Fats and Freedom
Slate reports that New York City is banning Trans fats (Vegetable oils made solid by adding Hydrogen) because they lead to poor health. I imagine that most restaurants will go back to Saturated fats (from animals) that are still allowed. Some restaurants argue that their food will not taste the same.
It seems to me that much of the same aim could be accomplished while also respecting the freedom of choice by merely raising the tax on Trans fats so that they are more expensive than the alternative. Then some users can choose to pay the premium if they believe it is necessary while most who are cost driven will choose otherwise.
I had a similar reaction to the Smoking bans. No one wants to be exposed to smoke against their will, but many folks enjoy the smoking culture. Why not just exempt private clubs and let adult make an informed choice. I do like a fine cigar and port in a well appointed room.
I don’t like government intruding in my life, unless it is unavoidably necessary. Fats and Smoking are not.
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7 Responses to “Fats and Freedom”
It’s just the beginning. Chicago has banned foie gras because it’s cruel to the goose. I can’t imagine veal or lamb is far behind…
BTW, saturated fats are hydrogenated fats, and carry the same cardio risks as trans fats, so animal fat isn’t a sound solution. Restaurants could spend a little more and use liquid oils for frying instead of the hydrogenated kind. Olive oil and Canola oil are monounsaturated, corn, soy and sunflower are polyunsaturated. There are plenty of good alternatives.
I’ve got to disagree that this is ‘respecting the freedom of choice’ in a full sense. Some people will be turned away not because they don’t want trans fats, but because they can’t pay the extra price.
Freedom of (consumer) choice would be better served by:
-making the restaraunt post notices that a food has
trans fats, maybe on the menu
-having one fryer container filled with trans fat and one filled with non trans fat, they ask the customer which they prefer (would you like trans with that?)
-Rewarding restaraunts that use non trans fats, maybe with money (tax break) or some sort of healthy sticker they can put on their menu.
Keep the government out of my dinner. Period. This law is no less intrusive than attempts to intervene in the Schiavo case. Yes, there are differences, but the end result is the same.
Ironice that the R’s often want to legislate morality; while the D’s often want to legislate health.
I agree with Paul: I can make my own damn choices and if I choose to hurt myself, versus someone else, it’s my own damn business.
True enough, but I am not in a position to make informed choices if the information is not made available to me. What they should have done was required the restaurants to clearly lable which menu items contain trans-fats. That would have allowed the consumer to choose for themselves.
In general, better product labeling in restaurants would be helpful. Allergic individuals can have an immensely difficult time eating out because there is often no way of knowing exactly what is in the food. Even when they ask about allergens in the food, they sometimes get an incorrect answer and end up taking a trip to the hospital.
No. Its time we started tossing away this stupid “Vice Tax” BS for outright government control and product banning. “Freedom” seems to be used for every BS excuss to damage and kill our people everyway possible nowadays. Its all about money and the ONLY one that gets the “freedom” is the selfish jerk getting the profit.
Anything for a buck including kill your own people, I’m SICK of it!
Yet more of the same from the Nanny State. Whether its seat belt laws, smoking bans, or the anti-obesity craze, politicians just can’t seem to get it in their heads that in a free society, perhaps it is individuals, and not the government, that should be making these type of decisions.
Meanwhile, nonviolent drug offenders continue to be harassed and even killed by police officers committing SWAT raids in the middle of the night.
nicrivera
Well hell then….why have any government at all? We elect leaders to “do” things…not “not do things”…Anti-Government is anarcy not democracy.
Good Grief