Fast Food and the Government

In recent discussions of the current public health crisis in America, one issue that is often brought up is the impact of fast food on the health of Americans. The health crisis has ramifications ranging from the rising cost of healthcare to the drastic increase in childhood obesity. As a result, there is a major dispute as to what role the government should have in regulating the fast food industry. Some people claim that the government should have nothing to do with regulating restaurants. These people believe that the government has no authority to involve itself in every aspect of American life, and what we eat should be nobody’s responsibility but our own. Others claim that due to the widespread impact on public health, the government has a responsibility to set some rules. They feel that the government needs to take an active regulatory role, since the fast food companies make poor decisions about what they put on their menus and how, if at all, they publish nutritional information about their products. Such regulations, they claim, could include mandating menu variety and forcing restaurants to publish additional nutritional information and warnings about eating their food.

One proponent of the government taking a more active role in regulation is John H. Banzhaf III, who testified to this effect before Congress in June 2003. In his testimony, he outlined a number of specific changes that should be required of the fast food restaurants. He advocated forcing the restaurants to publish nutritional content adjusted for both adults and children, requiring them to post warnings about the health risks involved with eating there, and mandating that they must alter their menus to include additional healthy options. He ar...

... middle of paper ...

...and have to take responsibility for our actions. It is reasonable to assume that once we are provided with the right information, we will begin to take more responsibility and make better choices, and in response, the fast food companies will adjust as needed. While some might argue that even this is too burdensome for the fast food industry, I would argue that a proper balance must be struck between allowing the current state to continue unchecked and imposing improper and onerous government regulations. As a result, an appropriate role for the government is to ensure that consumers have all the information necessary to make informed decisions. A labeling requirement would accomplish this goal while imposing only a minimal burden on business owners and, most importantly, leaving the ultimate menu choices where they belong, in the hands of individual Americans.