The War Over Salt

[JanMcBaker]

Jeez. Another government regulation. With more government rules and restrictions. Overseen by more government employees. That receive more government salaries, benefits and pensions. Paid for with more government money, which, since surprise surprise the government doesn't HAVE any money of its own, means more of MY money.

Yep. Just exactly what we need.

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Actually, I wouldn't mind so much the government spending my tax money if they'd REALLY go after the major air and water polluters with some teeth, instead of trying to regulate what we choose to 'pollute' ourselves with....

[Jaymes]

Jeez.  Another government regulation.  With more government rules and restrictions.  Overseen by more government employees.  That receive more government salaries, benefits and pensions.  Paid for with more government money, which, since surprise surprise the government doesn't HAVE any money of its own, means more of MY money.

Yep.  Just exactly what we need.

 

Actually, I wouldn't mind so much the government spending my tax money if they'd REALLY go after the major air and water polluters with some teeth, instead of trying to regulate what we choose to 'pollute' ourselves with....

As you suggest, those are things which we, as individuals, are pretty much powerless to control and are instances where we require governments to act on our behalf.

As opposed to the amount of salt we ingest. The government already mandates that food producers list the ingredients on the labels. Anyone that cares about monitoring their salt intake currently has the information they need to facilitate that.

Even if, through some misguided effort, the government places arbitrary limits on the amount of salt that can be added to various processed foods, consumers that like salt will add it themselves (as an earlier poster pointed out).

Unless, of course, the next step that the do-gooders take to protect us from ourselves is to ration the sale of salt, each according to his or her....what? Age? Height? Weight? Blood pressure?

Edited September 29, 2006 by Jaymes (log)

[Jaymes]

"There's a hole in my bucket, dear Jaymes, dear Jaymes, there's a hole in my bucket, dear Jaymes, a hole!"

"With what shall I mend it, Dear Jaymes??"

"with silica gel, dear Kouign Aman...."

All that work, just to pull a bucket of sea water up for seasoning!

[Mallet]

Perhaps it's time for the government to require (and of course oversee) bucket manufacturers to clearly label on the sides of their product:  "CAUTION! FILLING THIS BUCKET WITH WATER AND STICKING YOUR HEAD INTO IT MAY BE HAZARDOUS FOR YOUR HEALTH."

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You mean like THIS?

[cdh]

If any sort of regulation were going to work, there would have to be a quick and reliable method for measuring the salt content of any particular item in the context of a compliance inspection. As far as I know, no such thing is even possible without a lab and lot of time. There would be no way to fairly and effectively enforce any regulations of salt content in prepared foods... though possibly in industrially processed products you could.

Information and education is the way to go... though given the number of folks who don't regularly (or even often) visit doctors (and the number of doctors who don't talk nutrition to their patients) I could see frustrated MDs advocating regulations since they do, after all, know better.