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Disney: the Federal Goverment’s Puppet

Published at: 08:06 am - Friday June 08 2012

It seems as though Disney has become the latest company to acquiesce to the Food Police and the federal government. Just this week in a joint press conference with Michelle Obama, the Walt Disney Company announced a junk food advertising ban, according to federal government standards. The LA Times reports,

“Food and beverage advertisers who seek to promote their products on Disney’s child-focused cable networks will be required to meet guidelines regarding serving size, calories, and fat and sugar content. The standards follow federal recommendations.”

Disney appears to be the federal government’s puppet when it comes to establishing corporate advertising policy. While it’s understood that businesses routinely make various public relations choices, we expect these same companies to make decisions based on their customers and shareholders–not the federal government. The LA Times continues,

“Disney’s stricter rules won’t take full effect until 2015, both to honor existing contractual obligations with advertisers and to provide companies time to reformulate products.”

Time has shown that when companies have reformulated products to suit government recommendations, consumers have routinely shunned them. Look no further than Heinz and Campbell’s Soup as prime examples.

When it comes to our children and their well-being, decisions are best made by their parents and not the government. Once again, this is another way the federal government is trying to supplant parental rights by deciding what content children are exposed to.

Continue reading at the Los Angeles Times.

Tell us what you think. Do you think this move by Disney was driven by consumer choice or by government pressure? Share your comments on Facebook.

Posted in: Big Government, Food Police, Health, Kids, Nanny State, News, Parents, Washington by admin No Comments advertisements, disney, food police, michelle obama, washington

Food Police Fine School for Accidently Selling Soda

Published at: 11:05 am - Tuesday May 29 2012

Fine arts programs in a Salt Lake City high school are now threatened due to a fine handed down by the federal government. In a totally ridiculous sentence decreed by the power-hungry Food Police, Davis High School had to pay a $15,000 fine for accidentally selling soda during the students’ lunch period. Fox News reports,

It is truly unbelievable the lengths that the federal government will go to in order to bully our schools–they force taxpayers and parents to support a more expensive lunch menu, they ban drinks other than water, and now severely punish those programs who don’t comply with their rigid standards (even accidentally).

Despite it’s intended goal of punishing the school, it has instead punished the students because the money needed to pay this was pulled from their extracurricular programs. The misdirected fine will probably even have the opposite effect as highlighted by the school’s principal on The Blaze.

“The ban isn’t forcing students to stop drinking or eating the sugar-laced food and drink. It’s just driving them to places where they can get it. “The misconception is if we don’t let kids buy candy and pop, we drive them to the cafeteria, it doesn’t drive them to the cafeteria it drives them off campus,” Burton told KUTV.”

For a school that’s already cash strapped, we guess the students will just need to rely the tried and true school fundraiser, bake sales, to raise the extra money. No wait…they’ve been banned too.

Continue reading at The Blaze and Fox News.

Tell us what you think. Do you think it’s appropriate for the government to fine an already cash-strapped school over accidental soda sales? Share your comments with us on Facebook.

Posted in: Big Government, Food Police, Health, Kids, Nanny State, News, Obesity, Parents, School Lunches by admin No Comments children, food police, school, soda

Food Police Believe in Government Control, Not Personal Responsibility

Published at: 10:05 am - Tuesday May 15 2012

According to an Institute of Medicine (IOM) report published this week, obesity is not caused by an absence of willpower within the individual, but rather by the vicious food industry and its lack of regulation by the government. If you think that this sounds like a veiled attempt to limit consumer freedom through the promotion of greater government control, you’d be correct! With the publication of this report accompanied by a CDC article stating 42% of adults will be obese by 2030 (mind you, with no scientific premise), the Food Police are in full swing and ready to scare you into submission.

An article from Reuters highlights the misguided thought process of one committee member,

“People have heard the advice to eat less and move more for years, and during that time a large number of Americans have become obese,” IOM committee member Shiriki Kumanyika of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine told Reuters. “That advice will never be out of date. But when you see the increase in obesity you ask, what changed? And the answer is, the environment. The average person cannot maintain a healthy weight in this obesity-promoting environment.”

The idea that a lack of government intervention, not personal irresponsibility, is the major contributor to this nation’s obesity problem is an extremely dangerous road to travel down. By minimizing the power held by the consumer, one will never truly get to the root of the problem. Furthermore, it’s clear the American public does not support any additional tax as a method to shape eating/drinking habits. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds,

“…just 18% of American Adults support sin taxes on soda and junk food, down from 33% in March 2010. Sixty-three percent (63%) are opposed. Nineteen percent (19%) are undecided.”

The decline in public support for these nanny state control measures is of no surprise to us. The American public is tired of the Food Police and their big government cronies using taxes, bans and regulations to shape our consumer habits. It’s obvious that fighting obesity requires a multifaceted approach: one that involves the individual and NOT the government. Disregarding the role of the individual and downplaying our freedom to choose only serves as an means through which the Food Police gains more power over our daily lives.

Continue reading at Reuters, Rasmussen Reports and the Wall Street Journal.

Tell us what you think! Do you believe the Food Police use these scare tactics as a way to limit consumer freedom? Share your comments on Facebook.

Posted in: Big Government, Food Police, Food Taxes, Health, Nanny State, News, Obesity, Salt, Science, Uncategorized by admin No Comments food police, Food Taxes, Health, nanny state, obesity

Salt Tax Recommended by Scientists Despite Lack of Research

Published at: 07:05 am - Friday May 04 2012

Researchers out of Harvard University’s School of Medicine issued an utterly ridiculous recommendation this past week calling for a ‘tobacco-style’ tax on products containing salt. According to ‘preliminary’ research, they say a salt tax would lower the rates of cardiovascular disease in populations across developing countries. As reported by FoodNavigator.com,

“Presenting the findings at the World Congress of Cardiology in Dubai, lead researcher Dr. Thomas Gaziano from Harvard School of Medicine said that use of the strategies could reduce the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD) each year by 2-3 percent in these countries. Gaziano said that the preliminary data are the first findings from a new report from Harvard that will be published later this year.”

It’s amazing how a broad, and potentially detrimental, public health recommendation can arise out of ‘preliminary’ data! It’s clear that a salt tax, as well as other taxes and regulations pushed by the Food Police, should not be used in order to control consumer behavior. Furthermore, it is absurd for the Food Police to compare salt to tobacco and alcohol when there is a growing body of research showing that salt may not be the bad guy after all. An article in the LA Times pointed out the other numerous studies recently published highlighting salt’s benefits.

“A study published in the American Journal of Hypertension showed eating less salt will not prevent heart attacks, strokes or early death. On the contrary, low-sodium diets increase the likelihood of premature death. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that lower salt intakes resulted in higher death rates. An analysis published in the American Journal of Hypertension showed individuals placed on the U.S. Dietary Guidelines-recommended salt levels experienced significant increases in cholesterol and other risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”

And that’s not all! The Food Police and their recommendations are foolish and outdated. It’s clear that salt has been vindicated. With no consensus from the scientific community regarding salt and its effects, it is reckless to suggest that a broad, overeaching tax should be implemented. Consumers should be presented with all of the facts and then WE can decide what to eat, not the government. Public health policy should not be based on fleeting studies, but rather on solid evidence, of which this ‘preliminary’ data is not.

To hear why experts are calling this war on salt ‘one big experiment’, watch the video below.

Continue reading at Foodnavigator.com and the LA Times.

Tell us what you think! Do you believe that preliminary data is enough to justify more government control over our food choices? Share your comments on Facebook.

Posted in: Big Government, Dietary Guidelines, Doctors, Food Police, Health, Nanny State, News, Obesity, Salt, Science by admin No Comments food police, Food Taxes, research, Salt, science

Food Desert Myth Exposed

Published at: 09:04 am - Friday April 20 2012

According to the Food Police and their big government allies, ‘food deserts’ (the name given to areas where access to fresh, local produce is allegedly scarce) are to blame for obesity and various other public health crises. However, two new studies published this month in leading scientific journals suggest otherwise.

As reported by The New York Times, these studies not only found that poor, urban neighborhoods have as many food establishments as their affluent counterparts, but the research also showed no relationship between the type of food sold in a neighborhood and obesity among its children.

Nanny state government officials have jumped on the Food Police bandwagon regarding food deserts, justifying the exorbitant spending of tax-payer dollars which give companies funding to open new supermarkets in particular neighborhoods. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is giving stimulus grants of more than $372 million to 44 communities in an effort to reduce rates of both obesity and smoking. The research clearly does not support this irresponsible, ineffective public policy. Even public health activists who normally support government overreach do not endorse the approach taken here:

“It is always easy to advocate for more grocery stores,” said Kelly D. Brownell, director of Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, who was not involved in the studies. “But if you are looking for what you hope will change obesity, healthy food access is probably just wishful thinking.”

The non-scientific labeling of ‘food deserts’ is just another over-simplified theory used by the government to gain more control over a complex problem such as obesity. Health and food decisions are best addressed by individuals and families, not government.

Continue reading at The New York Times.

Tell us what you think. Do you believe the government should acknowledge this research and stop funding the opening of new supermarkets? Share your comments with us on Facebook.

Posted in: Health, Nanny State, Obesity, Science, Washington by admin No Comments food desert, myth, research, science, washington

California judge dismisses Happy Meal lawsuit

Published at: 10:04 am - Friday April 13 2012

In a victory for food freedom lovers everywhere, a Superior Court judged dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI, a.k.a the Food Police) on behalf of California mother, Monet Parham, who alleges that McDonald’s is “getting into my kids’ heads without my permission and actually changing what my kids want to eat.”

Is she serious? If you think she’s making it sound like McDonald’s is the next evil villain in the latest sci-fi flick, be very afraid because she’s not alone! According to the LA Times, Michael F. Jacobson, CSPI’s executive director, released a statement Thursday suggesting that the very use of toys in the Happy Meal is simply a ploy to lure kids to unhealthy fast food and is “a predatory practice” that involves “unscrupulous marketing techniques.”

The judge did not give a reason for dismissing the suit, but all one needs to do is listen to the ridiculous rhetoric spewed forth by this organization to understand where the judge was coming from. CSPI has a long history of starting high-profile campaigns aimed at decreasing consumer freedom and increasing government control.

To counteract CSPI’s absurdity, McDonald’s released a statement saying,

“We are proud of our Happy Meals and will vigorously defend our brand, our reputation and our food,” spokeswoman Danya Proud said. “We stand on our 30-year track record of providing a fun experience for kids and families at McDonald’s.”

We are glad that this California judge was able to look past the smoke and mirrors to see what this really was… a vain attempt to shift blame away from the individual and onto a corporation. At what point does personal responsibility, or in this case parental responsibility, kick in?

Continue reading this story at the LA Times and Fox News.

Tell us what you think. Do you agree with the California judge’s decision to dismiss this frivolous lawsuit? Share your comments with us on Facebook.

Posted in: Big Government, California, Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), Health, Kids, Nanny State, News, Obesity, Parents by admin No Comments California, children, food police, happy meal, mcdonald's

Disney: the Federal Goverment’s Puppet

Food Police Fine School for Accidently Selling Soda

Food Police Believe in Government Control, Not Personal Responsibility

Salt Tax Recommended by Scientists Despite Lack of Research

Food Desert Myth Exposed

California judge dismisses Happy Meal lawsuit

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