Anyone with a brain knows that there is sugar in soft drinks. You have a point with the take-out and processed food. Sugar, salt, and MSG are added to make things more appealing to consumers. They use those to cover up the other cheap ingredients that they use. I guess it is working, because people can't get enough of it, all the while, killing themselves unknowingly.

So, should restaurants and fast-food places be made to print ingredients lists for everything they serve and be subject to lawsuits if they let something slip by to an unsuspecting customer, and that customer has a bad reaction to the food they were told was safe?

I just found out last night that MSG is being sprayed on our crops with the full approval of the FDA. Now how is that for public safety?
Maybe government isn't the one to regulate anything. Seems they can get bought too. HAHA But, who else has the power and is going to even think about doing it? No one, so the public suffers, no matter what!!

and by "cokes" I mean fountain drinks, etc that you get at drive-thrus, restaurants, etc.

born2bme,

Not to step on toes, but how can you say "Sugar is not the same thing because people know about the sugar"? There is also "hidden" sugar in take-out, cokes, etc. And I never mentioned diabetes, I simply stated sugar can cause problems too, which in turn leads to raising medical costs. Again, I stand firm in the belief that the government should make it mandatory to INFORM consumers of the amount of salt, sugar, etc. in foods, drinks, etc., but they should not be able to REGULATE the amount of salt, sugar, etc.. This is the land of the free, not the land of the free with the exception of... . Government regulations should not be "taken with a grain of salt" (pun intended).

notasheep,

It stops at public health.
Loud music is not the same thing because people can get hear plugs to protect themselves. Sugar is not the same thing because people know about the sugar. Besides, total Carbohydrate count is what counts when it comes to diabetis.
Too much salt leads to major health issues and that drives up our medical costs. Salt amounts is one of those hidden things in takeout food, processed food. Since people eat so much of that kind of thing, it is a huge medical issue.
How many of you were for the smoking ban and are against this? It's the same thing.

I stopped using salt a long time ago in my cooking. The foods natural flavor is what I crave.

Okay, okay, points made...but still the question posed is still the bigger issue...when does the government regulations stop?? Would you like them to also regulate how loud radios can be turned up?? Even though you can regulate the volume yourself, there are some people that do not like high volumes, and you can damage your hearing if the volume is too loud. What about regulating the amount sugar in food and drinks? I'm sure the amount of sugar in items is not always listed "accurately". And that leads to all sorts of problems right? C'MON! If you have food allergies then you are going to just have to PAY ATTENTION to what you eat. But, that is not even the issue...are salt allergies running rampant? The government should not be regulating salt, bottom line. At the most they should just be making it mandatory for all products that have any amount of salt in them to state somewhere on the product that amount of salt. And, for the most part WE are an intelligent people. I guess SOME people are just so used to the government holding their hands, and telling them what is good for them and what isn't that they have forgotten how to think for themselves.

Unfortunately, the more processed a food is, the cheaper it is. People will not stop buying it because they cannot afford healthy food.
Most people know nothing about what is in their foods. I didn't until I was forced to change and had to do a lot of research. I am not happy about what I've learned.

my apologies born. i had taken your comment on reading the labels to mean that you purchase those items. my bad. you are correct. the manufactures have retarded our food into unnatural products. if more consumers stop buying processed foods, then the companies will be forced to change or go out of business. economics will fix the issue not government intervention, imo.

holein1,
Did I say I fed my child processed food? Quite the opposite, but it would make people lives a whole lot easier if some kind of set of rules applied to what people try to pass off as food.
As it is, my child cannot eat out, eat at a friends house, eat anything at a ball game, etc., because there are not many foods used by these places that are not filled with additives.
I have to make my own bread, brine chickens, worry about what kind of solutions are pumped into meat, chicken and turkey.
I'm a consumer and I have a right to know what is in the food we buy because a life can depend on it.
Do you ever wonder why America, as a whole, is getting fatter? It's the excitotoxins added to food to make you crave more of it. Do some research sometimes, You will be shocked, and then angry at what companies are doing to you and your kids.

"Speaking as a parent with a child that has multiple food allergies and sensitivities, I welcome some restrictions placed on pre-made food."

Perhaps one would think about not buying "pre-made" food. Seriously, you make an arguement based on your childs condition but you still feed them processed food? As a parent, if my child had the issues your child has, I would cut out all processed foods. In the Age of Going Green, there are more whole/natural food sources to choose from, even in our little neck of the woods. There are veggie & fruit co-ops, farmers that sell fresh milk, eggs, butter, etc.

That's one of the reasons why Americans are where we are. We don't want to change our habits but let the government force the companies to change.

"We are an intelligent people..."

This is debatable and also why I support Government efforts to help reduce the diseases we "intelligent" people are willing to inflict upon ourselves

notasheep,

Do you think I do not read labels and do you think all labels are 100% complete and accurate?
The problem is that there are very few products that do not have those things in it. Have you ever looked at flour? You would think most of those are safe. I've only found 2 that don't have additives. How about milk? MSG is not listed on milk, but powdered milk is used to make all but whole milk, and somehow in the drying process MSG gets in there. IT IS NOT LISTED!!
A lot of times the manufatures have to be called and asked about things and even then you have a hard time getting them to tell the complete truth.
But, people without allergies and sensitivites would never know about all of this, so you are excused for being less than informed.

In response to : "I would love to see MSG, the various food colorings, caramel coloring, "unidentified" spices and other natural flavorings, outlawed in our food. Most of them are not necessary and do little other than improve the appearance."

There is already a nutrition label, and ingredients listing on all consumable products. Do you honestly think it should be up to the government to decide what we can and cannot eat? We are an intelligent people, just read what you are eating, and if you don't like what the label says, or aren't comfortable consuming the "other natural flavorings", don't buy it.

Gee whiz people. No one is trying to take your salt away from you. There should be guidelines for what can be put in our food by other people. The sodium content of pre-packaged foods is astounding. Our kids are suffering, our elderly are suffering, we are suffering. We all have salt shakers at home and can adjust to our tastes, but if kids can get used to foods without so much salt in them, it is better for everyone.
I'm surprised any parent is against this. We are talking about our health and the health of our children.
Speaking as a parent with a child that has multiple food allergies and sensitivities, I welcome some restrictions placed on pre-made food. I would love to see MSG, the various food colorings, caramel coloring, "unidentified" spices and other natural flavorings, outlawed in our food. Most of them are not necessary and do little other than improve the appearance.

Salty Tea Party-goers unite!

Nobody, I repeat nobody, socializes my sodium chloride and gets away with it!

This leaves such a bitter taste in my mouth, this move is most unsavory!

If any one voted for Obama, welcome to his world, “BIG GOVERNMENT & SOCIALISM!” It’s only the beginning.

We always hear that government should stay out of our bedroom. I'd be happy if they'd stay out of my kitchen.

People have traded in salt for hundreds of years and now we feel the need to stop this? Incredible. Sea Salt is wonderful and pricey. We regulate ourselves to death and our health isn't any better.

Leave my salt shaker alone, my tortilla chips need it. Next thing you know, my salsa for the chips will be regulated, also.

I think this is ridiculous. If you want to eat salt, eat salt, if you don't, don't. Does our government actually think we are incapable of making up our OWN minds on whether or not we should eat salty foods? I guess if salt is really that much of a threat to Americans, the Obama administration could always just come up with some kind of crazy salt tax. Isn't that how they solve ALL of our national problems?

We should always ask suspected salt for identification documents, If salt can't provide them salt should be detained and exported back to the nearest cellar with haste. I think this new law on salt will just simply encourage it to invade other parts of the country so I'm really not sure what the solution it to this problem.

However I will say if we don't act now it won't be just salt, we will see a massive influx of pepper, tabasco sauce, cumin and possibly oregano to this country and I can see the Obama administrations socialist policies to cover all these condiments with health care and welfare benefits bringing this country to a gastronomical halt.