Food Companies Lobby To Block Warning Labels

[vfem]

Think about it. Once a label is in place you've been WARNED.

If you violate that warning, then you are a willing wrongdoer - the worst kind of person on earth these days.

Just wait until Obesity, Diabetes, Heart Disease and many other things related to diet are called 'determined' or 'pre-existing' conditions to insurance companies.... and no one carries you any longer.

I would like to see healthcare costs go down so someday I can insure myself and my family. I don't think its going to happen unless people WANT to take care of themselves... why wouldn't someone want to be healthy if it saved them money?!

With the recession, I quit smoking last year because I needed the $$$, and my health came second. It was getting hard listing to my DD tell me I smelled bad and would pretend to cough around me after I had a smoke.

If this industry spent billions to try to block this system, would it have taken that much to switch over to healthier ingredients and make themselves look better on the shelves? Or are they all convinced that their unhealthy food won't survive this...? Will these increase their food prices? Or will it lower them in attempt to sell even MORE?

I do not agree that this is the exact way to go, I don't think it will solve anywhere near as much of the problem as they think it could.... but its an idea worth looking into.

And again, its Europe and Britian... Not America... and they are generally healthier then us?! I'd like to see how it worked there before some group got all up in arms about it here! You know as Americans, we generally are against ANYTHING they do overseas... because its NOT American. That's why we don't cover world news on TV as well as we should.

 

[davaroo]

I just don't get why you guys are against a label? They are not taking the food off the shelf, and as 90% of most grocery stores are processed foods... its not going to change that either unless people decide not to eat it on their own.

I sure as heck am not going to make a choice for ya... but there are really a LOT of dumb people out there! Stop giving stupid people the benefit of the doubt, because if you do, they'll end up reproducing or become a member of congress!!!

I also think people learn there healthy (or not so habits) from their parents... Then there are the kids who only want to 'chose' junk food... so again, we're around to the school debate... its all connected in one huge ignorant loop!

Im just anti... period. I'm the guy progressives laugh at when they chat among themselves.See, I prefer to let people make their own choices, even if they are stupid or ill conceived choices.
Most people do NOT do stupid things, contrary to popular belief, and in the end things balance out.

Does that mean letting them kill themselves in stupid ways?
Yes, if that is their want.
Smoke cigarettes?
You betcha.
Eat food one or another may deem unhealthy?
Yeppers.

Is that irrational to those who are moderate minded? Certainly.
But I'd prefer that, than having the illusion of danger, threat and worry taken away - so we can't hurt ourselves.

I have a friend in Sweden, another European nation loudly touted as somehow "better" than the US. He opines that people will always opt for the safe and secure, even if it means bland homogonization in their lives.

Its better to be a kept sheep than a free mountain goat, in other words.

I would only prefer that BOTH choices be possible, without warning labels. Sadly, in the interests of the collective common good, the latter is slowly being eroded. It is that which I protest.

A great movie that might appeal to those who want to investigate this concept is '"V" For Vendetta.'

Meanwhile, you can laugh at me for being a crackpot.

 

[vfem]

I am at no means laughing at you. You're not a crackpot. We all know Ourselves and want to see the good in others.

I think the government has NO right to take ANYTHING away from us... smokers, drinkers, gamblers... go for it! (Some1 tries to interfere with my Guiness... I will remove an arm!!!)

I still think things should be with warnings.... such as:

*this candy bar contains an ENTIRE day's worth of sugar in grams as recommended "No matter how small it looks there is a LOT of sugar in here, you may want to rethink the second one!"

*this juice does not actually contain juice from any type of fruit or veggie

*seriously, a serving size is only 1/4 cup, go put the 4 cup size bowl back in the cupboard



Again, my view is a good percentage of the population is ignorant. I really believe if everyone truly new the choices they made in their diets 100%, some people would really cut back.

 

[Hattie the Hen]

The labels are only there for information; they are NOT there to compel you to do anything. They are just a reminder that all may not be well. Ignore them if you want to (or have to for economic reasons).

It amazes me that some people get quite so upset about this - why do they want all useful information suppressed....... I, for one, am grateful for the help.......but then I am a European & don't regard these things as taking away my rights....... ..... we are certainly a different breed over here.

Any way it is very doubtful that it will ever come to pass in your country as your big companies will lobby until it gets squashed as an idea. Money always wins in the USA it seems to me, regardless of a lot of things. It saddens me as I have a great love of your wonderful country & people, many of whom are great & dear friends who also share my concern & worries for their beloved country as part of a wider world.

Thank you for the birthday wishes.



Hattie

 

[elf]

Belated happy B-day, Hattie. I'm not saying it's necessarily a bad idea. I see it from both sides. Yes, most of our population is ignorant about health. The guys you hang out with are not representative of the masses. Tags might help some to an extent.

I also see a danger of misinformation or people trusting the FDA's opinions too much. Coffee was bad, now supposedly good, yet my friend's health problems went away when her Dr. got her off of it. I read articles saying 2 glasses of wine daily are good for you. Surprise, that info. is for men only! For women, guess how much it takes to possibly bring on cirrhosis if you're prone to it? TWO DRINKS per day - wine or any other alcohol- for 5 conseq. years.

So being devil's advocate, can't say whether it would help or not. I just don't trust everything I read.

 

[wifezilla]

I'm the guy progressives laugh at when they chat among themselves

Me too! Imagine that

It amazes me that some people get quite so upset about this - why do they want all useful information suppressed

The problem is some of us doubt the information will be useful.

I would define useful as having the ACTUAL carbohydrate count. Yet, in the US, they are allowed to "round down".

Useful would be knowing if any GMO corn or soy was used in making the food item. Yet I can't get that information.

Useful would be knowing if dry milk had been added to my dairy items since the current law is you don't have to include that information.

What will the new label include? WARNING!!! CONTAINS SATURATED FAT THAT WILL MAKE YOUR HEART ASPLODE!!! RUN! EEEEKKK!!!!!

Since saturated fat is natural, healthy and what the human body has evolved to use, I don't need to be warned about it.

 

[davaroo]

Happy birthday, Hattie!

This is an awesome topic, one which has stirred some controversy in my little corner of the world. I actually found myself seeing both sides of the argument today, in fact, after one of my friends brought it up.

She said she'd been thinking about it, too.** One of her conclusions was that, in effect, people have gotten out of hand and its time to reign us in. She was mostly referring to the many sexual obsessions we now take as near commonplace. But she also applied the "anything goes" mentality (what I call liberalism) to many facets of our lives, including our food.

Warning labels on food could be counted as a small step towards reigning in some of our insanity. The sentiment struck me as not so far-fetched, and I was even more surprised to hear me say it. I had to shake my head to clear it out!

I still contend that people generally dont make overtly stupid decisions. Ours is a culture steeped in logic and responsibility and the majority of the people are not guilty of much more that eating cheeseburgers. And the foodists have educated us, more than ever before.

SO, while I still rebel against anything that even smells of regulating choice, I can see the point behind those who reckon food labels will help. Ill never agree to them, of course, on principle, but I can see the point

** They say that small minds talk about other people, mediocre minds talk about events. But GREAT minds talk about ideas!

 

[seedcorn]

Don't want warning labels except on poisons. We're to the point that you have to put warning labels on things like don't put your hand on blades turning on a mower........

Go to labeling safe vs unsafe............lawyers, politicians, consumer groups will have field day suing.............those of us working will pay for it. Who is to say what is safe vs unsafe? We'll pay for that as well.

Everything is labeled as to ingredients, read.

Anyone who smokes, does drugs, drinks excessively, eats too much, etc--will never pay attention to warning labels anyway. In fact there is at least one state, they do that on purpose, go to doctor, get labeled as handicapped, go on government aid, government health care, rent, heat, electric paid.........it's sad.