“People don’t have the knowledge or willpower to select the right kind of food.”
Those are the words of Rajen Anand, director of the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, which publishes the national Food Pyramid. And that’s the philosophy behind Surgeon General David Satcher’s “Call To Action To Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity.”
According to the Associated Press, Satcher’s plan would “enforce federal rules restricting students’ access to junk food in school vending machines” and press the restaurant industry to “promote healthier food choices, including ‘reasonable portion sizes‘.” It’s “Big Government” at its worst.
But not everyone disagrees with this latest intrusion on our freedoms. The Center for Science in the Public Interest’s Margo Wootan says nutrition needs to be addressed “as a societal issue, much like we did for tobacco.” And some felt Satcher did not go far enough, and that the full force of the federal government should be unleashed to take away your right to make your own dietary choices. Said Barbara J. Moore, president of C. Everett Koop’s Shape Up America!: “I was hoping that the report would address some of the tough issues, including tax policies.”
