Schaden Delight

Of all the various brands the adorn the endless aisles of supermarkets throughout the country, there are few I loathe more than Sunny Delight. It's true there are probably others to which I should take a greater dislike (Nestle's multitude of sins spring immediately to mind), but Sunny D is the one that's usually foremost in my mind.

What did it do to deserve my ire? Was it's the relentlessly cheerful advertising campaign that accompanied it's launch (with a jingle that will haunt me to my grave)? Was it the fact that it targeted children with a zeal that bordered on ruthlessness? Was it that it was disguised itself as fruit juice, when it was little more than water, sugar, flavourings, colourings, assorted gunk, and the smallest drop of real fruit?

Actually, it was all of the above, but what I found most repugnant of all was that it was refrigerated. Cartons and cartons of the stuff stored in refrigerated cabinates alongside proper fruit juices, as though that was where it legitimately belonged. As though it was necessary for Sunny Delight to remain fresh, when in fact it had the sort of shelf life that ensured that when the end of world comes around, and the only life form left on the planet is giant mutant cockroaches, at least the giant mutant cockroaches will have something to drink.

To me Sunny Delight represents the sum total of human amorality, in one easy to handle carton. It represents so much that's wrong with society that I hardly even know where to begin. It's just plain wrong, wrong wrong.

So imagine my unfettered glee when I discovered this article from the Guardian. Sunny Delight is being removed from the shelves of one of the biggest supermarket chains in Britain following plummeting sales after Britons start turning to healthier alternatives. Ring a bell and shout Huzzah! I never cared about Jamie Oliver one way or another until last year when he began a campaign to raise awareness about the quality of food in schools. A celebrity chef, he was generally derided a a "mockney", but the difference he has made to the perception of the public has been truly remarkable. The man helped kill Sunny Delight - who do I go to to nominate the man for knighthood?