This Tuesday's Trim Down is based on a hotly debated issue, which is the government's involvement in helping create a healthy population. While most of us support efforts aimed at helping people make healthier choices, the question is where to draw the line. When do we want the government to help out and when do we want it to butt out? Some examples of recent government initiatives include: requiring food chains to list calorie values for food and drinks (e.g. Starbucks, Chiptole, Au Bon Pain, etc), taxing sodas, asking food manufacturers to reduce the salt content of their foods (e.g. Campbell Soup, Heinz, Kraft), and taking the trans fat out of peanut butter.
Readers, what do you think about these and other initiatives? Do you support them? Do you think it is too paternalistic? Would you prefer more initiatives aimed at lowering the cost of healthy foods or increasing access to exercise? What is your suggestion for helping create a healthier population?
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I don't think that they should monitor the actual manufacturing but they definitely should be listing the calories on things. As long as people have the knowledge of what they are eating then it's up to them to make the decision of whether or not to eat it.
ReplyDeleteMaybe instead of the government monitoring what is in the foods, they should spend the time/money informing citizens what to we should be staying away from. Instead of mandating what we can and cannot eat, tell us what healthier lifestyle options are available to us and promote businesses that offer these lifestyle changes.
ReplyDeleteSin taxes on soda is not likely to make a healthier population. We should have access to information, like information of caloric & nutritional value. Perhaps, governments should spend money to support early childhood, elementary and secondary curriculum to teach the benefits and know how of health living and informed choices.
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