Obama’s Obesity War Half-Hearted
Michelle Obama’s new initiative aimed at reducing the epidemic of pediatric obesity is half hearted bordering on toothless, and ignores many simple, proven, no-cost measures which are already producing significant results, says public interest law professor John Banzhaf, who has been called “man who is taking fat to court” and the lawyer “who’s leading the battle against big fat,” for bringing and encouraging fat law suits, ten of which have already been successful.
“Changing entrenched public attitudes and practices largely through appeals and other educational campaigns isn’t very effective, something we should have learned regarding smoking, drunk driving, child abuse, or even the need to buckle up kids in cars. When we really want results, we usually use legal action, including many actions which have been proven to be so effective against the problem of smoking by both children and adults,” says Banzhaf, who has also been called “the man big tobacco and now fast food love to hate,” and “a major crusader against big tobacco and now among those targeting the food industry.”
Many of the techniques which have proven to be so effective against obesity in children also help to control the epidemic of obesity in adults, notes Banzhaf, who suggests the following proven programs to reduce obesity across the board:
1, Require calorie disclosure on menus and menu boards of major chain restaurants. This has already proven to result in significant reductions in the calories in foods ordered for children, and to provide a strong incentive for restaurant chains to both come up with low-calorie offerings and to reduce calories in all menu items.
2. Stop exempting from sales taxes sugary soft drinks and other high-calorie low-nutrition (junk) foods. Exempting nutritious foods from a general sales tax all other products face may make sense, but why exempt Cola Cola, Ding Dongs, and other especially fattening foods, wonders Banzhaf.
3. Crack down on deceptive practices used by companies to promote their products to kids. Lunchables and McDonald’s kids meals are just two examples.
4. Shift federal farm and other subsidies from high-calorie low-nutritional value foods like high-fructose corn syrup to healthier fruits and vegetables.
5. Require that, before taking major federal actions which might impact weight, agencies must conduct an obesity-impact analysis considering alternatives. A requirement that agencies conduct an environmental-impact analysis before acting has proven to be very effective.
In addition, Prof. Banzhaf suggests the following simple no-cost steps specifically aimed at children, who, in our society, are entitled to additional governmental protection, and are generally assumed to lack the maturity and judgment to make many decisions.
6. Eliminate vending machines selling sugary soft drinks and high-calorie low-nutrition (junk) foods from schools. Banzhaf notes that law suits he helped inspired have already cracked down on “cokes for kickbacks” contracts under which school boards derive a profit from selling sugary beverages to children.
7. Require both health care professionals and schools to report to parents if a child has medical conditions like obesity, pre-hypertension, or similar conditions, just as they would with other medical conditions such as allergies, Diabetes, attention disorder, etc. Parents are often unaware that their children are already obese, or even morbidly obese, and providing them with this information can motivate them to take appropriate steps to help the child.
8. Mandate that all lunch and other programs funded in whole or in part with federal funds not contribute to pediatric obesity by providing sugary soft drinks or other high-calorie low-nutrition foods to children, but rather provide nutritionally-sound and healthy food items.
9. Require that all programs related to children which receive federal funds have in place effective childhood-obesity-reduction programs, including educational components, warnings, and other measures.
Banzhaf notes that none of these suggestions would prevent any adult from eating as much fattening food as he or she might want, so the often-used taunt or sound bite calling such activists “food police” in both wrong and wrongheaded. Governmental measures aimed at reducing smoking have proven to be very effective, and far more effective than simple educational campaigns, warnings about health dangers, appeals to the public, etc., notes Prof. Banzhaf.
PROFESSOR JOHN F. BANZHAF III
Professor of Public Interest Law
George Washington University Law School
FAMRI Dr. William Cahan Distinguished Professor
FELLOW, World Technology Network
2013 H Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006, USA
(202) 659-4312 // (703) 527-8418
http://banzhaf.net // http://banzhaf.net/obesitylinks.html
