The American Medical Association has said it wants fast-food restaurants to post nutritional factson their menus as a means to combat obesity. These facts should include calories, grams of fat, grams of saturated fat, and grams of trans fat in each fast food item.You probably already know how I feel about this notion if you’ve read my June 18th post, Barking up the Wrong Tree. Not only do I think it’s ludicrous to penalize fast-food chains (what about pizza parlors, ice cream shops, candy stores, Chinese restaurants and burger stands, like Fat Burger and every other junk food supplier?), it ain’t gonna do diddly if people don’t value there health to begin with.

“No, you’re wrong Campos. People will make better choices if they can see how many calories they’re consuming.” Poppycock! This information has been on food packaging for years at our country’s biggest supplier of junk food – the good ol‘ fashioned grocery chain. That’s right, the American institution known as the grocery store is the largest pusher of junk food in the world, and they’ve been advertising calories and fat counts for ever. It hasn’t stopped people yet from stuffing their faces full of Dinty Moore Beef Stew. And neither will it help people choose between the Double Quarter Pounder and the MacSoy Melt.

I find it especially hysterical that the AMA is promoting this idea. Wait. I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t fast-food restaurants include this information on the back of their receipts in technical language and with the smallest print the human eye can distinguish – just like they do with prescription medications? That’ll at least put them up to par with the medical/pharmaceutical industries as responsible informers.

And here’s another good idea: why not have medical offices post the number of deaths associated with adverse drug reactions (also see here) and unnecessary surgeries (and here, and here) in their waiting rooms so that people know just what they’re in for. Think the AMA will push for that kind of responsible advertising anytime soon?

More links on unnecessary surgeries:
Life Extensions Magazine,
Dr. Joeseph Mercola
New York Times

Google unnecessary surgeries or adverse drug reactions and get blown away.