 |
||
HOME |
GLOBAL MACRO |
MEDIA |
TECHNOLOGY |
BIOTECH |
COMMODITIES |
EDUCATION |
IU25 INDEX |
ABOUT US
|
||
|
||
|
|
|
|
Comments
View Comments:
Threaded | Newest First | Oldest First
 User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS 
Does anyone really need a 32-oz Slurpee?
 User Rank
Blogger NO RATINGS
Well.........it does get really hot in New York during the summer. ;-)
 User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
It does get hot in the city in the summer Kevin. And guess what? NYC has surprisingly good water - right from the tap.
 User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
Really nice post, @Kevin! Very educational and great at spelling out the issues.
But WHAT is the world coming to when a product wants to rebrand as SUGAR because that is the lesser of the evils? If we ever wondered how truly bad HFCS is for us, its lobbying to fly under the radar as corn sugar has answered that question once and for all! User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
Excellent point, @Street Smart.
 User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
Sugar is shxx, use honey.I told General Abrams to install honey in the commissaries. If the K-s didn't blow your brains out, sugar, sure as shxx, was gonna
You've been the sugar business for so long, you've forgetten the taste of real honey  User Rank
Blogger NO RATINGS
Honey is good, but sugar is better than artificial sweetener for those who can tolerate it and use it in moderation. Which is not to say that I do, because I really like dessert,
And when I am enjoying a wonderfully creamy custard filled cream puff, I try not to think about whatever makes it sweet. I just tell myself it is good for me because it contains eggs and milk. User Rank
Blogger NO RATINGS
Despite my admitted love for dessert, I concede there is merit in limiting HFCS. Actually, I drink very little soft drinks, so I'm OK on that front. But consider this:
A Princeton University research team found in 2010 that rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar, even when their overall caloric intake was the same. In addition to causing significant weight gain in lab animals, long-term consumption of high-fructose corn syrup also led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides. "When rats are drinking high-fructose corn syrup at levels well below those in soda pop, they're becoming obese -- every single one, across the board. Even when rats are fed a high-fat diet, you don't see this; they don't all gain extra weight," said psychology professor Bart Hoebel, who specializes in the neuroscience of appetite, weight and sugar addiction.  User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
I think the low cost of this sweetner has really cost America more than they were orignally willing to pay with regards to our health. There is a movie called King Corn that deals with the impact of the corn business and how it ripples through the economy, and our bodies. its pretty interesting stuff.
 User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
I think for a long time a lot of us thought of "corn syrup" as good stuff. I mean, corn is good for you, right? We were sold a bill of goods that didn't match the reality. And yep. It shows in our waistlines.
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
I saw an ad on TV not that long ago trying to make HFCS sounds like it was good. It was basicly two moms talking about a drink, and one who was supposed to seem like she knew nothing, didnt even know the name of the bad thing, and then the other mom chimed in with something about its all natural and made from corn.
if its on TV it must be true, right? lol User Rank
Blogger NO RATINGS
LOL. Yep, I saw a similar one, except it featured that stereotypical dumb male and his know-it-all girlfriend, who explained how healthy and natural HFCS really was...
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
More TV truth!
I remember for the movie King Corn they made HFCS at home because none of the HFCS plants would let them in to film the process, It wasnt an easy process and one thing that really stuck out to me was that it involved acid to break the corn down. very "natural" looking!  User Rank
Silver NO RATINGS
So where does it stop? First there is a ban on the "supersized" drinks, next they will be telling us that we can't eat certain things...when does this end? Is High Fructose Corn Syrup that bad?!?
 User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
Why is HFCS used so much? It's a cheap alternative to Sugar and patented sugar alternatives.
Why is HFCS so inexpensive? As TelecomFreq mentions, the chemical process isn't so simple. Must be that the raw material is very cheap. Okay, so why is corn so cheap? I wonder - do subsidies for corn growers have anything to do with reducing the price of corn? If NYC implements a ban on HFCS drinks larger than 16-oz, they will deserve the nanny-state label. And they'll have unintended consequences just like we do with our farm subsidies. PC User Rank
Blogger NO RATINGS
I have never ever purchased a 32-oz drink. And the only times I buy 16 oz ones are when I'm sharing the drink between one or more people. However, I have to say that I resent NYC trying to restrict my ability to buy whatever the heck I want from a merchant who wants to sell it.
What's to stop me from buying a gallon jug of HFCS laden fruit punch and drinking the whole thing in one sitting? (My own sense of propriety aside for the moment.) User Rank
Blogger NO RATINGS
Every ban has unintended consequences. My town is debating a ban on plastic shopping bags. I understand the environmental issues, but understand this. If I don't have a stash of old plastic garbage bags, then I will have to go to PetSmart and buy a stash of doggie dropping bags -- which are also made of plastic. Or I could scoop up dog messes into paper bags -- as long as I was wearing disposable gloves-- which are also made of plastic.
So we tell the local grocer to forgo the plastic bags -- but then we allow the WSJ to double plastic bag every newspaper it home delivers every day? Where is the common sense? the common good? where does it end?  User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
One of the principles of lean manufacturing is looking at the big picture. Too bad we don't do that when it comes to legislation and bureaucracy.
 User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
I'd love to see everyone eat healthy foods, drink water, exercise regularly and take care of themselves. But that's just a wish or a hope. I can't force people to behave that way, nor can the government, no matter how hard it tries.
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
So we let them gorge on HFCS, smoke, eat trans fats till they burst -- and then pick up the cost of their medical bills?
User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
We wouldn't have to pay for their health care if the government wasn't also mandating that.
 User Rank
Blogger NO RATINGS
I find the 32-ounce soda one of the most disgusting elements of American culture. I'm fine with a ban, even if it does trample some civil liberties.
User Rank
Blogger NO RATINGS
I don't like the 32 oz drinks either Scott--but I like them better than what will come next...people walking around with 2-ltr bottles and gallon jugs, drinking right from the containers like survivalists near dehydration after months in a desert.
Yea, that'll be better than seeing those huge plastic cups. You can't eliminate crass or unhealthy behavior with a law. User Rank
Silver NO RATINGS
Ahh man Scott, can't get rid of the 32-ounce, gut-busting soda...what else is there to look forward to? (sarcasm)
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
I'm fine with a ban, even if it does trample some civil liberties
So you're willing to trade away freedom for a law that won't really accomplish anything? Scott, I hope you're just saying that to get a reaction. Our freedom is much more precious than that. Here's a better idea. Instead of more bans and regulations, take a positive step and support a water fountain. There is a project underway to place 100 water fountains all over NYC. This solution respects everyone's right to choose what they want to drink. Even better, since people will want to dring water, it avoids all the workarounds that foil the aim of the proposed regulation. Hat tip - Dr. Susan Rubin and a caller on WBAI last night. PC  User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
I seriously dont know how anyone can look at government control at this level and think its a good thing.
User Rank
Blogger NO RATINGS
The government regulates Heroin, doesn't it?
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
If 16 oz of Herion was legal, but it was illegal to sell 32 oz....
Can you see how that would be stupid too? User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
Apples and Oranges
A cheap little sippy drink you can carry on a walk or in the subway is completely different from a hyper addictive, hyper expensive drug you plunge into your arm in a back alley shooting gallery. I've never heard of anyone robbing, stealing or prostituting themselves just to get enough money to buy a 32 oz cherry slurpie. Why waste time with this kind of foolish regulation when you could put that time, effort and money into helping and rehabing the heroin addicted whores walking around the hunts point market. User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
Heroin? HFCS? Geez Scott, are you sampling too much of one or both? That's a weird analogy
User Rank
Blogger NO RATINGS
just yanking y'alls chains
User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
Ah, I forgot what you need to do to entertain yourself in the Wild West.
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
Maybe @Scott needs the rush of day trading after all!
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
Let's just force feed him a couple Twinkies.
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
The problem I have with government control of our habits through legislation is that the underlying science can reverse itself more easily than the laws that get based on it.
Now, I'm not out on a limb arguing that seatbelts and helmets don't save lives or that smoking is harmless. But we've seen a number of "food assumptions" change in the last few decades. The entire food pyramid has changed. What if we still had laws on the books mandating pasta consumption? Just recently, we have taken a new look at fat and salt and discovered that they aren't the demons they once were. On the other hand, we are now finding that HDL, the "good" cholesterol isn't so good after all. And the concept of "food deserts" contributing to obesity has been TOTALLY debunked. Seems to me that a good compromise in all of this is legislation at the state rather than local level. That way, New York isn't prohibiting sodas, Los Angeles isn't banishing fast food, and towns aren't going hog wild mandating paper over plastic. Also, consider a little blessed ignorance. Being from California, let me tell you that living in a state where just about EVERYTHING has a "found to be a carcinogen" label on it can raise one's anxiety to levels where a Xanax with a martini chaser can look pretty good! User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
LOL Street Smart-- give me a Xanax with a martini chaser, too
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
Excellent points Street Smart. What if they had banned eggs? Now it's OK to eat them again.
Things change. Stupid is always stupid - and some people just are, laws or not.  User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
I fully agree. Stupid is just plain stupid.
User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
Legislating morality -- or healthly habits -- always falls short of objectives.
User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
Take away giant vats of soda and junk food fanatics will find another way to sabotage their health. You can't force them to be healthy.
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
Agreed. While University of Pennsylvania experts note there is research to support that shrinking a container size can help shrink a person's waistline, Wharton statistics professor Jean Lemaire expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of such a ban, noting that people find ways around laws regulating such vices as alcohol and cigarettes. "We can tax it; we can make it more expensive; we can reduce opening hours of the stores that sell it, but people find ways to get around that," he said.
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
Banning big cups of sweet stuff actually gives it that forbidden fruit allure. Sales, even in smaler cans or bottles, will probably spike and exceed current consumption.
 User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
@Cat tail, at the end of the day a person is responsible for their own actions and unless they ban all sweet drinks, etc. someone will find away to get the same amounts of sugar/fat as they did before. Having said that, it kind of creates a survival of the "fittest" (using the term quite loosely) of junk food lovers where they have to ask themselves how far they're willing to go to shove that extra 16oz. of cola down their gullet, hahaha.
User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
"Wharton statistics professor Jean Lemaire expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of such a ban, noting that people find ways around laws regulating such vices as alcohol and cigarettes."
@Tenacious, you bring up a good point, but I think the more important thing is that it raises awareness. Suddenly, if the spotlight is on how bad this is or that is, maybe it'll stop a mom from picking up that junk product for fear of looking like a bad mother, etc. There's a trickle down effect here that can't be overlooked. User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
"No comments were forthcoming from Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX), which, despite having sugar-laden offerings of its own, would not be affected by the proposed ban. Although many of its products are sweet, including the 310-calorie 12-ounce Chocolate Cookie Crumble Frappucino, which has 40g of sugar (about 10 teaspoonfuls), they also contain coffee and dairy products, both exempt from the ban."
This is what's confusing to me. If you're going to propose a ban, then shouldn't you go all the way with it? Why just focus on soft drinks? Sugar is sugar and if you're going to say that one thing is bad, you can't say the same thing in a different disguise isn't. Anyone else agree with that? User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
Maybe I'm the only one, but does anyone else agree with what's being proposed here? Personally, I feel this is a great first step towards making the nation healthier. Sure, people can look at this as their civil liberties being trampled all over, but at the end of the day, we're talking about people being stopped from turning themselves into morbidly obese messes.
User Rank
Blogger NO RATINGS
Thing is, this proposal really isn't going to do anything to stop obesity. Too much processed food, too much sugar (cane, corn or beet), too much fat and too little daily exercise among Americans in general. We don't need bans on sugar in food. We need fundamental cultural change.
User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
I couldn't possibly agree with you more. However, I see this proposal as being that kickstart that makes people really start talking about the amount of sugar and fat (and hopefully we start focusing on the amount of sodium as well) that exists in so much of our food. The ban may not stop obesity on its own, but perhaps it will signify the first steps in a cultural change.
 User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
@chapAnjou,
That's going to be hard. People know waht is good and bad to their health, they just can't resist eating junk food. Tasting and cheap are two important factors. User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels."
~Kate Moss User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
@Street Smart,
That's good, hehehe... User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
@Street Smart, who knew Kate Moss was such a philosopher hahaha
User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
"That's going to be hard. People know waht is good and bad to their health, they just can't resist eating junk food. Tasting and cheap are two important factors."
@mInvestor, yeah, it's certainly easier to eat whatever you want without having to worry about calories, fat, sodium, etc. but I think that's why these kinds of proposals are important. Things like this make people talk about it and maybe make parents more aware of what lessons they're teaching their kids about eating habits. I actually would argue that it's cheaper to eat healthier than it is to eat garbage. Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything (haha), but a trip to McDonalds or Burger King easily costs at least $8 for a single meal. However, going to the store and making your own healthier version might cost you 10-15 dollars for 3 days worth of meals. User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
@chapAnjou,
That's going to be a big chaleenge for some people. I know some people have never used their stoves, not evne boil water.To them, cooking is not an option. Heheheh... User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
I've looked at homes for sale -- nice homes -- and the owners manuals were still in the oven! I can't understand the instant everything food mentality!
User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
And this is why we have a nation of obese people and people with eating disorders--because too many people rely on instant, convenience and fast food.
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
Instant, convenience and fast food in GIANT portions...
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
People are just lazy. In NYC, you can buy a banana from a food vendor for like 35 cents...but people will walk into fancy food stores instead -- and buy bananas for $1 instead. Why? Because they want a bag,
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
Yes but at least they are eating fruit,
User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
"People are just lazy. In NYC, you can buy a banana from a food vendor for like 35 cents...but people will walk into fancy food stores instead -- and buy bananas for $1 instead. Why? Because they want a bag,"
I don't really think this has to do with being lazy. Food vendors on the street are kind of a gross concept. Actually, in many cases, I bet you it would be easier (and quicker) to get your fruit from them...but most people are willing to go the extra few blocks for something they know is more likely to be clean. User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
"And this is why we have a nation of obese people and people with eating disorders--because too many people rely on instant, convenience and fast food."
@Dex, exactly. I would love to know the % of people eating home cooked meals nowadays - I bet you there's direct evidence showing a decline in home cooked meals coinciding with an increase in the nation's waist size... User Rank
Platinum
Maybe I'm the only one who drinks DIET SODA? Seltzer? Hello!
I certainly realize that aspartame and Splenda aren't the perfect solution, but for heaven's sake, people! There is no earthly reason to be guzzing all of that sugar/HFCS when there are dozens of alternatives. User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
"There is no earthly reason to be guzzing all of that sugar/HFCS when there are dozens of alternatives."
@Street Smart, I think this pretty much sums up why people need to have decisions made for them in some cases. There literally is no reason that people should be drinking this garbage, they only do it because it's there. Remove access to the stuff, provide a healthier alternative and people will ingest that instead. If people are outraged that their natural born rights to sugar and high fructose corn syrup are being infringed upon...then people need to get their priorities in check... User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
@chapAnjou, we are on the SAME page. I really believe that lack of impulse control is at the root of many of our nation's problems, and starting with controlling the small impulses such as restricting sugar intake is as good a place as any.
In fact, we could argue which is the chicken or the egg...the sugar consumption or the poor impulse control. I believe that they're related. User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
@Street Smart, exactly! People will learn to adapt, but they have to be put in the position to adapt. If that means limiting their sugar intake against their will, then it needs to happen. The simple (painfully obvious) truth is that we as a nation are unwilling to take that first step to get healthier. Sure, people are doing it here and there, but as a nation, we're just getting fatter and fatter...so fat that people are willing to take up arms over the limiting of drink sizes...that's just so frightening to me...
User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
Nothing is more frightening that seeing very large (obese) families load up their carts with soda and sweets on a trip to Costco.
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
I keep my eyes on my own cart at Costco. Otherwise, it can be traumatic.
User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
Just yesterday at BJs Wholesale I watched a 300 pound woman and her 400 pound man debate whether four boxes of mini muffins would get them through breakfast this week.
User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
"Just yesterday at BJs Wholesale I watched a 300 pound woman and her 400 pound man debate whether four boxes of mini muffins would get them through breakfast this week."
@Dex, hahahaha! I love that they didn't even appreciate the irony of the situation... User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
Oh, @driven, that is so funny about Costco and WAY TOO true! I would respectfully submit however, that the sight of those same families walking around Disneyworld gnawing on monster turkey legs is pretty scary, too.
In fact...scarier than any ride in the park. Now that Disney has moved toward a more nutritious menu, it will be interesting to see if anything changes. User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
Know what will change? The numbers of families who try, successfully or not, to smuggle in Twinkies in their fanny packs.
User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
I would not be surprised, @Askasa!
User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
It'll be interesting to see how Disney defines nutritious food, and whether the higher costs will be a burden on families, though.
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
With those already high admission charges, higher food costs could really strain budgets at Disney world
User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
People always find ways to circumvent practical solutions. They may be lazy, but the average person likes legislated decisions even less than a little extra work.
 User Rank
Blogger NO RATINGS
@chapAnjou "I think this pretty much sums up why people need to have decisions made for them"
Yes, you are correct. So why not ban the use of alcholic beverages, we could call it "Prohibition" and pass an amendment. Oh yeah, we did that already. User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
You left out some of my quote there: "I think this pretty much sums up why people need to have decisions made for them in some cases"
Mainly, I was speaking about the consumption of high sugar beverages. I don't want a nanny state, but they're not banning the sale of beverages, they're limiting the size of them - not exactly the same as prohibition. User Rank
Blogger NO RATINGS
The real point that should be made @chapAnjou, is that government meddling produces problems that require further meddling to fix them. Corn subsidies have increased the use of the very poison that nanny Bloomberg is attempting to fix.
The corn subsidies have gone to those who had lobbies to grease politicians and now Bloomberg is using the problem to increase his budget through ridiculous fines. It's a vicious cycle with emphasis on the word vicious -- he probably will have to invent more useless jobs to enforce the silly rules. Prohibition proved nicely that government meddling creates more harm than good in some cases, and you can omit the bold sentence without harming the point. User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
"Times have changed when the powers that be advocate against the consumption of foods with large amounts of sugar syrup."
It's funny (and not the good kind of funny) to think about how what was once considered normal at one point in our society was eventually determined to be harmful. For example, lead paint...all paint was made with lead and, after years of contaminating homes, it was determined that this is a health risk and must be stopped. The same thing goes for all these processed foods....it's only a matter of time before the nation continues on this healthy kick and starts making sure that the various food industries are up to snuff. Look at what McDonalds was serving 20 yrs ago compared to what it's selling today and you see there's an effort being made to get our country out of this rut... The blogs and comments posted on Investor Uprising do not reflect the views of Investor Uprising, PRNewswire, or its sponsors. Investor Uprising, PRNewswire, and its sponsors do not assume responsibility for any comments, claims, or opinions made by authors and bloggers. They are no substitute for your own research and should not be relied upon for trading or any other purpose. |
|
Latest Blogs
Telecom-equipment maker Ciena is a stock trader’s dream, as long as the timing is correct.
The FTC is offering a $50,000 cash prize to the person or group that can come up with a solution to those annoying robocalls.
John Malone of Liberty Media will be taking over Sirius XM satellite radio when the existing CEO Mel Karmazin steps down. What's it mean?
Demand for students of the humanities exists, despite widespread aspersions on the discipline.
Quick Poll
Like Us on Facebook
Top 10 IU Hot Topics
 25 market-moving companies we're tracking
|
|
||
|
||
|
||
PR Newswire's Terms of Use Apply | Privacy | Contact Us
Copyright © 1996-2013 PR Newswire Association LLC. All Rights Reserved. A UBM plc company.  |
||
|
|
||
Tweet This