Re Zoe Williams’ article (The way to tackle obesity in the UK is to make healthy food affordable. But the government won’t admit it, 30 June), has anyone else noticed that slices of bread are now much thicker than they used to be? And that thin-sliced bread is rarely available? I weigh my food to check weight gain, and a sandwich now uses 30% more bread. So companies have grown their sales (and profits) by 30% while increasing obesity.
Gill Reeve
London
• I was charmed to see the first three birthdays in your list in the paper on 1 July, Canada Day: Pamela Anderson, Dan Aykroyd and Geneviève Bujold, all Canadian. Then I realised that it was alphabetical. How very amusing of the birthday fates. And happy 158th birthday to Canada too.
Judith Margaret Steiner
London
• As a fellow pedant (Letters, 29 June), I’m bemused by prolix, redundant phrases like “at this moment in time”. As opposed to this moment in space? And “in any way, shape or form”. “Way” will do. Otherwise, why not add “manner, means, mode, style…”?
Akiva Solemani
St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex
• I thought “blare” was quite reasonable to describe the sound of bagpipes (Letters, 30 June), but would have preferred “screech”.
Alec Murdoch
Edinburgh
• I’ve always believed the awful cacophony of the bagpipes was designed to scare enemies in battle, but at least the pipes preceding Rod Stewart’s Glastonbury show were more in tune than his voice.
Jim Hatley
Brighton
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