they-use-each-day/">roughly 30 litres</a>) is significantly less than the average that flows through a hose (around <a href="https://www.southwestwater.co.uk/siteassets/documents/uwu-0618-web-version.pdf">15 litres per minute</a>). Better yet, avoid washing your car entirely during a drought. <h2>5. Reuse water</h2> If you’re washing vegetables, you could collect the water in a bowl in the sink and later give it to the plants in your house or outside. While you’re waiting for warm water to come out of a tap, use the cold to fill the kettle. Close the tap while you’re lathering your hands with soap or brushing your teeth. Though these are only small savings, they do make a difference over time. Inflatable pools are lovely for cooling down on the hottest days. A cleaning pump can filter the water and recycle it without you needing to use more water to keep the pool clean. <h2>Save water, save money</h2> All these tips can significantly reduce your water use and combat the effects of drought on the environment. They can also save you money. If you’re able to renovate your home, it’s worth installing a system for collecting rain water which, combined with a pump, can flush toilets. In Belgium, for example, it is common practice to have such a system installed (effectively, a large underground water butt) in newly built houses. Most people would struggle to afford these kinds of measures, and so drought-proofing homes and communities should be part of the effort to adapt countries to the extreme weather expected in a rapidly warming world. Image credit: Shutterstock <hr /> <figure class="align-right "><figcaption></figcaption></figure> Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like? <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 10,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/187885/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <hr /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/niko-wanders-1234321">Niko Wanders</a>, Assistant Professor in Hydrological Extremes, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/utrecht-university-1354">Utrecht University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-easy-ways-to-use-less-water-at-home-and-not-just-in-a-drought-187885">original article</a>.

Home & Garden

9 easy ways to transform your bathroom without renovating

Mouldy grout and dated tiles are just some of the not-so-redeeming features of a tired bathroom, but regular renovations are an expensive and unsustainable option, so how do we fancy-up the bathroom without ripping out the tiles? We spoke to some experts to find out. 1. Spring clean “The first step would always be to declutter your bathroom and give it a thorough clean – the tiles, any dust and water marks,” says Leah Peretz of renovation experts Just in Place. Interior designer Suzanne Gorman suggests attempting a DIY re-grout or re-seal on the tiles for a fresher look, but warns: “It is a lengthy process and the dust from removing the existing grout can be major.” 2. Between the lines If your bathroom has the traditional sand-based white grout, Gorman recommends changing things up a bit. “There are a vast range of grout colours available on the market,” she says. “The grout colour and finish really does make or break the overall feel of your bathroom. For a subtle, contemporary look we choose grout that blends with the tile colour. If you feel game you can try a contrasting or even coloured grout.” 3. Spray it Just because you can’t afford to rip the tiles out doesn’t mean you’re stuck with the brown and tan floral forever. Mary McManus of Lavender Hills Interiors suggests spray-painting outdated tiles. “Old, stained or old-fashioned patterned tiles can be spray-painted fresh bright white to look almost new.” 4. Tapping into trends The aesthetic impact of a new toilet is greater than you’d imagine. Architect Ben Johnson of Benedict Design says replacing tapware and sanitary fixtures makes a huge impact on the look and functionality of the bathroom. “The options have exploded in recent years and you can get anything from matte black to gold,” says Johnson. “If you’re replacing your toilet, go for a back-to-wall model as this will keep lines clean and make mopping easy.” 5. Exhausted fans If you feel your exhaust fan isn’t at its best, give your electrician a call and have it replaced with a higher powered unit. They don’t cost too much and will prevent unwanted mould build-up and condensation. “An old exhaust fan not doing its job properly can have a huge negative impact on all your finishes in the bathroom,” says Gorman. “Paint, mirrors, tiles and shower screens age dramatically without proper ventilation.” 6. The sky’s the limit Go one step further with real ventilation via a skylight – a worthwhile investment, according to Johnson. “Getting natural light into a bathroom will have many benefits, from lifting your spirits in the morning to keeping mould at bay.” Aesthetically, it can also highlight a particular area such as the basin or shower. “If you can, build it with an open shaft that will improve the sense of space by giving additional height and breaking up the ceiling.” 7. You’re so vain Peretz suggests upcycling an old piece of furniture with a lick of paint then sitting a basin on top for a unique vanity. You can replace a run-of-the-mill shaving mirror with a glamorous vintage one or opt for a contemporary black statement mirror. Tip: If you just want to replace your shaving mirror with a smarter version, Gorman says a larger mirror will hide any evidence of previous wall fixings. Alternatively, ask your local glazier to make up a replacement. 8. In the details From framing your children’s art to displaying your towels on a ladder, all our experts agree that small touches can make a big difference. “Bring in some texture and colour with thick ribbed bath mats and fluffy towels,” says McManus. And fluffy towels are even better when they’ve come straight from a heated towel rail. “Most towel rails come as a plug-in,” says Johnson, “which helps if you’re not planning on cutting into your walls or replacing tiles. A warm towel on a winter morning is a wonderful thing.” 9. Go green “A living plant will bring colour and texture into your bathroom,” says Peretz. “A ficus or a palm in the corner can be a beautiful statement if you have enough space. Orchids and bamboos like the humidity.” McManus suggests placing some blue-and-white ginger jars and an orchid on the vanity for that final touch. Written by Joanne Gambale. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.domain.com.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Domain.com.au.</a> Images: Getty

Home Hints & Tips

Everything A-OK? New history shows the way to Sesame Street wasn’t always easy outside US

Associate Professor Helle Strandgaard Jensen based at Denmark’s Aarhus University, says while Sesame Street producers presented their content as both diverse and universal, the underpinning US values and assumptions about children often led to cultural clashes in other countries. <div class="copy"> With children’s culture again at the centre of debates about <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/feb/26/censorship-or-context-australian-book-industry-wrestles-with-how-to-refresh-outdated-classics" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">banning or re-writing books</a> and what makes for <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/abc-accused-of-grooming-kids-after-drag-queen-appeared-on-play-school/news-story/efc1dd82aa4fb6b01a4c575e2f40e589" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">appropriate children’s television</a>, Jensen says a historical approach can provide the opportunity for more informed discussions. Sesame Street debuted on television in the US in 1969 (it came to Australia in 1971) and according to its US website: “…has made a positive impact in children’s lives ever since.” The show says: “Sesame Street brings critical early education to children in 150+ countries”. While Sesame Street’s universality was marketed to international audiences, Jensen says the show is shaped by US assumptions about children’s role in society, cognitive psychology and the role of media in education. In European countries like the UK, Germany and Scandinavia there was a more progressive view about children, she says. As a result, the program was sometimes met with hostility by foreign television producers and broadcasters. In Jensen’s home of Denmark, Danish broadcasters rejected the show outright. Instead adapting their own children’s program Legestue to <a href="https://www.shcy.org/features/commentaries/helle-strandgaard-jensen-on-kermits-chubby-danish-cousin/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">incorporate a frog</a> named Kaj inspired by Kermit, but one that “loves jazz and talks back to adult authority”, she says. In Germany, where <a href="https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Sesamstrasse" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">‘Sesamestraße’</a> is celebrating its 50th anniversary, local co-producers made their own content spliced together with US content, and added their own puppets including a piglet Purk, a snail Finchen and Leniemienie the mouse. German produced content portrays the child at the centre, encouraging them to question authority, and often revealing the hypocrisy or flaws of adults, Jensen says. It was an approach that sometimes resulted in pushback from the US based Childrens Television Workshop, she says. For instance, in one local clip, an adult is attending to some flowers in their garden, mowing an area of grass containing different flowers. The children ask, ‘which flowers are the good flowers?’ In another, a woman walks past a child having to do an emergency wee in public. ‘That’s disgusting!’ the woman says. But as she walks further, her dog relieves itself on the pavement, and the woman doesn’t pick it up the waste. German Ministry of Education guides to accompany the show rejected traditional gender roles, taught children about the body and emphasised society based on collaboration, including unions. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"> <div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <div class="embed-wrapper"> <div class="inner"> <div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 500px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" data-spai-bg-prepared="1"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" class="" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 400px; height: 656px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="Twitter Tweet" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=cosmosmagazine&dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1612139711304273922&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fcosmosmagazine.com%2Fpeople%2Fhistory-sesame-street%2F&sessionId=6d9a2d118b670e8e312cee283ceca4c065b3acf7&siteScreenName=cosmosmagazine&theme=light&widgetsVersion=aaf4084522e3a%3A1674595607486&width=500px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-spai-bg-prepared="1" data-tweet-id="1612139711304273922"></iframe></div> </div> </div> </div> </figure> In Europe, children’s television was seen as offering something separate to school, a way to empower children and support their own understanding of the world. The European view was more based in sociology and journalism – asking children directly about what they wanted – rather than cognitive psychology, Jensen says. For example in the UK, television producers would survey children about what they were interested in, their views, and make content based on that. Another key difference was the highly commercial landscape of television in the US, Jensen says. This was different to Europe and places like Australia where public broadcasters could afford to produce content for children that was more experimental. She says reflecting on the past is important as children’s viewing is increasingly dominated by streaming platforms, many of which are based in the US and dominated by American programming. The ABC began broadcasting Sesame Street twice-daily in 1971. While Jensen’s book doesn’t specifically address the response to the show in Australia, she says a lot of her archival research included information shared between the public broadcasters the ABC and BBC, which had a strong co-production tradition. “One of the ways the BBC learned about what happened in the Children’s Television Workshop and making Sesame Street was via their Australian friends in the ABC,” she says. Jensen says as early as 1970 an Australian journalist at The Bulletin was questioning whether the show imposed American culture on children in other countries. In the article, ‘Entertaining Australians to be Americans’, Sesame Street founder Joan Ganz Cooney says she had few reservations about imposing US culture on Australian audiences. “For good or ill the whole world is being Americanised,” she says. Children’s Television Workshop describes the sale of Sesame Street to 26 foreign countries, including Australia, as an opportunity to study the universality of the program, according to The Bulletin. Sesame Street: A Transnational History is set for <a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/45872/chapter-abstract/400828941?redirectedFrom=fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">release in Australia in May</a>. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"> <div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <div class="embed-wrapper"> <div class="inner"><iframe title="SESAMSTRASSE Folge 1 (Teil 1)" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6-sJKRPuaiM?feature=oembed" width="500" height="375" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> </div> </div> </figure>  <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=245054&title=Everything+A-OK%3F+New+history+shows+the+way+to+Sesame+Street+wasn%26%238217%3Bt+always+easy+outside+US" width="1" height="1" data-spai-target="src" data-spai-orig="" data-spai-exclude="nocdn" />  <div class="in-content-area more-on"> </div> </div> <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/history-sesame-street/">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/petra-stock">Petra Stock</a>. Petra Stock has a degree in environmental engineering and a Masters in Journalism from University of Melbourne. She has previously worked as a climate and energy analyst. </div>

“They snack-shamed my three year old”: Mum fires up on school note

An American mother has taken to social media to share her Pringle problem with the world. As Megan Peavey explained in her TikTok video, she’d sent her three-year-old son to school with some chips in his lunchbox to enjoy when snacktime rolled around. However, the staff at the school weren’t exactly of the opinion that Pringles were the right choice, going so far as to suggest Megan had purposefully done the wrong thing and given her child something ‘unhealthy’. “Look at what happened to me today,” she said in the now-private clip. “I sent my son to school with Pringles, which is a very age appropriate snack for a three year old.” She went on to explain that the school had responded by sending the boy home with his empty chip container, the line “please help us make healthy choices at school” written across it in bold black marker. “They wrote that on his Pringles cup,” she said, “they snack shamed my three year old, they snack shamed me, by writing that passive-aggressively on his trash. After asking viewers what they might do in that situation, she described how she got in touch with the school, calling them out on what they’d done, and they “did not label things as healthy and unhealthy” in their house “because that starts eating disorders”. “Do you think that’s ridiculous?” came her final question. “Because I f***ing do.” Megan later shared an update on the entire situation, outlining how she had spoken to the school’s director, and was told “it was passive-aggressive of me to keep sending Pringles after the note”. But, as she pointed out, she didn’t believe Pringles to be an ‘unhealthy’ snack like they did. “I consider things like Doritos, Cheetos, and Milky Way bars to be unhealthy,” she noted, before adding that she regularly sends her son to school with the likes of granola bars with his other snacks, and that she just would have appreciated the school speaking to her directly without leaping to the note. Megan stood her ground and didn’t apologise to the educators, before she “walked downstairs and I just checked my son out - we’re done there.” Her comments were flooded by fellow parents who were more than eager to back her up, with many noting that they may not have handled it so well themselves - one even wrote that she’d have sent her child with an entire tub and a handwritten “no thank you” the next day. “I cannot even explain how out of line and wild this seems to me - on the school's part," another said. “On his birthday…send pringles for EVERY kid in the class,” someone suggested. And one pre-k teacher even came forward to share her take, noting “never would I ever tell a family to 'make healthy choices'. My girls get a bag of chips with their sandwiches, along with fresh fruit." Images: TikTok

Family & Pets

Tim Tam slammed over biscuit blunder

A bemused shopper has caused a stir online with their side-by-side comparison of Tim Tam packets. In a photo posted to Reddit, biscuit fans were met with the horrifying discovery that unless they were buying Tim Tam’s Original line, they were receiving significantly less biscuit for their buck. Two packets had been placed side by side - one Tim Tam’s Original biscuits, the other their Deluxe Dark Choc Mint - to make the disparity in Tim Tam to plastic ratio clear for all to see. In the deluxe pack, eight biscuits could be nestled in the plastic with large gaps between them, typically weighing in at 175g when full. Meanwhile, in the original, 11 could be sandwiched into the packaging, and weighed 200g before any were eaten. Most importantly, both packs - from the outside - appeared to be exactly the same size. “Australia’s biggest scam unwrapped,” <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/australia/comments/12tws3i/australias_biggest_scam_unwrapped/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the post was titled</a>, drawing in over 600 comments, and over 7,000 ‘upvotes’ - the Reddit equivalent of telling fellow users that something is worth a look at. As one put it, “that’s gotta be the most un-Australian Australian thing I’ve ever seen.” “As an American looking at this, it actually bothers me how inefficient the packaging is. You can get so much more in there,” another pointed out. “Stupid amount of plastic for eight biscuits,” one noted. “Honestly just make the packet smaller,” someone suggested, before adding that “this only increases plastic waste. At least a smaller expensive product ‘feels’ more premium.” There were those that could see the funny side, of course, taking to the comments to try and lighten the situation for those mourning the loss of their beloved biccies. “11 Tim Tams. Why 11? Not divisible by anything. I can’t eat 1/4 of the packet, or 1/2, so looks like I’m eating the lot,” one wrote. “And here I was, thinking I was just eating them too quickly,” joked another. “Duh, that's why they're called ‘Deluxe’, cause they're rarer and way harder to capture in the wild to put in packs,” one expert on the matter explained. And while the original poster went on to respond to many that they were only having some fun, and it really wasn’t that serious, there were those that simply wanted to rain on their parade, repeatedly pointing out that the weight and quantity of biscuits was clearly displayed on the packaging itself. In response to one such comment, the poster said that they were “literally having a laugh, I’m not a victim having a cry. It’s biscuits. The photo shows the spacing of the deluxe which is wasteful and the packet sizes are the same length, which is deceiving.” And, as they also later explained, the packaging information simply wasn’t a factor because “I’m a professional Tim Tam eater so I pick based on flavours.” Images: Reddit

Food & Wine

Screwed over: how Apple and others are making it impossible to get a cheap and easy phone repair

If Apple and other tech companies have their way, it will only become harder to have our phones and other devices repaired by third-party businesses. Smartphones and many other tech devices are increasingly being designed in ways that make it challenging to repair or replace individual components. This might involve soldering the processor and flash memory to the motherboard, gluing components together unnecessarily, or using non-standard <a href="https://www.ifixit.com/News/14279/apples-diabolical-plan-to-screw-your-iphone">pentalobe screws</a> which make replacements problematic. Many submissions to an Australian “right to repair” <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/current/repair/submissions#initial">inquiry</a> have called on tech manufacturers to provide a fair and competitive market for repairs, and produce products that are easily repairable. The <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/current/repair/issues/repair-issues.pdf">right to repair</a> refers to consumers’ ability to have their products repaired at a competitive price. This includes being able to choose a repairer, rather than being forced by default to use the device manufacturer’s services. But it seems Apple doesn’t want its customers to fix their <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/evmeya/apple-iphone-right-to-repair-california">iPhones</a>or <a href="https://www.inputmag.com/culture/apples-repair-policies-are-utterly-shameful-and-shouldnt-be-allowed-e-waste-recycling-macbooks-t2">Macbooks</a> themselves. The company has <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/nz85y7/apple-is-lobbying-against-your-right-to-repair-iphones-new-york-state-records-confirm">lobbied against</a> the right to repair in the United States and has <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/11/18/936268845/apple-agrees-to-pay-113-million-to-settle-batterygate-case-over-iphone-slowdowns">been accused of deliberately slowing down</a> iPhones with older batteries. <a href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2019/10/16/tech-giants-fight-digital-right-to-repair-bills">Opposition</a> against the right to repair from tech companies is to be expected. Cornering consumers into using their service centres increases their revenue and extends their market domination. In its defence, Apple has said <a href="https://time.com/4828099/farmers-and-apple-fight-over-the-toolbox/">third-party repairers</a> could use lower quality parts and also make devices vulnerable to hackers. It also defended its <a href="https://venturebeat.com/2019/08/14/apple-defends-iphone-unauthorized-battery-warning-as-a-safety-feature/">battery warning indication</a> as a “safety” feature, wherein it started to alert users if their phone’s replacement battery hadn’t come from a certified Apple repairer. In the US, Apple’s <a href="https://support.apple.com/irp-program">independent repair provider program</a> grants certain providers access to the parts and resources needed to fix its devices. Independent repair shops in <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/07/apple-expands-iphone-repair-services-to-hundreds-of-new-locations-across-the-us/">32 countries</a> can now apply, but the scheme has yet to extend outside the US. <h2>Impact on users</h2> With the iPhone 12 — the latest iPhone offering — Apple has <a href="https://www.ifixit.com/News/45921/is-this-the-end-of-the-repairable-iphone">made it even harder</a> for third-party repairers to fix the device, thereby increasing users’ reliance on its own services. Apple has hiked its <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-au/iphone/repair/service/screen-replacement">repair charges</a> for iPhone 12 by more than 40%, compared with the iPhone 11. It is <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-au/iphone/repair/service/screen-replacement">charging</a> more than A$359 to fix an iPhone 12 screen outside of warranty and A$109 to replace the battery. Historically, third-party repairers have been a cheaper option. But using a third-party repairer for an iPhone 12 could render some phone features, such as the camera, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/30/21542242/apple-iphone-12-third-party-repairs-ifixit-camera-module-replacement">almost inoperable</a>. According to reports, fixing the iPhone 12’s camera requires <a href="https://9to5mac.com/2020/10/30/iphone-12-camera-repair/">Apple’s proprietary</a> system configuration app, available only to the company’s own authorised technicians. It’s not just Apple, either. <a href="https://www.techradar.com/au/news/samsungs-galaxy-s20-ultra-is-unsurprisingly-difficult-to-repair">Samsung’s</a> flagship phones are also quite tricky for third-party repairers to fix. <h2>Impact on environment</h2> When certain parts for repairs aren’t available, manufacturers will produce new phones instead, consuming <a href="https://www.envirotech-online.com/news/environmental-laboratory/7/breaking-news/how-do-smartphones-affect-the-environment/48339">more energy and resources</a>. In fact, manufacturing one smartphone <a href="https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.cqu.edu.au/science/article/pii/S095965261733233X">consumes</a> as much energy as using it for ten years. As smartphones become harder to repair, electronic waste will grow. Apple and Samsung both cited environmental benefits when they announced they would no longer ship <a href="https://theconversation.com/apples-iphone-12-comes-without-a-charger-a-smart-waste-reduction-move-or-clever-cash-grab-148189">chargers</a> with their phones. Yet, they’ve turned a blind eye to the environmental damage that would arise from completely cornering the repair market. The average Australian home has <a href="https://thinktv.com.au/facts-and-stats/australian-homes-are-experiencing-a-screen-explosion/">6.7 devices</a>, including televisions, personal computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones. With diminishing opportunities for repair, the environmental burden from disposing of these devices will increase. <h2>What is being done?</h2> Phone giants make it tough for third-party repairers to do their job in a variety of ways. This includes constantly changing designs, adding hurdles to the repair process, and restricting access to parts, diagnostic software and repair documentation. Meanwhile, consumers are left with broken phones and huge repair bills — and repairers are left with less business. The fight to remove barriers to repair is gaining momentum outside Australia, too, in countries including <a href="https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/when-will-canadians-have-right-repair">Canada</a>, the <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/right-to-repair-means-spare-parts-for-household-appliances-mr5gmkjxr">United Kingdom</a> and the <a href="https://www.repair.org/legislation">United States</a>. Legislative reforms have been introduced in the <a href="https://repair.eu/news/european-parliament-calls-for-ambitious-right-to-repair/">European Union</a> and <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/93wy8v/newly-passed-right-to-repair-law-will-fundamentally-change-tesla-repair">Massachusetts</a>. France has introduced a <a href="https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/indice-reparabilite">Repairability Index</a> requiring electrical and electronic equipment companies to inform consumers about their products’ repairability on a scale of one to ten. This takes into account the ease of repairability, availability and price of spare parts and availability of technical repair documents. <h2>The path moving forward</h2> Until the push for right to repair legislative reform gathers pace globally, consumers will have little choice but to pay up to big companies to access their authorised repair services. If they don’t, they may risk losing their warranty, ending up with a non-functional device and even <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e449c8c3ef68d752f3e70dc/t/5ea8a6d93b485d0feb9b5d6b/1588111098207/Report_RightToRepair_HanleyKellowayVaheesan-1.pdf">infringing</a> upon the manufacturers’ software copyrights. Ideally, phone companies (and others) would assist users with the repair process by providing replacement parts, repair documentation and diagnostic tools to third-party repairers. This would also help <a href="https://www.apple.com/au/newsroom/2020/07/apple-commits-to-be-100-percent-carbon-neutral-for-its-supply-chain-and-products-by-2030/">Apple</a> and <a href="https://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/sustainability/environment/">Samsung</a> reduce their carbon footprint and achieve their environmental goals. Although the way things are going, it’s unlikely tech companies will be able to escape their self-inflicted repair obligations. In the past, Apple CEO Jeff Williams has <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/08/apple-offers-customers-even-more-options-for-safe-reliable-repairs/">said, "</a>we believe the safest and most reliable repair is one handled by a trained technician using genuine parts that have been properly engineered and rigorously tested." But with only so much workforce available even to Apple, sharing the load with smaller repairers will help. And for consumers’ benefit, the right to repair legislation must be taken seriously, with consistent repairability scores developed across the globe. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/screwed-over-how-apple-and-others-are-making-it-impossible-to-get-a-cheap-and-easy-phone-repair-156871" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

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