Society/Culture New York City - home of the 'nanny state'

[Dont be a lemon]

First New York City required restaurants to cut out trans fat. Then it made restaurant chains post calorie counts on their menus. Now it wants to protect people from another health scourge: salt.

On Monday, the Bloomberg administration plans to unveil a broad new health initiative aimed at encouraging food manufacturers and restaurant chains across the country to curtail the amount of salt in their products.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/11/business/11salt.html?hp

Crazy folk

 

[omit]

I support this

 

[Pie eyed]

It's working.

 

[Fire]

it 'required' them cut trans fats?

If by required they mean banned, then yes its the sign of a nannystate.

Forcing companies to disclose food content (including calorie counts) is just common sense and is not a sign of a nanny state.

'encouraging' less salt is also not a sign of a nanny state.

So much propaganda in such a short paragraph.

 

[MightyFighting]

it 'required' them cut trans fats?

If by required they mean banned, then yes its the sign of a nannystate.

Forcing companies to disclose food content (including calorie counts) is just common sense and is not a sign of a nanny state.

'encouraging' less salt is also not a sign of a nanny state.

So much propaganda in such a short paragraph.

For most things, I would agree. However, trans-fat is an non-naturally ocurring molecule, which has nasty effects on human physiology with few redeeming features*.

Banning such things is akin to banning poison and asbestos.




*It has a preservative affect, since even bacteria don't like it.

 

[medusala]

So much propaganda in such a short paragraph.

I am with Admiral A.

Do you need to see the calories on a menu to know what is and isnt good for you?

I despise Mickey Mouse govt educational campaigns.

 

[midorigreenwood]

I am with Admiral A.

Do you need to see the calories on a menu to know what is and isnt good for you?

perhaps.....but it would make it easier to plan a balanced lifestyle....

ie: so you have a good idea how much energy is going in

 

[Clay Davis]

I am with Admiral A.

Do you need to see the calories on a menu to know what is and isnt good for you?

I despise Mickey Mouse govt educational campaigns.

Haha, you are hilarious. No room for pragmatism in your crazy ideological world.

 

[medusala]

Haha, you are hilarious. No room for pragmatism in your crazy ideological world.

No problems with food labelling ie detailing contents but there is a huge amount of govt advertising that is an utter waste of time and money and is aimed at changing behaviour.

For all the ads re obesity, binge drinking, drug taking etc the problems have got worse.

Do you really need the govt to tell you how to lead your life?

 

[Clay Davis]

No problems with food labelling ie detailing contents but there is a huge amount of govt advertising that is an utter waste of time and money and is aimed at changing behaviour.

This happens all the time, and isn't really indicative of a 'nanny state'.

For all the ads re obesity, binge drinking, drug taking etc the problems have got worse.

I don't know if drug taking has gotten worse. Far fewer heroin deaths these days. Same with binge drinking. Certainly more attention to the latter, but I don't see it as that big a problem.

Do you really need the govt to tell you how to lead your life?

Nope, but banning trans fat and alerting people that the 'healthy' Thai curry is worse than eating a Big Mac is fine by me.

 

[MightyFighting]

Nope, but banning trans fat and alerting people that the 'healthy' Thai curry is worse than eating a Big Mac is fine by me.

It is??

 

[1jasonoz]

No problems with food labelling ie detailing contents but there is a huge amount of govt advertising that is an utter waste of time and money and is aimed at changing behaviour.

For all the ads re obesity, binge drinking, drug taking etc the problems have got worse.

Do you really need the govt to tell you how to lead your life?

The Cancer Council with their smoking and slip slop slap campaigns seems to think so.

 

[Clay Davis]

It is??

A massaman curry and green curries use heaps of coconut milk. With rice, and depending on serving size, it can quite easily push you over the number of kilojoules in a McDonalds burger.

 

[1jasonoz]

A massaman curry and green curries use heaps of coconut milk. With rice, and depending on serving size, it can quite easily push you over the number of kilojoules in a McDonalds burger.

I'm hungry!

 

[medusala]

The Cancer Council with their smoking and slip slop slap campaigns seems to think so.

Smoking is an interesting one.

Has smoking decreased due to govt advertising campaigns or due to increased taxes?

You could ask the same re carbon emissions. What will have more effect on people, telling them via ad campaigns that they should stop killing polar bears or increasing the duty on petrol?

What about Howards tv ads re terrorism?

 

[Clay Davis]

Has smoking decreased due to govt advertising campaigns or due to increased taxes?

I would say more that it's the places in which a person can smoke are rapidly disappearing (not something I agree with).

 

[1jasonoz]

Smoking is an interesting one.

Has smoking decreased due to govt advertising campaigns or due to increased taxes?
You could ask the same re carbon emissions. What will have more effect on people, telling them via ad campaigns that they should stop killing polar bears or increasing the duty on petrol?

What about Howards tv ads re terrorism?

You will find that increases in Taxes is one of the ways the cancer council has implemented their policy to reduce the number of smokers-which has occurred dramatically (the Cancer Council and Heart Foundation regulary put in submissions to Governemnt re the taxation of harmfull substances-http://taxreview.treasury.gov.au/content/submissions/pre_14_november_2008/Cancer_Council_and_National_Heart_Foundation.pdf regulary provides )The same as the Slip, Slop slop campaigns, the TAC add's, the anti-littering campaign etc.

 

[medusala]

You will find that increases in Taxes is one of the ways the cancer council has implemented their policy to reduce the number of smokers-which has occurred dramatically (the Cancer Council and Heart Foundation regulary put in submissions to Governemnt re the taxation of harmfull substances-

And I think that is sensible. Ireland's plastic bag effort is another example. It was a tax hike that made a huge difference.

You could say the same re drink driving, speeding, wearing a seat belt etc. Are people reluctant to engage in this due to tv ads or because of the potential $ pain? I would say the latter.

 

[evo]

Must admit the main reason I ended up quitting smoking was those ghastly ads of the dude cutting open the heart and lungs on TV and the fact they were correlating with how i was feeling in the morning or during any sort of exercise. Th ads were 'real' to me.

The expense of ciggies did have a secondary important impact as well, however.

I think social stigma has a pretty important role to play with most people too (although it didn't bother me specifically).

 

[fairdinkum]

What about Howards tv ads re terrorism?

Stunt.

 

[azreal]

No problems with food labelling ie detailing contents but there is a huge amount of govt advertising that is an utter waste of time and money and is aimed at changing behaviour.

For all the ads re obesity, binge drinking, drug taking etc the problems have got worse.

Do you really need the govt to tell you how to lead your life?

They were/are problems, but the advertising by the government has definitely reduced the impact of these issues. They would have been completely out of control if it were not for the advertising.

 

[Richo83]

The main problem with this is the average person, without labeling laws has no ability to know what they are consuming. Med may ask do you need a chart to know how to eat well, well no, but it would help to know how much types of fat people can choose to avoid trans fats, which are the worst. Gravy is right, who knows what goes into products, especially since companies now either do one of two things:

Use a common but meaningless generic word with a number which no-one knows what it means, like:

This product contains colouring (249511)

or use some long convoluted word, again no-one knows what it means, like:

This product contains tetrapolyonathol

Both give no clue about the true ingredients of food, when you go to the supermarket any packeted good seems to have at least five ingredients which aren't known. Now I know they have to use more complex products, but it would be nice to know what goes into the body. And it's impossible to know how much fat we are eating if we don't know what we are eating. As for those who say avoid supermarkets, you try shopping at 9pm on a Friday without woolies or coles.

 

[Copernicus]

I don't really see a problem with this. It will make menus quite cumbersome, but it's better for people to be informed than not. I would prefer they not go down the route of legislating what can and can not be in foods - the more informed people are, the better. Especially because sometimes it is surprising about what meals are fattier or saltier.

Still, people will probably lean towards saltier foods since they tend to tastier.

 

[Richo83]

I don't really see a problem with this. It will make menus quite cumbersome, but it's better for people to be informed than not. I would prefer they not go down the route of legislating what can and can not be in foods - the more informed people are, the better. Especially because sometimes it is surprising about what meals are fattier or saltier.

Still, people will probably lean towards saltier foods since they tend to tastier.

Agreed, you can't stop people from eating salt.

Here's the problem op, it would be nice to know how much salt and fats are in foods, especially as sugars, salts and fats pop up in places you wouldn't expect.

 

[1jasonoz]

The main problem with this is the average person, without labeling laws has no ability to know what they are consuming. Med may ask do you need a chart to know how to eat well, well no, but it would help to know how much types of fat people can choose to avoid trans fats, which are the worst. Gravy is right, who knows what goes into products, especially since companies now either do one of two things:

Use a common but meaningless generic word with a number which no-one knows what it means, like:

This product contains colouring (249511)

or use some long convoluted word, again no-one knows what it means, like:

This product contains tetrapolyonathol

Both give no clue about the true ingredients of food, when you go to the supermarket any packeted good seems to have at least five ingredients which aren't known. Now I know they have to use more complex products, but it would be nice to know what goes into the body. And it's impossible to know how much fat we are eating if we don't know what we are eating. As for those who say avoid supermarkets, you try shopping at 9pm on a Friday without woolies or coles.

Digital TV!!! Watch the new Digital TV add's about the move to DTV and wonder why they are needed at all??