US Government & FDA To Dictate What You Can Eat!

[The_Dude 1,142]

So where and how was it decided in the US that if you want to buy a soda that it is sweetened with HFCS and not actual sugar?

What if you don't want to buy food that has that HFCS ####### in it? What are your choices? I ask because unless you buy organic (and even then food labelling is tricky and unclear) you have no choice but to eat what is produced; and customer input has zero to do with how the foods you enjoy are manufactured.

If you don't want your food sweetened with ####### (HFCS), your option is to buy organic food, imported food, or specialty brands that don't use it. All of which you have to pay an exorbitant premium to buy. So by using the default market driven system, it is less expensive and easier to buy ####### food that is high in fat and sodium than it is to buy nutiritious food.

Newsflash paul, raising the standards and quality of our food and therefore our quality of life is a good thing. You will still have the ability to choose to eat chef-boyardee ravioli with your mountain dew and hot cheetos, and you can even pour salt on all of them if you want.

[Dan J 277]

Actually I'd rather the people set the standard in what they buy.

Obviously McDonalds is popular for a reason. Obviously Potato chips are popular for a reason. Obviously soda is popular for a reason, etc...

I actually eat quite a healthy diet myself because I choose to do so, just like everyone else has a choice.

I don't need to be dictated the content of the food I choose to buy because maybe I want something ridiculously junky from somewhere sometimes.

There are many people who don't really have a choice, they are constrained by income to get the cheapest, often unhealthy, food that they can.

At the same time, a lot of unhealthy foods are cheaper due to subsidies on crops like corn. Which allows those products to be sold way below actual cost (without subsidies).

The government is influencing peoples eating choices. Wether with price or regulations. Its politically easier to restrict sodium content than it is to remove subsidies on production crops.

[that_girl 9]

Damn government regulators! I should be able to eat all the salt, HFCS, MSG, trans fat and Yellow Number 5 I want. In fact, if I had my way - I wouldn't buy food at all - but large containers of salt, lard and chemical colorings and preservatives.

nom nom nom

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

If you don't want your food sweetened with ####### (HFCS), your option is to buy organic food, imported food, or specialty brands that don't use it. All of which you have to pay an exorbitant premium to buy. So by using the default market driven system, it is less expensive and easier to buy ####### food that is high in fat and sodium than it is to buy nutiritious food.

Newsflash paul, raising the standards and quality of our food and therefore our quality of life is a good thing. You will still have the ability to choose to eat chef-boyardee ravioli with your mountain dew and hot cheetos, and you can even pour salt on all of them if you want.

Indeed. I find it bizarre to suggest that somehow regulations relating to food quality and safety are somehow nefarious and dictatorial; and that were it not for government regulators that the consumer would enjoy better quality food than they currently do. Would they hell.

Edited April 20, 2010 by Its a MADHOUSE

[Ali G. 37]

Actually I'd rather the people set the standard in what they buy. Obviously McDonalds is popular for a reason. Obviously Potato chips are popular for a reason. Obviously soda is popular for a reason, etc...

I actually eat quite a healthy diet myself because I choose to do so, just like everyone else has a choice. I don't need to be dictated the content of the food I choose to buy because maybe I want something ridiculously junky from somewhere sometimes.

We are not living under communism here. People are setting the standard of what they buy. It just kills me that in your opinion a company should even be able to shove plastic into their food, as ultimately people choose whether to buy it or not. Like Ron Paul, you have some good ideas. Yet the second libertarianism kicks on, logic goes out the window. This adherence to ideology alone, while ignoring the benefit of what works, is something that even the communist would question.

It's just amazing to me that the rest of the first world (as in all of them) are heading in the opposite direction, yet you are not in the slightest interested in why or the outcome. As long as libertarians believe their way is right, all else is wrong period. You realize this strict adherence to idealism has been the cause of failure for every major superpower throughout history. However, you have to actually accept that history exist prior to the formation of the constitution to understand this.

[Ali G. 37]

There are many people who don't really have a choice, they are constrained by income to get the cheapest, often unhealthy, food that they can.

Spot on there. Healthy food is limited to Wholefoods or Costco type stores here.

Price wise, America's 60,000,000 do not have a choice or the education to know enough about what is healthy. Therefore, government intervention is the appropriate thing to do.

[The_Dude 1,142]

We are not living under communism here. People are setting the standard of what they buy. It just kills me that in your opinion a company should even be able to shove plastic into their food, as ultimately people choose whether to buy it or not. Like Ron Paul, you have some good ideas. Yet the second libertarianism kicks on, logic goes out the window. This adherence to ideology alone, while ignoring the benefit of what works, is something that even the communist would question.

It's just amazing to me that the rest of the first world (as in all of them) are heading in the opposite direction, yet you are not in the slightest interested in why or the outcome. As long as libertarians believe their way is right, all else is wrong period. You realize this strict adherence to idealism has been the cause of failure for every major superpower throughout history. However, you have to actually accept that history exist prior to the formation of the constitution to understand this.

It's called fanaticism.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Cadbury had a program a few years ago in the UK called "Get Active". Basically they encouraged kids to collect and send in chocolate wrappers which could be exchanged for sports equipment for their school.

You have to laugh at the logic - "Kids, eat a $hit-ton of chocolate and we'll give you a couple of footballs so you can get fit".

Well, there's no logic there of course. No morality either.

[Ali G. 37]

So where and how was it decided in the US that if you want to buy a soda that it is sweetened with HFCS and not actual sugar?

What if you don't want to buy food that has that HFCS ####### in it? What are your choices? I ask because unless you buy organic (and even then food labelling is tricky and unclear) you have no choice but to eat what is produced; and customer input has zero to do with how the foods you enjoy are manufactured.

I didn't realize this until Vanessa&Tony (I believe) pointed it out and she is right; HFCS is simply not used in AUS. Whereas, pretty much everything contains it here. Perhaps, Paul likes America to have shitty (unhealthy and low quality) food and be bellow everyone else. Our chocolate already tastes like #######.

It's amazing to me that there is a movement which in the apparent pursuit of freedom, actually wants the country to end up in the stone-ages and bellow everyone else. To have their countrymen live in poor and unregulated middle-age conditions. Yet, these same folks then turn around and state how much they love their country.

Edited April 20, 2010 by Ali G.

[ValerieA 350]

The FDA also regulates and limits how many insect parts can be found in food. This is wrong! The manufacturers should be allowed to have whatever they want in their product, with no oversight by a government agency that couldn't possibly have my best needs in mind...

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I didn't realize this until Vanessa&Tony (I believe) pointed it out and she is right; HFCS is simply not used in AUS. Whereas, pretty much everything contains it here. Perhaps, Paul likes America to have shitty food and be bellow everyone else.

It's amazing to me that there is a movement that in the apparent pursuit of freedom, actually wants the country to end up in the stone-ages and bellow everyone else. To have their countrymen live in poor conditions. Yet, these same folks then turn around and then state how much they love their country.

It's not used in Europe either, to my knowledge. Ketchup, Coca Cola etc all contains sugar, not HFCS.

We had that story the other week too - from the scientists who found that consuming HFCS actually makes lab rats gain more weight than other rats eating the same number of calories without HFCS. The corn producers union was quick to jump on that and try to persuade everyone that it was all a fix.

They are not interested in public health - so long as you don't drop dead right after eating it, they couldn't care about whether what they are selling is potentially damaging to your health. You need impartial regulation to deal with this kind of situation.

[Dan J 277]

I didn't realize this until Vanessa&Tony (I believe) pointed it out and she is right; HFCS is simply not used in AUS. Whereas, pretty much everything contains it here. Perhaps, Paul likes America to have shitty food and be bellow everyone else.

It's amazing to me that there is a movement that in the apparent pursuit of freedom, actually wants the country to end up in the stone-ages and bellow everyone else. To have their countrymen live in poor conditions. Yet, these same folks then turn around and then state how much they love their country.

It primary has to do with tariffs on sugar and subsidies on corn, allowing HFCS to be cheaper than sugar. There is growing consumer depend for HFCS free food and it will eventually happen. But not because of consumer demand as much as other demands on corn for ethonal will make it less profitable.

[Nina~ 431]

Last week, my husband & I spent about 45 mins in our local grocery store trying to find HCFS free salad dressing. I think we found about 2 brands out of 100's which was HCFS free. I dont understand why Americans like their food sweet. Even bread here has HCFS

[Ali G. 37]

It's a bizarre mentality and attitude certain groups have here. Where clearly profits are allowed to be put ahead of Americans. Strangely enough the people who claim to eat healthy and responsibly, thus no need for the government, happen to live in states with a large percentage of obese people.

Anyone who wants to know what is going on with food here needs to watch Food Inc. That illustrates exactly what food has become in this country, with no regard to the quality of the food or the treatment of the livestock.

[LaL 418]

Last week, my husband & I spent about 45 mins in our local grocery store trying to find HCFS free salad dressing. I think we found about 2 brands out of 100's which was HCFS free. I dont understand why Americans like their food sweet. Even bread here has HCFS

Brianna's is HCFC free and really tasty!