Legislating Your Salt Intake

[Conan71]

Who didn't see this coming?  For those who wanted governement to pick up the tab on health care, you can now expect them to have even more say in what you shovel down your cake hole.  Legislators are already buying into it.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/national_world/stories/2010/04/21/experts-want-mandatory-salt-restrictions.html?sid=101

WASHINGTON - A new report urges the Food and Drug Administration to end America's love affair with salty food.

After more than 40 years of failed efforts to get voluntary reductions in salt in processed and restaurant food, the Institute of Medicine calls for establishing new mandatory standards that gradually reduce sodium content.

The report recommends that the FDA, working with the food industry, set limits on the amount of salt that restaurants, food manufacturers and food-service companies could add.

Yesterday, two members of Congress urged the FDA to move quickly, calling the matter a "public-health crisis" that needs a swift response from government.

"I understand they want to do in a phased kind of a deal, but I don't want it to be too long," said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee. He plans to hold hearings on the matter. "This is crying out for change that's long overdue."

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., agreed, saying: "I don't want this to take 10 years. I don't want this to go on and on and on. This is a public-health crisis."

Because most dietary salt is consumed through prepared meals and processed or packaged foods, the recommendations to reduce sodium intake are directed at food manufacturers and the food-preparation industries.

The report calls for increasing FDA staffing and funding to implement the changes and monitor compliance with the new initiative."

What a freaking nanny state we are turning into.  It's hard for me to imagine that grown people don't comprehend the ramifications of their diets.  Take the salt out of the processed foods they buy, and they will simply add salt at the table (or on their lap as they drive).  How do you police that?  All you wind up with is a larger and more deft bureaucracy, and more costly restrictions on business which drives up consumer prices.  Those of you who believe that increased costs of compliance and regulation isn't passed on to the consumer are living in an alternate universe.  The government cannot save people from their own stupidity no matter how hard government tries. 

[TheArtist]

It's hard for me to imagine that grown people don't comprehend the ramifications of their diets. 

 

Your kidding right? lol

[TURobY]

As a slug enthusiast, I approve.

[Conan71]

Your kidding right? lol

As an adult, you know if you over-eat or have a diet high in sugar and fat content, you gain weight.  You know that exercizing aids in the loss of weight and promotes cardiac and emotional well-being.  There's also plenty of information available as to the dangers of high-sodium diets, the dangers of smoking, and sedentary lifestyles.  If people don't know this by the time they get out of high school then it's obvious throwing money at our education system isn't working.

I didn't say that having this knowledge makes people change their habits or get off their arse 

[we vs us]

Your kidding right? lol

Yeah, seriously.  Conan, the target here isn't your personal choice to dump three fingers of table salt all over your morning eggs, it's what prepared food people do to the stuff in cans and bottles and boxes that you never see.   They're regulating the stuff you either have no choice about or currently don't know about. How does that infringe on your personal liberty?

[Conan71]

Yeah, seriously.  Conan, the target here isn't your personal choice to dump three fingers of table salt all over your morning eggs, it's what prepared food people do to the stuff in cans and bottles and boxes that you never see.   They're regulating the stuff you either have no choice about or currently don't know about. How does that infringe on your personal liberty?

Sure, I've got a choice.  I don't have to buy processed pre-packaged crap and there's very little which I do buy. 

It's not a matter to me of personal liberty near as much as how the government keeps justifying ways to make itself bigger, more expensive, and to keep raising the cost of doing business to the end consumer.  It simply irritates the foo out of me that government keeps taking more of a stance that the citizens are far too stupid to figure out what is good and bad for them and to leave them alone and allow them to live as healthy or unhealthy a lifestyle as they want. 

It won't end with sodium, just wait... I forsee black helicopters sucking fat out of cows and pigs next muwahhahahahaha!

[we vs us]

It's not a matter to me of personal liberty near as much as how the government keeps justifying ways to make itself bigger, more expensive, and to keep raising the cost of doing business to the end consumer.  It simply irritates the foo out of me that government keeps taking more of a stance that the citizens are far too stupid to figure out what is good and bad for them and to leave them alone and allow them to live as healthy or unhealthy a lifestyle as they want. 

Well . . . isn't this kinda justified?  It's both a health risk to the population at large and business will continue to pump salt into prepackaged food if it's not given a reason not to.  I mean, business won't reduce its use of salt on its own.  There's no incentive. 

And people will keep eating this stuff.  You know they will.  It's obvious because we've had nutrition information available for awhile now and they keep eating it.  It might be because they're lazy, or they're ignorant, or they don't care, or whatever.  They may just not be able to be vigilant all the time.  But either way they keep eating it.   

In some cases, the science is very clear:  our bodies are predisposed to respond favorably to things like salt (and sweet, and umami, which is the pleasurable taste of meaty fat, etc).  So, in many ways, no matter what that nutritional information is or isn't saying, our bodies are going to crave it naturally anyway. Why do you think McDonald's invented the McGriddle?  It's salt, sugar, and fat all rolled into a fantastically disgusting package.

I guess being vigilant against the nanny state is all fine and good, but government is  the only thing protecting us from increasingly sophisticated markets and marketing, much of which are hidden from us to such a degree that we can't make intelligent decisions about them.

[Conan71]

Well . . . isn't this kinda justified?  It's both a health risk to the population at large and business will continue to pump salt into prepackaged food if it's not given a reason not to.  I mean, business won't reduce its use of salt on its own.  There's no incentive. 

And people will keep eating this stuff.  You know they will.  It's obvious because we've had nutrition information available for awhile now and they keep eating it.  It might be because they're lazy, or they're ignorant, or they don't care, or whatever.  They may just not be able to be vigilant all the time.  But either way they keep eating it.   

In some cases, the science is very clear:  our bodies are predisposed to respond favorably to things like salt (and sweet, and umami, which is the pleasurable taste of meaty fat, etc).  So, in many ways, no matter what that nutritional information is or isn't saying, our bodies are going to crave it naturally anyway. Why do you think McDonald's invented the McGriddle?  It's salt, sugar, and fat all rolled into a fantastically disgusting package.

I guess being vigilant against the nanny state is all fine and good, but government is  the only thing protecting us from increasingly sophisticated markets and marketing, much of which are hidden from us to such a degree that we can't make intelligent decisions about them.

I guess I'm too in tune with personal responsibility to accept that easily Wevus, and I'm tired of government metastasizing.  As well, we seem to be selectively applying the standard of "freedom of choice".

I also can foresee as the government accepts more of the burden of paying for health care that they will come out with more ways for us to remain healthy (via restrictions on activities and what we put in our bodies) which wind up costing them the least amount of money.  There are lots of people who will think that's justified because the government is on the hook for the cost of fixing what we break or neglect.

This example is getting way out in hyperbole land:  I'd prefer to have the choice as to whether or not I want to ride my mountain bike at Turkey Mountain or snow ski double diamond slopes in Colorado without some bureaucrat deciding those activities have unacceptible risks.

I accept that whatever I eat which I did not prepare myself isn't as good for me as what I do prepare (other than whole fruits, etc.) and recognize there's an attendant risk.  I generally try to avoid chain restaurants and eat places where they use more whole ingredients and choose items from the menu which would have been processed the least.  I also realize what the risk of a sedentary lifestyle is and how much better I feel about taking control of my life instead of expecting someone to do that for me while I sit on the couch eating microwave dinners.  I do realize you stay active and athletic as well.

They did touch on this in either the article I cited or another I read that restaurants could become subject to these stricter rules.  Who in your hotel would be responsible for revamping all recipes and making sure the recipes would be complied with at each property?  Head chef, I suppose.  Would it require some sort of regular reporting?

I simply think the government is getting into too many aspects of our lives.   

[fotd]

I agree Conan. But do you think taxes on cigs should be eliminated? Besides, it's all in our genes....or in your case, jeans.

[TURobY]

I accept that whatever I eat which I did not prepare myself isn't as good for me as what I do prepare (other than whole fruits, etc.) and recognize there's an attendant risk.  I generally try to avoid chain restaurants and eat places where they use more whole ingredients and choose items from the menu which would have been processed the least.  I also realize what the risk of a sedentary lifestyle is and how much better I feel about taking control of my life instead of expecting someone to do that for me while I sit on the couch eating microwave dinners.  I do realize you stay active and athletic as well.

Sadly, many Americans are ignorant to these things or are unable to take advantage of the opportunities that you and I enjoy. We can get into a whole discussion about subsidies and such, but the fact is that it is more affordable (and according to new reports: biologically tastier) in the short-term to eat calorie- and sodium-dense fast food and prepared meals.

I understand and appreciate your concern, but I don't think this is that big of an issue, seeing as you can manually add sodium to your meal.

[nathanm]

I guess I'm too in tune with personal responsibility to accept that easily Wevus, and I'm tired of government metastasizing.  As well, we seem to be selectively applying the standard of "freedom of choice".

You write as if the government is going to take away your salt shaker, or regulate the amount of salt you put in foods you prepare, which it is not.

I can't say I really consider this a great thing, but I can't say it's all that bad, either. Given that high sodium intake over long periods of time leads to high blood pressure, which leads to arteriosclerosis and eventually a likely heart attack, there's as much justification for doing it as there is for any other regulation on food that keeps the industrialized food manufacturers (of whose product I regularly partake) from poisoning us with e.coli or whatever.

Given that the alternative is to spend a bunch of money on TV ads telling people not to eat salty processed foods, I'm sure the industry likes the regulation better, too.

[guido911]

Isn't the amount of sodium all ready printed on these products?

[cannon_fodder]

Isn't the amount of sodium all ready printed on these products?

Why yes, yes it is.  By law they are required to inform consumers of the amount of salt in their product AND tell us as a %.  We have had the information for a very long time.

But consumers continue to make bad choices.  Easy answer: big brother takes away the choice.  Simply because we, as citizens, are too stupid to know what's good for us.  Uncle Sam will make it so.

I understand government dictated health criteria are good for the great ignorant masses, but direct regulation on this scale has no end.  Many, many products are unhealthy simply because people prefer it that way.  Let's lower alcohol content on everything, mandate sunscreen at all outdoor activities, floaties at public swimming pools, and dental dams for all blowjobs.

Or, let me act like an adult and eat a salty can of spaghettios if I want to.

[guido911]

Don't ya just love how the pickle sniffer, as a smoker, tells us how we should be more healthy?

[fotd]

 One part of our society will eat right, support organic food, shop at Whole Foods and similar stores, and live green lifestyles. The other uneducated simple society will continue to engage in unhealthy lifestyles. These two diverse groups will continue to have members who cross over now and then. The fact remains, there are those of us believers in choice who know what freedom really means. As poison is poison, do not eat as if it doesn't cost our society more in taxes health care. And as all the Marshallheads here will testify, moderation.