In the uphill battle to combat obesity, bad Mayor Michael Bloomberg to the United States Department of agriculture to prohibit the 1.7 million food stamp users from using them to buy soda or other watered down drinks.
This step is part of the series of interventions to curb obesity, which has included advertising, stricter rules on foods sold in schools and a yet-to-be successful attempt to taxing the sugared beverages.
Therein lies a good concept in a stirred the pot by political, ethical and health soup.
I will come right out and say it: I like the idea., I like a lot. in fact, I believe food stamps should be used to buy vegetables, fruits, meat, eggs, dairy products, nuts, seeds and canned goods-healthy food. I realize also stepping on the razor's edge nature of this kind of idea.
Now, this thing should be signed, sealed and delivered starting today, but in the Department "humor us all", let us take a look at some of the sticky problems that can occur with this kind of determination.
Ethically, it is reasonable to discriminate against those with food stamps?Who are we to tell them what they can and cannot buy?
Conversely, we all have a collective responsibility to ensure that our already-off-the-Rails healthcare expenditure does not go further into the abyss.
I can not see this as too "big brother" at all. Argument passed the Representative here would be "How dare they tell people what they can and do not eat or drink", but let us remember to adjust what people can spend their Government assistance is not the same thing as telling people what they can and cannot eat/drink.
As with many other similar conceived ideas, problems are rooted, and the solution is multifaceted. While this is an excellent idea, there are bigger fish to fry-specific corn subsidies to keep prices artificially low.
In the end seen not this passing attributed to the industry-the cozy relationship between the great food and the Government food regulators. I am sure they have soda lobbyists are working overtime to ensure that this idea will never see the light of day. Furthermore, in 2004, the Agriculture Department denied a request from Minnesota to prevent food-stamp recipients buy junk food.
What are your thoughts on this?
Image credit: poolie
No comments:
Post a Comment