Tony the Tiger facing extinction

Oct 5 2008 by Ken Oxley, Sunday Sun

LOOKS like Tony the Tiger is every bit as endangered as his real life jungle buddies. And Snap, Crackle and Pop could soon become gnomeless!

The firms behind these and other cartoon creations have been criticised for using them to promote unhealthy foods which target children.

Others identified by consumer watchdog Which? include Coco, the annoying monkey from the Coco Pops ads, and the inspirationally- named Dairylea cow . . . Moo.

It might seem churlish to lay the blame for the childhood obesity epidemic at the door of these cartoons, some of which were created long before the problem was identified.

But food manufacturers have a duty to act responsibly and change with the times.

That obviously means admitting that Tony’s beloved Frosties are actually far from “grrreat!”

How can they be when sugar makes up more than one third of the ingredients?

Unfortunately, young, impressionable children notice these adverts and parents feel pressurised into buying the goods.

So either manufacturers have to clean up their act and get rid of the unhealthy ingredients, or Tony and his pals face becoming extinct.