Should governments be allowed to ban trans fats?

[gravitas]

NYC has just banned restaurants in using trans-fats in the preparation of foods. Purely from a public health perspective this is a good thing since TFA's aren't healthy and are a contributor to the country's obesity epidemic. However, with this logic how can the government continue to allow (and greatly profit from) the sale of tobacco or alcohol which are both arguably responsible for more health problems then TFA's.

I know that governments need to implement laws (e.g. the 17 year old john debate) especially around consumer products and foods since without them I'm sure Nabisco would be selling mercury filled oreos but where as consumers should we demand choice?

 

[gravitas]

I couldn't yoda-ize that idea effectively

"now stop eating transfats you must, death and mushy ass ensue it will.....ohhhhh"

 

[LonelyGhost]

if govt could profit from trans-fats like they do from
alcohol and tobacco then you could buy the sludge
in gallon jugs at the local grocers.

 

[FuZzYknUckLeS]

I guess the trans-fat producers need to learn from the tobacco industry and hire some lobbyists!
I see it this way. People in general are simply too fuckin' stupid to know what's good (or bad) for them, so if the govt. needs to play 'mom', so be it. As long as it's for the betterment of the system (as in, lower health care costs to all of us) and not just to benefit the individual. If it's simply to benefit the individual, then forget it. Leave that up to natural selection, where only the non-morons survive.
The real solution to all of this is the same approach that the govt. took with tobacco. Don't ban the substance, just label the livin' fuck out of it so that we at least know it has bad stuff in it, and can make an educated decision.

 

[wolverine]

However, with this logic how can the government continue to allow (and greatly profit from) the sale of tobacco or alcohol which are both arguably responsible for more health problems then TFA's.

Easy solution here: just like there are tobacco taxes and alcohol taxes, why not have transfat taxes and junk food taxes?

Junk food is cheaper than healthy food in most cases, which results in welfare moms feeding their kids with McDs every day. Part of the reasoning behind tobacco taxes is to pay for health care costs for that smoker when the lung cancer kicks in. By applying that same theory, if someone wants to stuff their double-chins with a bag of Doritos and 2 litres of Coke every night, they should pay more for it to cover the cost of their obesity-related illnesses.

 

[FuZzYknUckLeS]

Easy solution here: just like there are tobacco taxes and alcohol taxes, why not have transfat taxes and junk food taxes?...

Not an easy solution at all really. At least not the junk food tax part. There is no clear definition of junk food, and too many types of food fall into that gray area between junk food and healthy food. We'd spend 10 times the taxes collected just paying for committees and hearings and lawyers and inquiries trying to define the term.

 

[souljacker]

However, with this logic how can the government continue to allow (and greatly profit from) the sale of tobacco or alcohol which are both arguably responsible for more health problems then TFA's.

Try not to use the words "logic" and "government" in the same sentance. Attempts to combine the two will always end in frustration.

Easy solution here: just like there are tobacco taxes and alcohol taxes, why not have transfat taxes and junk food taxes?

From a purely selfish standpoint, I don't want to see this happen because there's a lot of junk food out there that I really like. From a more reasonable standpoint, however, you've hit the nail on the head, and if it was put to a vote, I would vote for this solution. Unless I happened to have the munchies at the time that I was voting

Junk food is cheaper than healthy food in most cases, which results in welfare moms feeding their kids with McDs every day.

That's not quite true. If you're willing to prepare everything from scratch, and if you know what you're doing, healthy food will usually be cheaper than junk food. The problem is that the majority of people either don't have the time to prepare all of their food from scratch, or don't have the know-how to do it (or both). If you want healthy food without preparing it from scratch, then junk food will usually be cheaper.

This problem is especially pronounced in the poorer segments of the population because those who do work usually have to work long hours just to get by, which prevents them from having enough time to buy fresh foods every day, and spend several hours preparing them. Those who don't work, and just collect welfare, are usually just too lazy to prepare their food from scratch. The problem is compounded by the fact that the children of the lazy people, and of the hard-working but strapped-for-time people, will grow up with the same eating habits that they learned from their parents, and usually won't even know how to prepare a healthy meal.

 

[necko]

I was just going to say yes gov't should ban trans fats not all that other stuffs

 

[georgebushmoron]

Instead of banning the transfat, the government should just put obese people in jail.

 

[TheRater]

The problem is that the majority of people either don't have the time to prepare all of their food from scratch, or don't have the know-how to do it (or both). If you want healthy food without preparing it from scratch, then junk food will usually be cheaper

Or they are just to damn lazy to learn or to do it.

- TR

 

[IQof10]

YUS!!!!!

Ban trans fats, ban tobacco...legalize weed and hookers.

Viva la Moral Vacuity!!

What she said.

 

[necko]

Instead of banning the transfat, the government should just put obese people in jail.

George that is one the most ignorant things I've seen post on this board and I myself admit to posting some ignorant comments on this board, why this board continues to allow hate mongering I don't understand,

 

[mick_eight]

Instead of banning the transfat, the government should just put obese people in jail.

GBM Just to remind you " You can't pound a 10' nail with a tack hammer "

 

[gravitas]

Instead of banning the transfat, the government should just put obese people in jail.

so if you have a BMI <25 you get paroled?

 

[sdw]

That's not quite true. If you're willing to prepare everything from scratch, and if you know what you're doing, healthy food will usually be cheaper than junk food. The problem is that the majority of people either don't have the time to prepare all of their food from scratch, or don't have the know-how to do it (or both). If you want healthy food without preparing it from scratch, then junk food will usually be cheaper.

This problem is especially pronounced in the poorer segments of the population because those who do work usually have to work long hours just to get by, which prevents them from having enough time to buy fresh foods every day, and spend several hours preparing them. Those who don't work, and just collect welfare, are usually just too lazy to prepare their food from scratch. The problem is compounded by the fact that the children of the lazy people, and of the hard-working but strapped-for-time people, will grow up with the same eating habits that they learned from their parents, and usually won't even know how to prepare a healthy meal.

Let's remember that we are talking about a law in New York.

Living in Vancouver and Burnaby it is possible to live in an area with a large welfare population and still have stores where fresh food is available.

It's not the same in the States.

Even in Seattle, the big stores like Safeway aren't located in areas where there is good public transportation, high urban proverty or high crime. There was a well known minister that got himself in trouble on this very point. He was pointing out that the corner stores don't carry fresh meat and vegetables. He was attacked for telling the truth. The big stores left long ago because they aren't willing to accept the robberies and shoplifting, the small stores carry only canned and frozen food. It really is cheaper and healthier to feed your kids at McDonald's in Urban high proverty areas in the States.

Many of the Malls in the States fight tooth and nail to prevent access to their mall by public transit. They know that public transit also means high crime.

 

[slacker]

NYC has just banned restaurants in using trans-fats in the preparation of foods. Purely from a public health perspective this is a good thing since TFA's aren't healthy and are a contributor to the country's obesity epidemic. However, with this logic how can the government continue to allow (and greatly profit from) the sale of tobacco or alcohol which are both arguably responsible for more health problems then TFA's.

I know that governments need to implement laws (e.g. the 17 year old john debate) especially around consumer products and foods since without them I'm sure Nabisco would be selling mercury filled oreos but where as consumers should we demand choice?

I don't think I'd want the government banning trans fats quite yet. I simply do not trust the government and whatever studies they have as motivation. I also think most dieticians and doctors are brainwashed with whatever they were taught in the 50's to be good nutrition. I've spent enough time studying diet issues to believe these people don't and just regurgitate the same old crap without learning anything.

Only a few years ago, they government would have told you "butter evil!", "margarine great!". And I'm sure they had studies to back that up too. So right now we could be living in a butterless world if some would have had their way.

Then there's the whole low fat revolution. Yeah lets take away fat and subtitute sugar instead because sugar has less calories! Fucking brilliant! Retards. Again they would have perhaps tried banning fat.

There are all sorts of cultures all around the world that eat all sorts of things you might not have imagined being good for your long term health. Try looking up the incidence of heart disease in eskimos who only eat gobs of meat and fat. Note the 1st nations diabetes rates between their traditional diet and introduced diets. Etc.

Bottom line is I wouldn't be shocked if they found trans fats to not be so bad for you. Only after decades of good research would I be fully convinced it is all bad (though I do think it probably is evil and I'd prefer to avoid it).

But what I think they should do is force manufacturers to put a label on their products that claims trans fat content and notes what it might do to you.

And don't get me started on the junk food tax/ban thing.

 

[FuZzYknUckLeS]

Instead of banning the transfat, the government should just put obese people in jail.

On most other boards, people tend to put sarcastic comments in red. Might wanna give that a try for future remarks, so people don't get the impression that you're an assfuck.

 

[Avery]

On most other boards, people tend to put sarcastic comments in red. Might wanna give that a try for future remarks, so people don't get the impression that you're an assfuck.

Or just use this smilie: I know the written word doesn't convey verbal nuances well, but it seemed pretty obvious to me that GBM was being sarcastic.

It's also interesting to note that it's often the members who make the most inarticulate posts who are the most likely to miss those nuances in other members' posts.

 

[souljacker]

Living in Vancouver and Burnaby it is possible to live in an area with a large welfare population and still have stores where fresh food is available.

It's not the same in the States.

Really? Damn, I didn't know about any of that. Hmm, I stand by my comments if we're talking about people in the lower mainland, but from the sounds of it, the problem in the States goes deeper.

 

[georgebushmoron]

On most other boards, people tend to put sarcastic comments in red. Might wanna give that a try for future remarks, so people don't get the impression that you're an assfuck.

Well I guess only the dummies will be offended as they are the ones who need smiley faces, red colors, plenty of exclamation marks and other gimmicks to understand things. Perhaps I should preface what I say with such things as: "WARNING: SARCASM TO FOLLOW" and "WARNING: SARCASM IS FINISHED, NORMAL ATTITUDE FOLLOWS". Perhaps I should take your PC attitude and dumb down everything I say just like they do in school classrooms so that the half twits never develop and the smart ones become stupid.