We Shouldn’t Be Playing Politics With Our Foods

According to the New York Times, the Trump administration is trying to limit the warning labels on junk food in the U.S., Mexico and Canada as part of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations

First we roll back the Obama era healthier school lunch initiatives and now according to the Times’ report, the Office of the United States Trade Representative — the leader of NAFTA negotiations — is seeking to make sure all the countries in the agreement are limited in how they place labels on sugary or fatty food and drinks. 

Which is just what we need since the U.S. and Mexico are the world’s most obese countries according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. 

Nations across the globe have sought legislation to do exactly the opposite to curtail and reverse obesity rates, which have doubled in more than 70 countries since 1980.  

Chile created one of the most effective programs in 2016 when it passed strict regulations that include black warning labels on the front cover of certain food packages. 

Canada and Mexico have considered using specific shapes colors or symbols to warn people about health risks but U.S. officials want to prevent any sort of labeling that “inappropriately denotes that a hazard exists from consumption of the food or nonalcoholic beverages.”  And we can only sit by and watch as our American citizens get fatter. We can only hope that our food companies and grocers stand up and do the right thing regardless of what the Administration plans for our future eating.