Government wants access to supermarket loyalty card data... "It's for your own good".

[denny]

Two articles just out on this...

The first: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/12/05/ntesco05.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/12/05/ixhome.html
"The MPs suggested that loyalty cards could be used to identify customers who bought excessive amounts of foods high in fat, sugar and salt, and asked whether supermarkets could use this information to promote healthier alternatives to these customers."

The second: http://media.guardian.co.uk/advertising/story/0,7492,1099981,00.html
"David Hinchliffe, the MP who was instrumental in securing a ban on tobacco advertising earlier this year, suggested supermarkets' loyalty cards could be used to monitor eating habits."

(spotted on Politech)

Comments

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

Well, supermarkets already do monitor your eating habits, but they mostly try to offer you incentives to buy more of (or more expensive varieties of) the things you buy already. My recent offer vouchers were for luxury cheese, aubergines and dairy desserts (the latter prompted by wechsler's occasional mini-cheesecake habit I suspect), which probably tells you a lot about my eating habits (I like cheese and Mediterranean food).

I'm not sure there'd be much of a profit in it for supermarkets to try to encourage people who buy unhealthy, expensive pre-prep foods to switch to lower-fat or lower-salt foods, which usually means buying cheap, fresh produce and cooking your own. If the Government did try to force their hand, it would probably result, at least in the short term, in the price of healthier food being pushed up as they try to preserve their profit margins.

[kaet.livejournal.com]

I've got a co-op divvy card, but that's all. I don't think I mind a group of wet-behind-the-ears lefties that are the co-op knowing such things. I'd not trust Tescos or Sainsbury's as far as I could throw one of their stores, though.

And, is it possible to section governments under the mental health act? :)

[wechsler.livejournal.com]

I think that requires a mind to be found...

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure there'd be much of a profit in it for supermarkets to try to encourage people who buy unhealthy, expensive pre-prep foods to switch to lower-fat or lower-salt foods

That's a very good point. It's kind of sad that the most likely thing to defeat this kind of government invasion of privacy is a pragmatic money motive, but hey - whatever works :)