FDA to propose new food labels

Correlation, causation, something about their relationship.

There's not a whole lot of response possible. We don't have control universes available where we can test out alternatives to see which is more effective.

Your argument boils down to "the size and scope of the benefit can't be proven, so therefore it can't outweigh the cost, which is absolute." Which is ultimately a judgment call, and all I can say is that I'm glad the marketplace of ideas has been soundly rejecting your judgment for a century.

 

On one hand, I agree with Ragu that the amount of processed foods people eat is the reason their health tends to be poor.

On the other hand, LTL makes a valid point in bringing up how Europe does not allow sodium to be added to such foods.

If you think about it, sodium is a far bigger problem with processed food... and unlike fats and carbs, the amount of sodium one should consume does not change based on how many calories they need to consume.

 

I was always taught that free-market capitalism only works in its idealized form when consumers have full and comprehensive information about their product choices: their effectiveness in addressing the need area, their total costs (in direct price as well as other hidden costs) and possible peripheral costs and benefits.

Thus under true idealized free-market capitalism consumers, armed with full information on their choices, will flock to the best products.

The function of advertising is sometimes said to be in contradiction to those ends, since obviously the objective of advertising is to get consumers to buy a particular product, perhaps in disregard to its actual value.

This is supposed to be implicitly understood by most functional adults, who understand simply because Burger World and Mooby's both claim to have the "greatest burger on earth," it may not be necessarily so.

It is curious however that an argument is being made that manufacturers should not be required to supply accurate information on the package labeling.

In theory, calories, sugar or sodium content may have varying degrees of effect on consumer health. However most would contend it would be a positive thing to require labeling to contain accurate figures on such ingredients so consumers could make their own decisions.

Except some feel it's awful that manufacturers are required to list this information at all.

 

I can follow Ragu all the way up to his conclusion.

"Food labeling tends to be arbitrary and beholden to trends rather than hard data"

OK, right with you.

"Therefore, we shouldn't even bother with it and let the market decide"

Nope, ya lost me.