More regulations, more confusion, bigger government!
http://www.sounddollarcampaign.com/more-regulations-more-confusion-bigger-government-1751
OBAMACARE was suppose to be HEALTH INSURANCE… but the Supreme Court declared that the “premiums” were actually a “TAX” and the IRS had to hire an additional 12,000+ employees to oversee the collection of this HEALTHCARE TAX.
Now this “health insurance” is getting involved in calorie labeling requirements that will impact all sorts of relatively small food vendors… while at the same time it has been recently announced that 2017 “premium” increases will AVERAGE 25%.
And there is still abt 30 million of our citizens STILL DON’T HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE… and many of those that do have health insurance now are struggling to pay the premiums and with a $2500 + deductible.. they can’t afford to seek medical care
All of this takes place as President Obama is “walking out the door”… HOW CONVENIENT !!!
Obamacare expanded existing calorie-labeling requirements. The intent was to further regulate the information that food establishments with 20 or more locations provide to customers.
Venues such as movie theaters, sport stadiums, amusement parks, bowling alleys, and miniature golf courses that serve prepared foods are affected. Even vending machine operators face the updated calorie-labeling regs.
Grocery stores, gas stations and convenience stores will also be required to list the number of calories in certain prepared foods that are intended to be eaten immediately.
For example, the rules would apply to turkey sandwiches and individual salads sold at grocery stores, but not larger portions of deli meat or cheese that is sliced up and intended to be eat over the course of a week. Grocery stores’ bakeries would also be exempt from counting the calories in cake.
That means when you’re hungry for lunch, you could look at a 6-inch turkey sub at the deli counter that packs 450 calories … and then shuffle over to the bakery and spot a chocolate cheesecake without any calories noted.
Gas stations and convenience stores will have to list the calories of slushies as well as hot dogs they sell off their grills.
Ice cream shops will be required to disclose the number of calories in each scoop. The same for coffee shops with their muffins. Alcoholic drinks sold in restaurants and bars will need to be labeled, too. Craft beer brewers will have to decide if it is worth the additional cost to try to get their beers into chain restaurants.
One beer maker commented: “It’s freaking beer. Not a diet drink. Beer.”
Now that you have the basics of the Obamacare calorie labeling rules, let’s review the thinking behind them:
First, obesity a problem
This is a no-brainer.
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“It’s freaking beer. Not a diet drink. Beer.” — Protesting beer maker
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Most people agree that America has an obesity problem. Obesity can lead to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, depression, and a horde of other medical issues.
And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the trend over the past 30 years has been one way … upward.
Second, fewer calories means you’ll lose weight
Wrong.
Cutting calories doesn’t necessarily result in weight loss. Suppose you consume 200 fewer calories a day. Good for you!
But if that calorie reduction makes you lethargic to the point that you spend an extra 2 hours on the couch, you’ve accomplished nothing. Or worse yet, you might even gain weight.
So cutting calories alone is not a guaranteed cure for obesity.
Diets and other meal plans are extremely complex. Choosing the right foods to help you feel better and lose weight goes way beyond just knowing how many calories a food or meal contains.
If you’re on Weight Watchers’ new Smart Points plan, for example, you’re also supposed to keep a close eye on how much fat, saturated fat, carbs, fiber, sugar and protein you’re taking in.
Plus, wearing a Fitbit will give you calories if that’s what you’re after. In other words, calorie counts (even if they are general ones and not exact) aren’t hard to come by.
Third, labeling will cut the number of calories Americans consume
Wrong.
There is little proof that consumers will read the labels. After all, when was the last time you read those safety instructions in your airplane seat pocket?
However, there is evidence that restaurant nutritional labeling fails to convince customers to buy lower-calorie meals. Some studies found that less-educated, lower-income individuals — the very group where obesity is most serious — don’t understand the labels.
Even when they do, the desired goal can backfire. For example one survey participant admitted that a restaurant’s nutritional chart induced him to order an alternative with 300 fewer calories. When asked further, he admitted that he made up the difference by grabbing a Snickers back at the office.
Fourth, no harm done if labeling doesn’t work
Wrong.
Calorie labeling takes time and money. The Obama administration estimates businesses across the entire food service industry will spend as much as $1.5 billion and two million paperwork-burden hours to comply.
What’s more, you know the government won’t simply pass labeling regs and turn its back. There will be armies of bureaucrats to make sure the more than 600,000 restaurants in America are following the letter of the law.
It is now perfectly legal — and extremely easy — for you to invest in companies before they go public … setting yourself up for the kind of life-changing gains that were previously reserved just for the Wall Street elite.
Plus, there are even new mutual funds you can buy that are trouncing the results you might be used to in your 401(k) or regular brokerage account!
All of this — and more — is now literally a mouse click away.
Inspectors will be on the lookout for rule-breakers — and they will be issuing citations, which will further hit the pocketbooks of owners, employees and … yes … American taxpayers.
It could be a boon for hungry lawyers, though, who will swoop in as disputes of labeling regulations surge.
What you can do
The new labeling regs were to take effect in November 2015. But a group of senators demanded that the FDA delay the rules. The senators said:
“While we recognize the benefit of improved access to nutritional information for consumers, we are concerned that the lack of clear and consistent guidance from the agency will make it difficult, confusing, and burdensome for businesses, particularly smaller businesses.”
Congress then came up with the Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act (H.R. 2017), meant to correct this unintended consequence of Obamacare. In truth, though, it allows Big Food to play number games.
For example, with the new legislation, they will be able to decide that a serving is only one-half of a sandwich and note the appropriate number of calories per that serving. So you’ll feel pretty good about consuming only 320 calories when you are actually taking in 640.
Pizza chains will be allowed to list the number of calories by the slice instead of by the box. The reasoning is that people don’t eat a whole pizza; they eat on average two slices. So you can expect the sizes of your pizza slices to shrink to make the calorie count lower. But will you stick to two slices? Doubtful.
Washington’s concern about our well-being and coming up with ways to protect us from ourselves is touching. However, you need to ask yourself:
Have we become so ignorant that we need the government to tell us that a hot dog and a slushie have a whole lot more calories than a bottle of water and a carrot stick? Or is calorie labeling just another scheme by politicians to expand their powers over our everyday lives and pushing us closer to becoming a nanny state.
On Feb. 12, the House of Representatives passed the Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act. You can see how your Representative voted here. It must next pass through the Senate, then onto the President before it becomes law. If you agree with me that this bill is a waste of your hard-earned taxpayer dollars and another intrusion on our everyday lives, here is a letter to consider sending to your Senators. Click here for their e-mail addresses.
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Re: The Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act
Dear Senator ______:
The Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act is anything but common sense. It’s just more regulation on top of more regulation that will do little or nothing to reduce the obesity problem our country faces. The real crisis lies with low-income families, many of them people of color, whose health is already at risk because they live in food deserts, and have less disposable income to buy fresh fruit and vegetables.
They’re stuck having to purchase from small community grocery stores and convenience stores, which are filled with processed food options that tend to be high in fat, sugar, salt, and artificial ingredients.
Come up with a strategy, for example more community gardens, to put healthier food on their doorsteps, and you’ll be on the right path. For now though, I urge you to vote against The Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act when it comes before the Senate.
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