Tax Junk Food/Regulate Contents?

[Michael-5]

dsgrue3 said:

Michael-5 said:

You do realize they already do control what you eat? e.g. in Canada, Produce has no taxes (No Apple Tax!).

Anyway, if taxing junk food is too much, I'd at least like to see mandatory labels on foods in stores and in restaurants, which specify High Fat, High Salt, and High Sugar products. Anything above 300% your daily intake (per carb consumed) should at the very least, be indicated by law.

I don't understand this comment. Maybe it's different in Canada. I go to the grocery and choose what I want; there are no restrictions on anything, no control at all.

Nutrition information has become a big deal and everything is labeled at the store. At fast food there are either charts or pamphlets with this information as well. 

The government controls what you eat by controlling price.

e.g. Government supports people to eat healthy produce, by not charging tax on it (bringing price down).

Grocery Stores control what you eat with store layouts.

e.g. Grocery Stores always put produce at the main entrance. Do you know why? Produce has a higher profit margin, but a lower volume margin then chips/boxed food. By putting it at the front you force people to walk through and people give it a second thought. For the same reason, they put chocolate bars at cash.

At fast Food Restaurants there are Nutrituion Labels (mandated by the government) and often additional charts (not government mandated). Those additional charts are there at the descrepancy of the seller. e.g. McDonalds posts a chart where the Big Mac is low on Salt and Sugar content, and only just over the maximum intake for fat. However I think they get there numbers based on a 3,000 calorie diet, I dunno, I haven't ordered anything but coffee at McDonalds in ages.

My point was that in restaurants (the proper kind) there should be a government mandated indicator that certain foods are high fat/salt. You can't fit a nutrition label for every item on the menu. The only mandate in Canada right now is that there must be at least 1 vegetarian alternative, and it must be labeled. I'm saying foods with over 300% of the fat/salt/sugar/etc intake should be labels by law.