RSS 2.0 FeedTrans-Fat Hypocrisy
by Doug MataconisThere’s been much discussion about the health benefits of New York City’s decision to ban trans-fat’s in restaurants, but no discussion at all about how the trans-fat’s got there in the first place:
Before other cities decide to regulate diets absent a safety issue, they might also consider that some of the same people now pushing for a trans fat ban once recommended the ingredient as a substitute for another health scare: saturated fats. Twenty years ago, Mr. Jacobson’s CSPI launched a public relations blitz against fast food joints for using palm oil to cook fries. The group claimed victory when restaurants started using partially hydrogenated oil instead. In 1988, a CSPI newsletter declared that “the charges against trans fat just don’t hold up. And by extension, hydrogenated oils seem relatively innocent.” Today, Mr. Jacobson is claiming trans fats kill 30,000 people a year. We wonder if he feels guilty.
Probably not, because public health really isn’t what the food police at CPSI are concerned about:
The ultimate goal of these so-called consumer advocates is to persuade the FDA to turn on trans fats, a move that would serve the food industry up as the next entree on the plaintiff bar’s menu.
In other words, they want to be able to sue McDonalds, Burger King, and Wendy’s for committing the unpardonable sin of making burgers people want to eat.
H/T: Lew Rockwell Blog
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The War On Trans-Fat
The Nanny State Comes To Manhattan
Don’t Like Unhealthy Food ? Don’t Eat It
