With obesity costing US billions, gov't must help health
(NEWSER) - With the "Standard American Diet" producing ever more heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, it's time to tax junk food and subsidize vegetables, writes Mark Bittman in the New York Times . "Right now it’s harder for many people to buy fruit than Froot Loops," he says, suggesting sweetened drinks, like soda, should pay at a rate of two cents per ounce (diet sodas would be exempt), while French fries could face a 50-cent tax per serving. "Public health is the role of the government, and our diet is right up there with any other public responsibility you can name, from water treatment to mass transit," he says, comparing junk food to smoking. More»
