NYC “Regulates” Salt Intake

Saturday 6 November 2010 - Filed under Dumbassery

Fucking nanny statists. The New York Times:

On Monday, the Bloomberg administration plans to unveil a broad new health initiative aimed at encouraging food manufacturers and restaurant chains across the country to curtail the amount of salt in their products.

[. . .]

The plan is voluntary for food companies and involves no legislation. It allows companies to cut salt gradually over five years so the change is not so noticeable to consumers.

No legislation? That doesn’t sound too bad.

The city’s campaign against salt resembles its push to cut trans fat from restaurant foods, which began with a call for voluntary compliance. When that did not work, the city passed a law to force restaurants to eliminate trans fat.

Oh. Nevermind.

But there’s more.

The city’s salt campaign is in some ways more ambitious and less certain of success than the ones it waged against smoking and obesity. For one thing, the changes it prescribes require cooperation on a national scale, city officials said, because major food companies cannot be expected to alter their products for just the New York market.

And removing salt from many products can be complicated. Salt plays many roles in food, enhancing flavor, preventing spoilage and improving shelf life. It helps bread to rise and brown.

Less certain than their efforts to control smoking and obesity? I guess no one smokes or is too fat there anymore.

Oh. Nevermind.

2010-11-06  »  madlibertarianguy