Another Chapter in the Anti-Fat Crusade

Ah, your government dollar at work. The "Keystone Forum" a gabfest sponsored by the FDA with your tax dollars, has come out with recommendations about how we should deal with the nation's "Obesity Epidemic." Anyone wanting to point out the goofiness of the anti-fat warriors will want to get this report. Some of their findings are simply hilarious in their fundamental denial of reality.

To paraphrase some their recommendations:

1. Consumers shouldn't want what they want:
"To reverse the increase in obesity and undue weight gain in the United States, Forum participants believe the current consumer preference for large quantities of calorie-dense foods should shift to an emphasis on intake appropriate to an individual’s needs and to increased consumption of foods lower in calorie density."

2. Government propaganda can make consumers use the food pyramid:
'Promote low-calorie-dense dietary patterns: Strengthen and/or create education and promotion programs regarding away-from-home foods that promote the consumption of fruits,vegetables, no- and low-fat milk and milk products, whole grains, and foods low in saturated fats and trans-fatty acids, as recommended by the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans"

3. Businesses should act non-economically, and push more expensive foods, in smaller portions that consumers will want to pay less for:
"The marketing of lower-calorie and less-calorie-dense foods should increase, accompanied by a reduction in marketing that highlights higher-calorie (or calorie-dense) foods or encourages large portions."

4. The Government should further regulate ads to avoid impact on children, even though such ad regulation has virtually no impact on behavior:
"The Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU), which is funded by members of industry, could work with key stakeholders from the public, private, and civic sectors to review and update its standards for marketing to children, including the marketing of away-from-home foods."

5. The Government should buy and analyze data from commercial databanks to better help activists who want to agitate for healthier eating:
"Improve government access to data on consumer behavior and attitudes. Federal agencies should act immediately to increase the access of government researchers and policymakers to syndicated commercial databases." And, "Data should not only be collected, but it should be analyzed and shared with the public, policymakers, health professionals, and other interested stakeholders."

6. Labels! We need labels! (look how well they work for cigarettes):
"Away-from-home food establishments should provide consumers with calorie information in a standard format that is easily accessible and easy to use."

And, last but certainly not least….

7. Obesity is a "Market Failure" that only Government can fix:
"Market Failure: The free, unencumbered market tends to under-provide objective information. The reason is that once someone pays to create information, it can be freely distributed among consumers beyond the control of the producer. As a result, interested consumers are frequently forced to make decisions about their calorie intake on the basis of imperfect information. The fact that free markets tend to under-provide objective information argues that there is an economic rationale for governments to require or provide the production and dissemination of information."

I think the bigger problem here is not the fat around the public's waist, so much as the fat between the obesity-activists ears.