Fat Food Industry to Avoid Lawsuits
Fox, via WebMD, reports that the US House of Representatives has recently passed a bill banning obesity-related lawsuits against restaurants and food manufacturers. Interestingly, while obesity knows no party distinction- nearly 2/3 of American adults are classified as overweight; almost 30 % are obese; 15% of children aged 6 to 11 are also classified as overweight- there is a partisan divide over the issue. The bill, which passed 306-120, saw Republican lawmakers stressing the ideal of personal responsibility and accountability. No surprise there.
“The bill seeks to block lawsuits by people because they ate too much and got fat,” says Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, one of the bill’s sponsors.“We should not encourage lawsuits that blame others for our own choices and could bankrupt an entire industry,” notes Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas.
On the other hand, Democratic opponents of the bill stress the need for more government regulation to make corporations behave in a socially-responsible manner. No surprise here either.
“Congress is headed in the wrong direction with this bill, which removes any and all incentives for the food industry to improve” the healthiness of their products,” says Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif.
Other critics charge that since the courts have already been dismissing "obesity cases they found frivolous", the bill amounts to little more than the granting of "special rights to restaurants and food manufacturers."
The problem with these criticisms, of course, is that they ignore the fact of why it is that McDonald's and Burger King and several other fast food chains now routinely offer items like salad bars, veggie burgers, and a variety of low fat and (relatively more) healthy alternatives. These items did not show up on the menus because polticians or bureaucrats deemed that they should. They aren't offered because someone threatened to sue for the right to have them. Rather, they are sold because the public demanded them and the market found profitable ways to supply them. And herein lies a crucial and fundamental difference between the liberal and conservative viewpoints on business and economics. The former would like to see the government determining what foods ought to be sold or not sold and how. The latter are willing to let the invisible hand make the determination, even if it means that it is a fat invisible hand that's digging its owner's grave with a plastic knife and fork.
Thus, the long and short of this bill for the average and overweight American would seem to be this: if you have gotten fat from over-eating junk food, you have no one to blame but yourself; you may have to buy new suits, but you won't be able to file any, at least not against the people who made the food that made you fat.
Further Reading
Why Have Americans Become More Obese?
Cutler, David M., Glaeser, Edward L. and Shapiro, Jesse M., "Why Have Americans Become More Obese?" (January 2003). Harvard Institute of Economic Research Working Paper No. 1994.
Abstract: Americans have become considerably more obese over the past 25 years. This increase is primarily the result of consuming more calories. The increase in food consumption is itself the result of technological innovations which made it possible for food to be mass prepared far from the point of consumption, and consumed with lower time costs of preparation and cleaning. Price changes are normally beneficial, but may not be if people have self-control problems. This applies to some, but not most, of the population.