Posted on 06/21/2011 12:56:23 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Tony the Tiger, some NASCAR drivers and cookie-selling Girl Scouts will be out of a job unless grocery manufacturers agree to reinvent a vast array of their products to satisfy the Obama administrations food police.
Either retool the recipes to contain certain levels of sugar, sodium and fats, or no more advertising and marketing to tots and teenagers, say several federal regulatory agencies.
The same goes for restaurants.
Its not just the usual suspected foods that are being targeted, such a thin mint cookies sold by scouts or M&Ms and Snickers, which sponsor cars in the Sprint Cup, but pretty much everything on a restaurant menu.
Although the intent of the guidelines is to combat childhood obesity, foods that are low in calories, fat, and some considered healthy foods, are also targets, including hot breakfast cereals such as oatmeal, pretzels, popcorn, nuts, yogurt, wheat bread, bagels, diet drinks, fruit juice, tea, bottled water, milk and sherbet.
Food industries are in an uproar over the proposal written by the Federal Trade Commission, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The most disturbing aspect of this interagency working group is, after it imposes multibillions of dollars in restrictions on the food industry, there is no evidence of any impact on the scourge of childhood obesity, said Dan Jaffe, executive vice president of the Association of National Advertisers.
The Interagency Working Group on Food Marketed to Children, Preliminary Proposed Nutrition Principles to Guide Industry Self-Regulation Efforts says it is voluntary, but industry officials say the intent is clear: Do it, or else.
When regulators strongly suggest a course of action, its treated as a rule, not a suggestion, said Scott Faber, vice president of federal affairs for the Grocery Manufacturers Association. Industry tends to heed these suggestions from our regulators, and this administration has made it clear they are willing to regulate if we dont implement their proposal.
Its not just the food industry that will be impacted. Hundreds of television shows that depend on the advertising revenue, such as the Nickelodeon Channel, ESPN, and programs including "American Idol" will be affected, critics of the proposal sayat a cost of $5.8 trillion in marketing expenditures that support up to 20 million American jobs.
If the food is not reformulated, no more ads or promotions on TV, radio, in print, on websites, as well as other digital advertising such as e-mail and text messaging, packaging, and point-of-purchase displays and other in-store marketing tools; product placement in movies, videos, video games, contests, sweepstakes, character licensing and toy branding; sponsorship of events including sport teams and individual athletes; and, philanthropic activity tied to branding opportunities.
That includes softball teams that are sponsored by food companies and school reading programs sponsored by restaurants.
The Interagency working group recommends that the food industry, through voluntary self-regulatory efforts, make significant improvements in the nutritional quality of foods marketed to children and adolescents ages 2 to 17 years, the proposal says.
By the year 2016, all food products within the categories most heavily marketed directly to children should meet two basic nutrition principles. Such foods should be formulated to make a meaningful contribution to a healthful diet and minimize the content of nutrients that could have a negative impact on health and weight.
The foods most heavily marketed directly to children and adolescents fall into 10 categories: breakfast cereals, snack foods, candy, dairy products, baked goods, carbonated beverages, fruit juice and non-carbonated beverages, prepared foods and meals, frozen and chilled desserts, and restaurant foods.
Beth Johnson, a dietician for Food Directions in Maryland, said many of the foods targeted in this proposal are the same foods approved by the federal government for the WIC nutrition program for women, infants and children.
This doesnt make any sense whatsoever, Johnson said. Its not going to do anything to help with obesity. These are decisions I want to make for my kids. These should not be government decisions.
I recently noticed that a local brand of kidney beans started adding HFCS to their product. So I switched to another brand. Why must they put it in things where sugar doesn’t normally occur?
I noticed that you have to watch the all beef angus hot dogs for trans fats. Some have 5 grams per hot dog. Some have it some don’t, which means they are adding it. WHY?
Fortunately, I don’t care for the all beef, so I don’t buy them. You have to really read the ingredients lists.
I also recently read that the producers of HFCS want to rename it corn sugar. I guess they think if they change the name people will fall for it.
I remember Taco Bell being trashed in the news over using coconut oil back in the early 90s.
It might be important to note that sugar in sodas, pre HFCS was virtually all cane sugar. Today, sugar can be either cane or beet sugar, and be called sugar. What needs to be used for the authentic taste, is pure cane sugar alone.
I don’t drink much pop anymore, but Root Beer is the best. yum
Some bags of sugar don’t even tell you the source. I refuse to buy those.
Hmmm....
When I was working there, 30 years ago, it was explained to me why we couldn’t do it.
Still makes sense to uphold their own IP but, hey, if you are getting a Mac with no pickles and that’s the way you like it....
About the only thing I order from them anymore is the $1 chicken sandwich and through away the bun. Can’t stand white bread.
You’re missing the point. It’s not about food,
it’s about CONTROL. Look at the effect this stupidity
is having on the food industry,suppliers and every one
else. More confusion in the market place, more rules,
more transfer of power to government.
Folks, the communists aren’t trying to collectivize peasant
farmers this time they are quietly doing it to us
while we sleep. WAKE UP!
I'd put on 5# in a week if they brought that back.
I liked their original McChicken sandwich years ago. Not all the spice to it.
Got about 200 acres of it to be harvested for you in the fall :^)
“Its not just the food industry that will be impacted. Hundreds of television shows that depend on the advertising revenue, such as the Nickelodeon Channel, ESPN, and programs including “American Idol” will be affected, critics of the proposal sayat a cost of $5.8 trillion in marketing expenditures that support up to 20 million American jobs.”
If I owned a company such, as Micky D’s, I would say “OK, I’m not advertise any more. Just think if all the companies stuck together on this issue.
Hay Congress, Do you feel irrelevant yet?
Good question.
And this: Supreme Court decision in Bond v. U.S.: The Court unanimously held that not just states but individuals have standing to challenge federal laws as violations of state sovereignty under the 10th Amendment.
Exactly. Exactly. Exactly.
People talk about this subject as if there were no obesity or heart disease before HFCS. There was.
I see two major issues here:
1.) Constitutionally, the federal government HAS NO LEGAL RIGHT TO TELL US WHAT WE CAN AND CANNOT EAT.
2.) No amount of banning food is going to keep people from becoming obese if their food intake is unlimited and they are not forced to exercise. This is yet another example of a liberal nanny-state endeavor which will spend our tax dollars, put people out of work, put people in jail, increase the government payroll, and have ZERO effect on obesity.
For much of my life, I believed in a strong federal government. No more. It has gone mad and is out of control.
What I find disturbing is even many Freepers will say “Yes...we should ban this or that because (INSERT REASON HERE)”
It all goes back to WHERE DOES THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAVE THE POWER TO BAN ANYTHING NOT MENTIONED IN THE CONSTITUTION?
‘No amount of banning food is going to keep people from becoming obese if their food intake is unlimited and they are not forced to exercise.’
Think the “twinkie diet”.
The communists learned long ago that Americans will
fight to preserve their rights, at least the ones
they think about. This sort of thing just passes
by like leaves on a stream, and suddenly you have
a huge government structure in place that has no
basis in the constitution and is controlling what
where and when you and your children are being fed.
Frightening.
I grew up in the sixties, as a latch key kid, mind you. My mom left a snack drawer for after school. It was full of ding dongs, twinkies, doritos, fritos, etc. Believe it or not, I ate that food but was not a “foodie” and never was fat! Even now I weigh 120 lbs, only five more than high school and I’m 56yrs old now. If we say food (or McDonalds or whatever) is responsible for making one fat, wouldn’t that be the same as saying guns kill people, not people shooting guns? People eat the food that makes them fat! Bad food choices, as you’ve said. Leave us alone already!!
Well said. I see very difficult times ahead. God help us all.
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