Resolved, that trans fat be made illegal in all consumer foods.

As you are reading this, please keep in mind that I am also quoting from the messages below. Thank you. First, I will respond to blond_guy's arguments, then move on to the member's comments. "Well, these companies could obtain these fats and put it in their food without telling the people." Yes, but that would be illegal. Many companies would choose the legal method as opposed to taking the risk of getting caught with this illegal substance. Believe it or not, but not all large businesses are corrupt, and not all large businesses would smuggle trans fats into their food to save a little cash. "It is a billion dollar industry for a reason." Are you suggesting that food production industries are built on crime? "People will buy the product more if it contains trans fat regardless of whether they know it or not." I think you make this assumption based on the idea that "trans fats make food taste better." This is not true. There have been surveys taken that show that the vast majority of consumers can NOT taste the difference between substitute and original trans fat. People tend to buy food that tastes better, and if the brand that they always buy happens to switch to trans fat substitutes, then it could end up saving lives. "I'd rather have these foods be legal and never consume them (it's not like I have a choice, my mom would never buy anything outside of trader joe's :P)" Your mum thankfully cares for your health, but unfortunately some mothers cannot afford the healthier food supplied by Trader Joe's. Many just reach for the cheapest item on the shelf, without worrying the harm it can cause to them or their children over the next few years of their lives. "No doubt it is a problem in America..." The first step is acceptance... -------------------------------------------- And now for the Member's Comments! C-Mach: " We get smoking banned (What an international embarrassment!), as well as Styrofoam fast-food packaging." Have you ever considered the reasoning behind this? Smoking is a huge health issue all over the world. You should be thankful that smoking was banned, although if you're not (and you're not), I'm sure your lungs will. Unless you like them blackened? As for the styrofoam, I congratulate whoever banned it. Styrofoam is the bane of the environment. Impossible to break down, it lies in landfills for hundreds of years, further degrading the environment. My point is that people won't stop by themselves. They NEED someone to ban the things that are killing them. Trans fat is an example. Figoitalia: "since when it is it the government's job to tell us how to eat? are we that stupid as a population that the national government needs to tell us basically, "no desert or trans fats for you!". do you seriously not see a problem with giving government that much power?" "are we that stupid as a population that the national government needs to tell us basically, 'no des[s]ert or trans fats for you!'" The answer to that is sadly yes. Many Americans are arrogant and ignorant beyond measure. Want proof? Look at what we are doing to our own bodies. Whenever I see a fat kid, I see ignorant parents. Whenever I see skinny people eating in McDonald's everyday, I see arrogant people who believe that they are above heart disease because they are not overweight. Why do you think the government banned drugs? BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL BUY WHAT THEY WANT, NO MATTER HOW MUCH IT DEGRADES THEIR BODY. I can't stress this point enough. "do you seriously not see a problem with giving government that much power?" The power to save? No, I have no problem with the government saving lives. C-Mach: "Actually, having a fatter population should be seen as a great achievement. Do you know why. Because we have made food in such abundance and at such low prices, along with a population that is wealthier, that we can actually sustain a nation that has 300 million people." This is an absurd argument. A fatter population is nothing to be proud of. This is not an environmental debate, so I will not get into the sustainability of our way of life. Obesity is a prime factor in thousands of deaths nationwide. Is that something a country should be proud of? Should a nation be proud that it's people are slowly killing themselves by eating garbage? Should a nation be proud that it's people have no idea about what they are putting into their mouths and digesting? Should a nation be proud of it's ignorance? Figoitalia: "haha maybe kusfraba can do a debate on that: which is more embarrasing for a country? alot of fat people, or the government having to tell us what to eat?" You don't get it, do you? How embarrassing would it be to have the lowest death rate due to heart disease? How embarrassing would it be to have a healthy population? I have seen little change within individual citizens, and I think that what is needed is a harsher crackdown on potentially LETHAL substances found in FOOD. blond_guy: "The government isn't my mom, my dad, my babysitter or anything of the sort. Just imagine the embarrassment of a country so fat and sick that it is necessary to ban trans fats!" Just imagine the embarrassment of being considered the "fattest nation." This country is going to get a heck of a lot fatter and sicker if nothing is done to prevent people eating trans fats. -------------------------------------------- Trans fats can ruin a human body in a similar fashion to drugs. America is addicted to trans fats, and it's people are suffering from it. Trans fats may be cheaper to buy, but at what cost to it's citizens? Is it worth it to be able to buy something you "never will" at the cost of hundreds becoming ill with heart disease? Is it worth your right to shun those french fries if it causes others to become obese for it? You may be thinking that these people have a choice too, but with a minimum wage paycheck in their pockets, those cheaper foods are going to look real tempting. So please, consider the pro side. Consider the People. Thank you.