Last night, ABC "World News with Charles Gibson" and CBS "Evening News" devoured a recent report from the food police: Center for Science in the Public Interest. The CSPI report charges casual dining restaurants with serving high calorie and high fat appetizers, entrees and desserts and promotes federally mandated nutrition information on menus.
While both programs did include restaurant spokesmen, the meat of both stories came straight from the CSPI release which is not surprising since CSPI experts frequently appear in network news stories -- most recently on February 20, 21, 22, 23 and then in the "extreme eating" stories on the 26th.
“Some might call them unhappy meals,” Gibson teased as he introduced the ABC report based on CSPI’s latest report “X-treme Eating.”
After mentioning two dishes from Ruby Tuesday and their respective calories, CBS’s Sharyn Alfonsi regurgitated the CSPI press release: “You won’t find any of those big numbers listed on the menu.”
Both networks called CSPI a “consumer advocate group” instead of a litigious organization that constantly promotes more government regulation. CBS’s Alfonsi called CSPI both the “food police” and a “consumer advocate.”
It turns out the networks are quite fond of CSPI experts. A Nexis search located stories on ABC, NBC, or CBS news programs on February 20, 21, 22, and 23 that included the pro-regulatory group even before the two latest stories on extreme eating.The “Evening News” did include Ruby Tuesday’s CEO Richard Johnson who undermined the CSPI claims. “Nutrition information has been on packaged foods has been on packaged foods in grocery stores for years and during those years the rate of obesity hasn’t gone down, it’s in fact gone up,” he said.Story Continues Below Ad ↓
“World News” featured CSPI’s senior nutritionist Jayne Hurley and the CEO of UNO Chicago Grill.Neither network included a statement from the National Restaurant Association which has opposed this expansive regulation. “Americans enjoy restaurant meals for a variety of reasons – for convenience, as a social activity, to celebrate special occasions, etc. – and they are free to choose what to eat, whether being mindful of calorie and fat intake, or indulging themselves with their favorite dishes. Our research shows that 95 percent of survey respondents feel they are qualified to make their own dietary choices, and more than two out of three (68 percent) say they are tired of the ‘food police’ telling them what to eat.
You can enjoy the full Business & Media Institute story here.
—Julia A. Seymour is an assistant editor for the Business & Media Institute.
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Just as news yesterday of Al
February 27, 2007 - 18:34 ET by HumanEventsJust as news yesterday of Algore's gigantic electricity usage was the latest in the left's "Do as I say, not as I do", I'll bet if you looked at the kitchen cabinets and refridgerators of the food police you would find loads of foods with high fat and sugar contents!
Once again the food Nazi's ar
February 27, 2007 - 18:57 ET by midnight cowboyOnce again the food Nazi's are out if force telling people what to eat, and as usual their facts have more half truths and misleading conclusions. In the past Americans had diets high in saturated fat. The first part of the 20th century lard was the preferred cooking fat. Around 1950 lard was said to be unhealthy so coconut and palm oils were used, then that was considered unhealthy so now we have vegetable oils and canola oils. (ever wonder what a canola is, it's actually from the rapeseed plant which is toxic in nature). Heart disease wasn't as much of a killer before when everyone was using saturated fats to cook with. Your body does require some saturated fat. Since the switch to pc approved oils, heart disease has skyrocketed. Coconut oil in essence is healthy, but since it is not produced naturally in the US there is no lobby for it like the corn lobby. New evidence is coming out daily that these so called bad oils from the past actually do you some good. You can check it out at sites like from nutritionist Dr. Mercola at mercola.com. Once again the food police just can't let people live their own lives without them interfereing.
The RC and I eat out at resta
February 27, 2007 - 19:34 ET by QueenMumThe RC and I eat out at restaurants in order to enjoy dishes that we don't want to bother to prepare at home. Eating out is also an opportunity for each of us to enjoy food that the other may not like. We're disciplined enough to stop when we're full and take the leftovers home.
The idea that any government entity can regulate what I want to eat is unacceptable. What next? Banning desserts from restaurant menus? Hm. What about Ben & Jerry's? Think about it.
To add to what the cowboy had to say: The town where I grew up is renowned for its numerous chicken dinner restaurants. These restaurants were started by Eastern European immigrants who fry their chicken in lard. The kitchens are still staffed by Eastern European women who seem to be thriving on their native diet. The problems that we have with heart disease and obesity have more to do with smoking, stress, and our sedentary lifestyle.
I eat Saturated fat! with my
February 27, 2007 - 20:04 ET by upcountrywaterI eat Saturated fat! with my steaks I enjoy it ,it tastes good, steak goes great with garlic cheese bread loaded with lots of butter! Bacon and eggs, bacon drippings in pan to keep the eggs from sticking.
Grouping saturated fat with hydrogenerated oils is apples ; oranges analogy.
I try to stay away from man made trans fats and hydrogenated oil. Come on adding Hydrogen Gas to food??
Dare I say it - demolibs don'
February 27, 2007 - 20:37 ET by FastEdDare I say it - demolibs don't want people to have personal responsibility. Since that is the case, I submit that dummycrats, from now on, save some money, every week, and "share" it with those who aren't dummies(crats).
There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! - my dad V
Freewill yet again
February 27, 2007 - 22:42 ET by UnsaneI would suggest that ABC and CBS, without realizing it, are hungry for a refresher course on what exactly "freewill" is.
"HAV3 TH3 BRIDG3S OF INSANITY B33N CROSS3D AND FOR3V3R R3TRACT3D???." - Meshuggah, "3ntrapm3nt", from Catch Thirty Thr33 (2005)
Unhappy meals. : (Prince Char
February 28, 2007 - 02:31 ET by mastersofdeceitUnhappy meals. : (
Prince Charles would agree. Just so we're clear.
Charles ( a British royal) goes to the UAE (a foreign country) and gives advice on McDonald's (an American product) " Have you tried getting it banned? That's the key. "
Well maybe just the RibWich (
February 28, 2007 - 04:27 ET by CarpareusWell maybe just the RibWich (TM).
hunger-be-gone
February 28, 2007 - 03:09 ET by CarpareusMaybe some good old fashioned radioactive chicken Kiev could help ABC and CBS with their hunger pangs.
I am so tired of this food thingy.
February 28, 2007 - 08:08 ET by acaiguanaI am so tired of this food thingy.
Geez, its my money.
ACA
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Quoted from: 'Acaiguana Notes from the Bomb Shelter' (soon to be a movie at theaters near you)
The big government urge to
February 28, 2007 - 08:32 ET by sarcasmoThe big government urge to constantly-nanny America is more of a bipartisan problem than some here would like to admit, IMO...
JMR
Center for Science in the Pub
February 28, 2007 - 11:26 ET by MikeBCenter for Science in the Public Interest. These are the rectal orifices who tell us theater popcorn is going to kill us, Mexican food is going to kill us, Chinese food is going to kill us, eggs, coffee, BigMacs, Kentucky Fried, and so forth and so on, is going to kill us. Hey, stupids, no matter how healthy we eat, no matter how religiously we exercise, sooner or later, we're gonna die. So, if you would be so kind, STFU, and let us enjoy our lives while we are here.
If you were truly Science for the Public Interest, you would apply some nuclear physics and blow yourselves up so we can be left in peace.
"A communist is someone who reads Marx. An anti-communist is someone who understands Marx." Ronald Reagan