[quote=AN][quote=afx114]Continuing on the child obesity topic, there is talk of raising taxes on soda/juice drinks to help offset the healthcare costs that they contribute to (obesity, diabetes, etc). The opposition commercial is hilarious — something about trampling our freedom to enjoy a coke. When I saw it I couldn’t help but think, “aren’t there more important thing to be worrying about than the tyrrany of soda tax?” Apparently some people out there must really love their Mountain Dew because they’re paying big bucks to run these ads.
I can see it now: “You’ll have to pry my Ultra Mega Super Double Big Gulp Extreme Supreme from my cold, dead hands!”[/quote]
While they’re at it, they should raise taxes on fast food, sugar, donuts, etc. Or even better yet, raise taxes on all food. If it’s too expensive, people will eat less. Small portion will definitely help reduce obesity. :-).[/quote]
AN: The problem is that companies like McDonalds have managed to vertically integrate their entire business model and thus reduce costs across the board (which, somewhat paradoxically, makes their portions larger while their food costs are lower).
Combine this with the “commodification” of resources from firms like ConAgra and ADM (Archer Daniels Midland) and it’s possible to serve ever larger portions for less money to the consumer.
Do a little research on high-fructose corn syrup and all of the places it’s found (think fast food heaven) and you’ll see the profit motive behind all of this.
