America, as a whole, is a fat nation – much heavier than in previous decades. Children aren’t just chubby, they are obese and they are suffering from health issues like Diabetes 2 and hypertension that used to only plague the middle aged.
Everyone knows that the answer is less junk food, more exercise, and better eating habits but no one seems to be able to wrest the cream filled snack cakes from the kids’ chubby, sticky hands. Parents either can’t or won’t do it, and the trillion dollar snack corporations sure aren’t going to do it. Should the government step in?
Various cities and counties have begun to ban certain foods and ingredients. San Francisco and Santa Clara County banned Happy Meals a couple of years ago citing that the toys in combination with high fat and high sugar foods conspired to lure children into developing poor eating habits. In 2010 there was a battle in New York over whether or not salt should be added to the food in the restaurants.
Should people be told by the government what they can and cannot eat? Considering that the same government is allowing GMOs and high fructose corn syrup in nearly everything, isn’t it sort of hypocritical for them to be concerned over French fries and potato chips?
Traditionally it has been up to the parents to teach healthy eating habits to their children, make rules about eating, and then enforce them. Fifty years ago parents were not afraid to say, “Eat your spinach or no cake.†Modern parents don’t seem to be able to make those kinds of statements.
Do you think the government has a responsibility to legislate what people eat or should that be up to the individual?
photo credit: mauricesvay
