CorpComms Magazine

France has banned tomato ketchup? You're pulling my leg, right?

No, it's true. France has put a ban on the red stuff in primary schools across the country.

What for?

Well I can assure you it can't be for health reasons. Tomato sauce is packed with nutrients and each bottle contains an antioxidant called lycopene.

How can they justify banning it then?

It is all to do with culture, and the idea that French children should learn about  their local cuisine without developing a taste for the yummy red sauce. The ban aims to prevent obesity and promote French food.

Spoiling it? Nonsense. Surely ketchup is what encourages children to eat those dreaded greens?

True. But the French would argue that ketchup makes every meal taste the same, and prevents children from learning about new flavours. Some fans of French food have also suggested that children already like vegetables,  so ketchup is an unnecessary addition to a meal.

So they are worried that French food could die out without this intervention?

Yes.

What rules go with the ban?

School cafeterias have to provide the children with a choice of between four and five dishes, which must include a main course, a starter or a dessert and a dairy product such as a piece of cheese or a pot of yoghurt. Bread must also be available at every meal.

Is the ban a complete ban, or can they bend the rules slightly?

The children will be offered ketchup or mayonnaise once a week, and only as an accompaniment to chips.

But tomato sauce has never done us Brits any harm!

Well the jury is still out about that...

Is the rest of the world just playing 'ketchup'?

Ha ha. Very funny. No. So far no other countries plan to follow France's lead.

Haven't the French been banning a few things of late?

In April of this year, France implemented a strict ban on the full Islamic veil or burqa.

Has anyone been arrested yet?

Yes, two Muslim women were arrested on the day the ban came into effect.

And what is the penalty?

The women may be fined up to 150 Euros or 132 pounds, and have to take part in citizenship lessons.

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