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NEWS ROUNDUP: Fred Charatan Lawyers poised to sue US junk food manufacturers BMJ 2002; 324: 1414 [Full text]

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Fast Analogy Fails for Fast Food

John M. Williams   (16 June 2002)

Can't we work with the industry?

Jerome A Reinstein   (17 June 2002)

Take responsibility

Pam Schoenfeld   (17 June 2002)

Education and taxes: needed and necessary

Patricia A. Faussett   (18 June 2002)

Cost of litigation

Jan Stanek   (18 June 2002)

Another Crisis of Ethics Coming Full Circle

Joseph E. Mackey   (20 June 2002)

Fast Analogy Fails for Fast Food 16 June 2002
John M. Williams, (business owner) Markanix Co., P. O. Box 2697, Redwood City, CA 94064 Send response to journal: Re: Fast Analogy Fails for Fast Food	The logic here is easily shown impeachable, and it should be removed from readers' offices. Let me ask the advocates of such lawsuits: Are they claiming that reducing cigarette smoking from two packs a day to 1.5 packs a day would be a satisfactory prescription for ending the tobacco threat to ones health? Why not? This would cure the "obesity epidemic", as some seem ready to call it. So, the attack on food reduces to something equivalent to yet another tactic to be endorsed by the tobacco industry. They haven't quit; have you noticed? All they need is a good analogy. Instead of making up analogies on the fly, how about a little brain power to give useful advice on how to combat obesity? Fat is an important component in anyones diet. It SHOULD be eaten in moderation, barring serious medical indications indicating otherwise, in individual cases. Cholesterol is a major component of brain tissue. Is it the medical or the legal profession which is trying to dumb people down, instead of slimming them down? If the reader thinks tobacco is harmful, then press the attack on tobacco; don't be diverted by the table laden with falsehoods that others have set.
Can't we work with the industry? 17 June 2002
Jerome A Reinstein, Director General WSMI London W4 1DP Send response to journal: Re: Can't we work with the industry?	One wonders if the legal route is the only one or even the most productive one to follow with the food industry. Have we made a serious attempt to demonstrate to the leaders of the food industry the damage to public health that some of their products are doing? I do not believe one can equate the food industry to the tobacco industry. The lying and denial of the latter is well documented. Why not make a concerted attempt by food scientists and government agencies to dialogue with the industry and see if good results can be obtained without going through the very expensive route of the courts, which only make the litiginous society in the US worse and the lawyers richer.
Take responsibility 17 June 2002
Pam Schoenfeld, Nutritionist & mini-farmer West Windsor, NJ Send response to journal: Re: Take responsibility	While the processed food industry has polluted our bodies and contributed to obesity, I believe the responsibility lies with each of us to seek out alternatives. We need to learn about good nutrition, where to obtain healthy food, and how to cook again, even if simply. I am always suspicious of lawyers who pursue these type of suits. Is it the public interest or their wallets they wish to serve? For accurate and delicious nutrtition information based on the diets of our ancestors, and current, if sometimes not widely publicized scientific research, see www.westonaprice.org. If one would like to learn to grow their own food, I suggest the Biointensive method of gardening put forth by Ecology Action. Best of health and happiness to all, Pam Schoenfeld
Education and taxes: needed and necessary 18 June 2002
Patricia A. Faussett Send response to journal: Re: Education and taxes: needed and necessary	I am appalled when I walk the aisles of the grocery chains at what is being offered in this country as "food" that has no nutritional benefit. Aisles are laden with junk that is nothing more than oil, sugars, flour and food coloring. But the problem, though exacerbated by our capitalistic economy which allows people to vote with their dollars, cannot be solved through the court system. What is needed to help cure this epidemic is appropriate education for those making the food selections for their families, along with higher tax rates on the non-essential foods. Many women today are lacking fundamental knowledge of what the body actually requires for optimal functioning, and proper food preparation skills. They are not being taught this anywhere. Children are being allowed to subsist on foods that are lacking real nutritional value. Could the "dumbing down" of America be traced to the fact that our kids are undernourished and lacking essential fatty acids and adequate nutrients found in their natural form and not "chemicalized" in enriched food products? Taxing those foods that are non-essential to our bodies could help fund the health care crisis, similar to the tobacco tax, while forcing families to buy more health-building foods with their grocery dollars. Healthy foods need to be cheap and available, while junk foods need to be made outrageously expensive. It seems that could only be accomplished through a tax. We need to get back to basics. Through education and taxes, could we would see a return to a more healthful pattern of eating in this country, which is desperately needed?
Cost of litigation 18 June 2002
Jan Stanek, internist South Australia Send response to journal: Re: Cost of litigation	Dear Sirs, I am convinced, that most lawyers cry against something only if fat money is going to their valets. What about an analysis of litigation cost impact on medical cost, and secondary on the availability of reasonably priced medical care for poor people. Just consider the obvious chain: more litigation --> more insurance premiums --> increased cost for health provider --> increased cost for patients ! As an example of this simple argument in real practice refer to the boost of insurance premiums in Australia (Australia’s public hospitals are under pressure as doctors transfer patients because of insurance crisis. Christopher Zinn Sydney, BMJ 2002;324:1118). What concerns lawyers - is there any study analysing the impact of their (frequently profitable hypocrytic) activity leading to huge litigation cost onto the overal cost of quality health care? Is there any study analysing the hidden cost of health provider's defence against potential litigation (surplus tests to confirm the diagnosis, heaps of medically redundant administration, physicians stress just to name some in random)? Maybe we will find out, that lawyers and litigation are actually more harmful, than obesity... Reagards Jan Stanek
Another Crisis of Ethics Coming Full Circle 20 June 2002
Joseph E. Mackey, Business Owner Evolution Media Group, Woodbury, NY 11797 Send response to journal: Re: Another Crisis of Ethics Coming Full Circle	It's about time this issue regarding America's daily diet was formally addressed. Sure, most of us have abundant food choices, and can choose a healthy lifestyle. But a large percentage of the population has fallen "under the ether" regarding junk food (and so much else). Many of us have learned to trust what we see on T.V. U.S. based multi-national corporations have spent 3 generations using the media to drill their message home with friendly "happy" images, catch phrases and snappy music. I remember the "Coke Adds Life" campaign 20 or so years ago. It surely seemed like grounds for a lawsuit for misleading advertising back then. However, when you "sing" these messages, or dramatize them in other ways, they seem harmless. Yet, the devastating effect of this subtle trickery is now very clear to any informed person. Then of course, there's the "turn-key" profit driven franchise to round out the picture ... so many of them parked in lower class neighborhoods. So goes the dark side of free enterprise. People need help. They need to understand themselves, their bodies and the truly objective basics of good nutrition. They need to understand the implications of hydrogenated oils AT THE PLACE AND TIME OF PURCHASE. Hydrogenated oil is a very damaging (albeit 'efficient') food additive. Ditto for bleached white flour and refined sugar. There is no time left to dwell on "amicable" long-term solutions. Sue them. These companies, like tobacco, employ "food scientists". They do know better. Use the money to re-educate the public. Set a standard regarding fiber, organic vs. non, sugar content, fat content, chemical content, etc. Meat, fish & dairy have caused over 90% of food poisoning cases. Provide tax breaks for "fresh food" establishments. As a seemingly "progressive" culture, the fact that fast junk food is regularly served in nearly every school in America is perhaps our greatest folly. Then there's Ritalin, and the entire drug industry, "feeding" off the health problems primarily caused by these adulterated foods. Ah, but that's another story simmering in the background.