Junk junkie

As a documentary film about the impact of junk food on health, 'Supersize Me' could have been pretty dry and dull, but Morgan Spurlock's Michael Moore style approach, though lacking subtlety, ensured it was for the most part entertaining.

Watching someone endure ninety McDonalds meals in thirty days wasn't pleasant (neither was the footage of stomach stapling surgery), but if it does have an effect on public attitudes to fast food then it'll have done its job. I'm certainly not averse to a bit of greasy stodge (though I refuse to patronise McDonalds and their ilk), but generally I've been trying to eat better of late. Healthy eating does seem to have become a real public concern over the last few years - just as well, if we don't want to go the same way as the Americans.

'Supersize Me' is probably best viewed in the context of 'Jamie's School Dinners' and Eric Schlosser's book 'Fast Food Nation', which have also helped in getting the message across. Spurlock only touched briefly on the issue of school food to which C4 dedicated a whole series, whilst 'Fast Food Nation' takes a much broader look at the junk food industry than 'Supersize Me' - not just focusing on McDonalds, and looking beyond the obvious effects on health to examine the industry's influence in areas such as employment, farming, business and culture. As good as 'Supersize Me' is, it's not as nutritious and satisfyingly filling as Schlosser's book.