Listening to activists like Kelly “Twinkie tax” Brownell or Michael “Carrot-Juice House” Jacobson, you might think that the key to solving America’s obesity problem is a soft drink tax. You might also think that such a tax is well supported. But those are both … Continue reading →

Today the Houston Chronicle brings us a profile on Texas State Representative Joe Farias’s vision for his misguided soda tax. It sounded familiar to us, with the usual mix of (evadable) promises to designate revenue for the children and misinformed hyperbole that links soft drinks with drugs. … Continue reading →

Sometimes, bad ideas just won’t die. A perennial favorite is the sin tax on soft drinks, and with state legislatures convening across the country for their new sessions, they’re sprouting like weeds. Despite considerable evidence that soda taxes will not … Continue reading →

Yesterday, a New York court heard the argument by groups opposing the New York City ban on sodas larger than 16 ounces in restaurants and other eateries. Advocates for consumer choice argued that the prohibition was improperly passed, discriminated against particular businesses, and … Continue reading →

The impulse among America’s food police to tax soft drinks is an old one— Kelly “Twinkie tax” Brownell pushed the idea as early as 1994 — but it has the nine lives of a cat. Despite multiple defeats in Democratic-leaning districts last year and in the … Continue reading →

British newspaper The Guardian brings us a gem of unintended consequences from the so-called “sustainable” food movement (that wins a striking lack of converts). Vegans and vegetarians looking for meat substitutes have turned to a South American grain, quinoa, and that decision has made life difficult in … Continue reading →

A couple of weeks ago we reported on a hearty result for food freedom advocates: A poll by the Associated Press (AP) found that 59 percent of Americans opposed food and soda taxes and 74 percent balked at New York-style … Continue reading →

In today’s Washington Post, Michael Jacobson, chief of the food police at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), announced his latest effort to force Americans to adopt the joyless way of eating he advocates. He called on Congress to change the … Continue reading →

­­­New Year’s resolutions, when done right, can lead to self-improvement and a better new year. According to a Marist poll, 40 percent of Americans plan to make a resolution, and the number one resolution is weight loss. Since losing weight … Continue reading →

Sugar and other nutritionally equivalent sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup are under attack by the nation’s foodie commentariat and would-be regulators. In a new book released just in time for New Year’s resolution-makers, Robert Lustig says that the stuff is … Continue reading →