How Congress can inspire healthier food choices for Americans

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How Congress can inspire healthier food choices for Americans (4/25/05)

Everywhere I look today I see warnings of public health crises highlighted by almost zealous people complaining about how the government is clueless. While I understand that sentiment it is a little naive, in that folks who work for the government go home to the same neighborhoods as we do and so, they're bound to be at least partially "in" on the same things we are. Realistically, the government is just a large bureaucracy that takes awhile to get things done.

In a time featuring skyrocketing rates of childhood diabetes and obesity many called for changes to be made. We even had a number of diets tying everything from cardiac health to acne to the food we were eating. And yet, nothing happened. The government didn't change, and the shopping experience didn't change until a new major market force was created by the Atkins folks. That the diet is still misleading consumers still hasn't been addressed, but something did take place... we got a new Food Pyramid a few days ago.

It is nice but when I walk into the grocery store I will still see 90% of my choices in nifty little boxes or cans with far more sodium and calories than anyone should be eating. Those of us who've made the dietary changes know to shop on the periphery of the stores, because that is where the decent food is. Hitting restaurants is almost a death trap and yet most people still don't know all this, and may never know. Perhaps they don't care or they're confused by all the fad diets but at the end of the day, people will buy what is in front of them so until that 90% changes we'll still be dying. Even Atkins hasn't dented the 90%.

Its time Congress realized this and starts legislating an environment that will put healthy food back in the grocery stores. It doesn't have to taste bad - take a trip to a Trader Joes and you'll see what I mean. The food tastes better than the other stuff, and TJs has the expansion rate to prove it. But still, in the grocery store near my house, the 90% remains. So, a few ideas to get Congress off to a good start:

Offer tax relief to companies who voluntarily produce healthier food for consumers.
Start a newsletter to highlight those efforts. Have the Surgeon General be in charge of it, not the FDA or USDA. The SG is whose concerned for our health. The others can all be bought by good marketing efforts.
Require the various arms of the government to give "special privileges" to the companies that are doing the right thing. Let them step in front of the pack and make their way through the regulatory mandates quicker.
Help consumers deal with ethylene. When we buy food we buy on the presumption of fresh, ripe food. Why doesn't my fridge remove ethylene to help the food stay ripe and not go bad? Where is the government program to educate consumers about this?

There are loads of ways to go about this, but none will work unless someone initiates the process.