In The New York Times’ view, industries should surrender to government demands no matter what it would do to their bottom line.
On May 29, the Times wrote a long article called “The Hard Sell on Salt,” that unsympathetically outlined the steps taken by the food industry to withstand pressure from government to slash salt content.
In The New York Times’ view, industries should surrender to government demands no matter what it would do to their bottom line.
On May 29, the Times wrote a long article called “The Hard Sell on Salt,” that unsympathetically outlined the steps taken by the food industry to withstand pressure from government to slash salt content.
Writer Michael Moss seemed not to understand why the food industry would dare to stand up for itself against government pressure to lower salt use. Moss did his best to portray the food industry as the wrongdoer by listing a number of liberal talking points regarding health regulation and the high blood pressure epidemic in
“By all appearances, this is a moment of reckoning for salt. High blood pressure is rising among adults and children. Government health experts estimate that deep cuts in salt consumption could save 150,000 lives a year,” Moss wrote.
Furthermore, Moss portrayed the food industry as a calculating villain using “shifting” and “diversionary” tactics to alleviate government pressure: “But the industry is working overtly and behind the scenes to fend off these attacks, using a shifting set of tactics that have defeated similar efforts for 30 years.”
Moss cited efforts by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and Center for Science in Public Interest (CSPI) to regulate salt use. He referred to the IOM as “independent” and to the left-leaning anti-food group CSPI as a “consumer group.”
He also mentioned high profile political crusades against salt from left-leaning Independent New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and First Lady Michelle Obama, who are “urging food companies to greatly reduce their use of salt.”
Despite CSPI’s longstanding campaign for food regulation and absurd “consumer studies” on everything from salads to school lunches, Moss wrote glowingly of CSPI’s director Michael F. Jacobson who began the salt war in 1978, noting his credentials as an “M.I.T.-trained microbiologist.”
What Moss failed to note were all the foods Jacobson and CPSI have crusaded against in the last 30 years.
Moss also buried a ConAgra-commissioned study that stated nearly $58 billion dollars in health costs could be saved if people cut calories as opposed to consuming less salt. That didn’t come up until the sixtieth paragraph out of 64 paragraphs.
Just a few days ago, on May 26, CBS “Evening News” and NBC “Nightly News” ate up CSPI’s latest “Xtreme Eating” study on the worst chain food restaurants. That night media outlets perpetuated the myth that obesity rates are rising. Always consistent, The Times continued its history of attacking the food industry while failing to urge consumer responsibility as a way to improve overall health.
