"The Politicking of Food"?

[Paradoxium]

Ahemm...

Let's BAN/TAX Coffee



As you might have noticed, in the last couple of months all levels of government seem to be pushing a health agenda. From banning salts in New York, taxing booze, or ridding of McDonalds and Burger Kings in certain poor neighborhoods. To these health initiatives spearheaded by Michelle Obama who is hatin' on the fatty McFattersteen kids. Talk about of bad sugary drinks like pop.

Since we are in the topic of micromanaging people's healthy habits. Let's BAN or put a 50% tax on COFFEE

We can make do without it. It's addictive. Great way to get stomach ulcers and heart palpitations. Because clearly the government are not eliteset ******* who don't exempt themselves from their own "engineer people through legislation" schitick right?

So why not? I can't see how big government people can't go behind this. t:

 

[Gilpesh]

Actually. Let's ban everything but this healthy food approved paste that is non-addictive, not tasty, and will give everyone all their health requirements. And then let's round up all the people who like to be unhealthy and thrown them into the sewers.

And thus, we will finally be in the movie Demolition Man.

 

[Prison Mike]

I think we should tax those elitist coffee drinkers who's order takes five minutes to say and they hold up the line for everyone else who just want a damn regular cup of coffee.

 

[SuperFerret]

If this puts a stop to the metastasizing of Starbucks across the planet, then I'm all for it.

 

[Majic Walrus]

I can't wait until they just mail us our liberty gin and liberty cigarettes!

 

[Paradoxium]

The Federal Fat Police: Bill Would Require Government to Track Body Mass of American Children

So stupid. These idiots are going to put a bunch of athletes on the fatty list if they do this.

 

[Kelly]

This thread is blasphemy...blasphemy I tell ya.

 

[Paradoxium]

Healthy-food rules at school 'send pupils sprinting to fast food joints'

NEW rules introduced to make school meals healthier have resulted in tens of thousands of Scottish pupils consuming a worse diet, it has been claimed. The company which provides school meals in Glasgow revealed yesterday that 30,000 fewer children are eating school lunches since healthier meals were introduced.

Uptake of school meals in Glasgow has fallen from 61 per cent to 2006 to 38 per cent, with some schools as low as 24 per cent. Across Scotland, the number of secondary school pupils taking school meals fell to 39.2 per cent in 2009 – the lowest level for a decade.

Fergus Chambers, managing director of Cordia, which provides school meals in Glasgow, urged the Scottish Government to carry out a "root and branch" review of the regulations which limit salt, fat and sugar content.

He said: "The original objective of the legislation was to improve uptake and improve health.

"But I believe the most recent rules, which allow no flexibility to those providing school meals, have fallen victim to the law of unintended consequences.

What does I sez all the time? Law of Unintended Consequence.

Reality > Intention.

So what do these clowns do?

“It is clear that if local authorities and ministers are serious about boosting the take-up of healthy school lunches, then providing them free to all pupils is by far the most effective action they can take.”

Yes blow more on something they don't want, by giving it to them for free.

Someone shoot me.

 

[Paradoxium]

http://hosted2.ap.org/APDefault/8ef...ake-Sales/id-5321294162324cd7b0928fbd842f85c2

Michelle Obama's crusade against bake sales and school revenue.

 

[Kelly]

I don't mind healthier food in our public school cafeterias....but this lady is going a bit crazy with the healthy food thing.

 

[Wesley Dodds]

Actually. Let's ban everything but this healthy food approved paste that is non-addictive, not tasty, and will give everyone all their health requirements. And then let's round up all the people who like to be unhealthy and thrown them into the sewers.

And thus, we will finally be in the movie Demolition Man.

I miss Gilpesh.

 

[Prison Mike]

I miss Gilpesh.

I like to imagine him in Hype Heaven right now making fun of JAL and Rando.

 

[Ghostvirus]

http://hosted2.ap.org/APDefault/8ef...ake-Sales/id-5321294162324cd7b0928fbd842f85c2

Michelle Obama's crusade against bake sales and school revenue.

Although a little extreme.

I don't this limits the schools ability to find something else to sell. I mean just cook up something else. Hell use this current health fad to make like tofu sh** or something. Think outside the box.

 

[Timstuff]

The problem is, who is going to buy anything at a tofu sale?

Meanwhile, the private school down the street will be making a mint off of their fundraiser barbecue. t:

Bake sales are a great way to raise money because baked goodies are very popular. The Girl Scouts learned this decades ago, and the schools who have followed suit have done so in wise counsel. One of the most efficient ways of raising funds is to sell someone an inexpensive product at a high markup, because they feel like they are getting something high quality and the fact that it's for a good cause helps encourage impulsive purchasing. Food products are especially effective for this because everyone loves food.

This is just another stupid attempt by big government to push their way into our lives and dictate how we should conduct ourselves. Eventually this will all lead to government grocery stores that only carry fruit, tofu and bean sprouts.

 

[Anita18]

I still think we could get everybody to eat healthier if we priced food depending on how processed they are. The more it's touched by humans (or machines or chemicals) before it gets to your plate, the higher the price.

The fact that overpackaged, overprocessed crap sent across the country is infinitely cheaper than locally grown vegetables is almost criminal.

And yes, that would mean real sugar would possibly be cheaper than the artificial stuff that gives me a headache.

 

[The Squirrel]

I still think we could get everybody to eat healthier if we priced food depending on how processed they are. The more it's touched by humans (or machines or chemicals) before it gets to your plate, the higher the price.

The fact that overpackaged, overprocessed crap sent across the country is infinitely cheaper than locally grown vegetables is almost criminal.

And yes, that would mean real sugar would possibly be cheaper than the artificial stuff that gives me a headache.

I'm all for organic and natural stuff becoming cheaper. In fact I think that would help. But telling schools to ban/limit bake sales is ridiculous.

 

[Pink Ranger]

I keep hearing from Americans that packaged and fast food is cheaper than buying real meat and vegetables, but is that really true? Most of Canada is frozen half the year, but I still have access to meat and vegetables, and I could easily feed a family of four for slightly less money than it costs to take four people to McDonald's. I'm not necessarily talking about organic "slow food" meat and produce, that's a whole other debate, but meat and produce in general.

If it is true, I wonder why that is.

 

[Timstuff]

It's really not that expensive. The only problem is that fresh food spoils more quickly so you have to buy groceries a lot more often, since if you buy too much then you end up with spoiled, wasted food. Fresh vegetables are not hard to use up quickly, either, but the problem is that most people don't know how to cook and therefore they usually make one dish with them and let the rest go bad.

Packaged food is really not all that bad-- it's processed foods that are the real health issue. Frozen meats and vegetables are an efficient way to get balanced nutrition into your lifestyle. However, processed foods full of chemicals and preservatives are not going to do your body any favors, and they should be avoided.

 

[Pink Ranger]

It's really not that expensive. The only problem is that fresh food spoils more quickly so you have to buy groceries a lot more often, since if you buy too much then you end up with spoiled, wasted food. Fresh vegetables are not hard to use up quickly, either, but the problem is that most people don't know how to cook and therefore they usually make one dish with them and let the rest go bad.

Packaged food is really not all that bad-- it's processed foods that are the real health issue. Frozen meats and vegetables are an efficient way to get balanced nutrition into your lifestyle. However, processed foods full of chemicals and preservatives are not going to do your body any favors, and they should be avoided.

Thanks for the insight. So healthy eating in America isn't solely about $$$, it's about people just learning how to manage their time and manage their spending and taking some f___ing responsibility for their lives. I don't have a problem with frozen or packaged meats and vegetables, but I assume when people talk about frozen convenience foods, they're not talking about broccoli or spinach. They're usually talking about chicken nuggets, fried potato products and the horribly misnamed "lean cuisines."

 

[Anita18]

Thanks for the insight. So healthy eating in America isn't solely about $$$, it's about people just learning how to manage their time and manage their spending and taking some f___ing responsibility for their lives. I don't have a problem with frozen or packaged meats and vegetables, but I assume when people talk about frozen convenience foods, they're not talking about broccoli or spinach. They're usually talking about chicken nuggets, fried potato products and the horribly misnamed "lean cuisines."

It depends on where you are as well. Like Timstuff said, it's more a matter of convenience rather than straight up money. My sister studied abroad in Italy and over there, they have NO idea what a TV dinner is, nor do they have the concept of leftovers. They also have small refrigerators and freezers. Their culture forces them to shop for whatever they need every day, and eat it while it's fresh. (The fact that women traditionally stayed at home to cook all day is another matter entirely but...anyway. )

The thing is that the US has very very cheap food. We spend less of our budget on food now percentage-wise than we ever have, and to eat in a place like Italy is fairly expensive even if you cook from scratch. We eat cheap crap because it's cheap and it's there for us to buy. The fact that it's convenient also makes it more attractive. The marketing for convenience foods doesn't help either.

And it's also true that cooking is thought of as difficult. I think it's actually infinitely easier to cook a large batch and then eat the leftovers, than it is to decide which restaurant to go to, travel there, and then wait.

It also depends on where you are regionally as well. I'm lucky to live in California where farmer's markets are often WAY cheaper than the supermarket, let alone Whole Foods. But in places like inner-city Chicago, the only store within walking distance is the 7-11.

 

[Pink Ranger]

Thanks. But what all this is telling me is that the excuse I commonly hear (Americans don't eat better because meat and vegetables are too expensive) is a complete lie.

Back to the topic, the government can't fix stupid.

 

[Anita18]

Thanks. But what all this is telling me is that the excuse I commonly hear (Americans don't eat better because meat and vegetables are too expensive) is a complete lie.

Back to the topic, the government can't fix stupid.

No, but is choosing a cheaper or more convenient way to eat truly that stupid? I don't think many people (not just Americans, but everybody) thinks THAT long-term.

In other places where fast food is becoming more prevalent, obesity is starting to become a problem too. This points to a marketing and availability issue, not necessarily a stupidity issue on the part of Americans.

Certainly American culture needs to change, but how to go about doing that is the rub. I'm not sure if taxing the "bad" stuff specifically would help.

 

[Pink Ranger]

Eating junk and then making up nonsense excuses as to why you don't do better is stupid, yes, I believe that. Just like people who insist on continuing to smoke or excessively drink when they shouldn't. But banning things and taxing things to correct behaviour won't work.

 

[enterthemadness]

I be very mad if Coffee got taxed or even banned. Same with energy drinks. Give people the choice they want. I don't want to play devil's advocate...but with the world overpopulated, I see no point of making things healthier you know. Runinng out of land for people to live on and food as we talk.

 

[Kelly]

This thread still saddens me. *goes to make a pot of coffee*