Should Unhealthy Foods Be Legislated Against?

Hi avhaben.

I vote, Yes! Various ingredients for various reasons should not be in foods: corn syrup, nitrites, titanium, growth hormones…etc…etc…etc…

Look at this!

i can understand any legistlation that is in place to inform you of the risks involved. or of any other healthy alternatives.

However to punish, that makes no sense, unless you are in goverment and looking for ways to pay for certain goverment programs.

the only tax that I can understand, is that we should tax unhealthy foods, the money should go straight to medicaid or medicare, so like that it is not a penalty, rather a deposit for when the eater will have to pay the medical bills.

The fact that there’s a extra tax on tobacco products is wrong to begin with.

The warnings should be unconstitutional, It’s legality is questionable.

TO those who are in favor of such tax,

Where does it end?

Tax on salt? (See Bloomberg, 2011)

Extra tax on soda? (see Bloomberg 2011)

War on trans fat? (see Bloomberg 2009)

ect, ect.

Keep government out of our lives!

Anything is unhealthy when taken in excess

“Anything is unhealthy when taken in excess”

even coffee?!

I am mostly against the government trying to control how much salt I eat or how much or what kind of fat.

Same attitude about sugar.

but I would put hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats in a different category. The difference is not that these horrible things are more horrible than some others. It is that these are not really foods and it is fraudulent to claim they are.

the public mostly does not understand the distinction and some get riled up at the attempts to control it.

Can you remember all the hype about how good margerine made from corn oil is for you? The mistake, perhaps originally made honestly was that the margerine was the same as the oil. We now know better.

to writersoul

I am not sure what you are trying say by the word totally, and I am not sure if only that word or the entire post was in response to me.

you missed my attempt at sarcasm. my comment was directed at coffee_addict

nitpicker –

Once you grant the government the right to ban the foods you consider to be “non-foods”, what will stop them from doing the same to foods that you do consider to be edible.

The point is, that just as you make certain distinctions about what you believe you should and shouldn’t eat, each person should have the freedom to make similar of different choices. If you believe that margarine is not food, then by all means, don’t eat it. But why should I be bound by your opinion?

If you oppose an unhealthy food tax, do you similarly oppose the tobacco taxes?

What’s that have to do whether to tax or not? The special taxes are ostensibly to pay for the public’s health cost (Medicare, Medicaid) for his unhealthy activity and also as a disincentive to engaging in the unhealthy habit in the first place.

oh,

good point

“Anyone who is against this is totally wrong”

Well, than I guess there is no point in discussing it. Those of us who disagree with you have been declared “totally wrong”.

But I do think that the government should tax chemically based additives and food colorings to the extent they are able.

To some degree this is done already. The government doesn’t charge sales tax for a container of milk for example, but on a bottle of soda it does. No sales tax on potatoes but there is on potato chips.

On reflection

I regret having joined this thread and wish I could delete my posts.

they put me in apparent false position on several things and I don’t think I could clarify my way out of them.

This comes from the state of NY dept. of tax and finance website (the jurisdiction that governs the taxable status of items I purchase)…

Also, the following categories of food are taxable:

sandwiches (whether heated or unheated),

carbonated beverages,

candy and confectionery, and

pet foods.

Tax Bulletin ST-103 (TB-ST-103) Printer-Friendly Version (PDF)

Issue Date: April 13, 2011

Introduction

Most sales of candy and confectionery are subject to sales tax. This bulletin outlines items that are considered candy and confectionery for sales tax purposes, as well as items that are not.

Candy and confectionery

Candy and confectionery includes candy of all types, and similar products that are regarded as candy or confectionery based on their normal use or marketing. Candy and confectionery also generally includes preparations of fruits, nuts, popcorn, or other products in combination with chocolate, sugar, honey, candy, etc. Some examples of candy and confectionery include (note: any brand name product shown in italics is included as an example and is not to be construed as an endorsement of the product):

candy bars;

chocolates;

fruit, nuts, and popcorn covered with caramel, chocolate, honey, sprinkles, or other similar coatings;

honey-roasted nuts;

chewing gum;

fudge;

maple sugar candy;

mints;

peanut brittle;

cotton candy;

licorice;

dietetic candy; and

candied apples.

Products that are not considered candy and confectionery

Candy and confectionery does not include:

baked goods, including cupcakes, cookies, pretzels, donuts, and pastries, or any similar products such as granola or cereal bars;

baking or cooking ingredients, such as candied fruitcake ingredients, chocolate chips or bars, and marshmallows of any size (other than the candy or chocolate covered marshmallows described above);

maple sugar products, unless labeled candy or confection or advertised as candy; and

Packaging and marketing can determine tax status

In determining whether a product is taxable as candy or confectionery, or exempt as food, a number of factors are considered, including how the product is labeled, packaged, advertised, displayed, and sold. For example, pure maple sugar products are exempt as food unless displayed, labeled, or advertised as candy or confectionery. They are not candy merely because they are molded in the shape of a maple leaf or sold in individual quantities.

Lastly:

Purchases using food stamps

Food stamps* can be used to purchase any food, food product, or nonalcoholic beverage intended for human consumption (eligible items). If a food or beverage item is ordinarily subject to sales tax, the purchase will be nontaxable if the item is purchased with food stamps. Some examples of items that are generally taxable, but not taxable when they are purchased with food stamps are:

bottled water

candy and confections (e.g., candy bars, lollipops, chewing gum, etc.)

sandwiches

fruit drinks containing less than 70% natural fruit juice

fruit plants and seeds

vegetable plants and seeds

sodas (regular and dietetic)

soft drinks (regular and dietetic)

ice

So, to answer the OPs question – “Should unhealthy foods be legislated against with high taxes and large warnings, much like tobacco products are?” I still maintain, in some way governments already do this in choosing when to charge sales tax and when not.

Thats because smokers are not a large enough voting bloc to worry any politician when they tick them off with another $1 tax added to each pack. Try that on a box of doughnuts with 15gs of fat per donut or a box of popular cereal that has 26gs of sugar per serving.