• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Owning Up to the friesPersonal Responsibility is Needed When Consuming Fast Food.

Posted on: Wednesday, 2 November 2005, 18:00 CST

A cheeseburger is not a salad. French fries and carrot sticks aren't remotely similar. Yet some people seem to be confused about the health value of such foods, manifested in legislation against fast-food establishments in recent years.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a "cheeseburger bill" recently that would block lawsuits by people who blame places like McDonald's for their obesity. It was approved, 306-119, but still must survive the Senate, which failed to act on the bill last year.

If ever there were an area in need of personal responsibility, it would be where fast food is concerned. True, obesity is a serious concern. For some, it's genetic. But for many others, it is the product of excess.

Reasonable Americans shouldn't expect fast-food companies to pay for their indiscretions. As far as one can tell, such places aren't promoting their menu items as health foods (unless they actually are healthy, as some places are offering lighter versions, including salads and fruit).

Meanwhile, McDonald's has announced recently that it will start placing nutritional information on its food packaging. This seems to be a necessary evil.

One of the appeals of fast food may be that it is easy to self- delude about the nutritional content of this fried thing or that cheesy, sauce-covered sandwich. But that's the problem.

If more companies offered up the bare facts, it would leave little room for individuals to make claims that they were clueless about fast food's knack for expanding one's waistline.

Regardless of the outcome of the cheeseburger bill, Americans would be wise to take responsibility for their food-consumption choices instead of trying to scapegoat businesses. The saying, "you are what you eat," is apropos.

Source: Omaha World - Herald

More News in this Category