8 years ago
11
FDA on Trans Fat: Halt Use in U.S. Food Within 3 Years
Trans fat is going to have to be removed from all food in the U.S. in the next three years.
Continue Reading
http://www.cnn.com
Additional Contributions:
Join the Discussion
I removed it from all my food years ago.
Non-American here, whenever I discuss traveling to America everyone brings up the food and how awesome it is. If I got there and the FDA only allowed healthy alternatives I would feel cheated... it seems like an integral part of the experience to gorge yourself on deliciously unhealthy food.
This is a huge overstep of authority. If people want to eat themselves to death, they should be allowed to do so. We're allowed to drink and smoke ourselves to death, the only difference is there isn't any evidence to suggest trans-fats can cause harm to those around the person ingesting them.
What's next, I wonder?
I don't think this is really aiming at the adults who choose to eat themselves to death. I think this is mostly to protect the children who have no choice in the matter.
There is no aim at all, it's a nuclear bit of overbearing governmental regulation from a body that doesn't answer to the will of the people it regulates. And it's unnecessary on top of it all, the article says trans fat consumption has been reduced by 78%.
Don't get me wrong, I think the stuff is awful and it's a good thing that it's consumption is falling, but I really think that it isn't the government's job to regulate what we can and cannot eat. I think that it is a huge overstep of the powers the constitution grants the federal government. That might not mean much to the folks in Washington but it does to me.
Capitalism is making corporations very powerful, and the best interests for any corporation is to generate as much profit as possible which means cutting corners and creating new ways to make a profit. Do you think these corporations can regulate themselves? Do you think these corporations have the customer's best interests in mind? Are you seeing whats happening with this nation's population in regards to consuming really fucking terrible shit? I understand that it's not the governments business what we eat, but someone needs to make these companies accountable for their shady practices. Any ideas on how we can better approach this obviously global problem?
Definitely. I'm so sorry I can only give you one up vote.
Of course corporations won't regulate themselves: that's what markets are for. If the market doesn't "work" the way you think it should work, then people are either being lied to, which is fraud, or they just don't care, in which case the government isn't representing its people's wishes. And in this case, the market worked: a 78% reduction in consumption of trans-fats is huge. The bureaucrats just decided that they wanted to throw a bit of weight around on something.
Education is the solution, not control. Control is easy, being responsible for your life is not always so, but would you rather live in a comfy padded cell, completely safe, or free to make your own decisions about your life?
Again, where are the bans on tobacco? Alcohol? Soft drinks? Or are those next on the list to government-enforced healthy living?
I guess it's just my personal opinion that I don't trust a market that can be easily manipulated by the media, fake research, and other methods that large corporations have wide range access too. Capitalism is built on manipulating markets, and success is measured by doing the things the other guy won't do, either because of capability or resistance to shady business practices.
Are there a lot of stupid, ignorant people? Yeah, sure. Would they be better off being coddled? Probably. Should I have to suffer because of them? No thank you.
Education is the answer, like I said before. Educate them, bring them up, not everyone else down.
Got ya. Thanks for the discussion.