Tucked away in this depressing little story about sneak attempts to introduce a ban on public smoking in the UK is the revelation that Britain will be holding an “obesity summit” to discuss measures such as a prohibition on television advertisements for fast food and candies. What a waste of time. Sweden and Quebec have for years banned such ads (when directed at children) with no appreciable effect on rising levels of obesity. But if governments are going to ban any sort of food advertising (and they should not, of course), why not start with wicked pasta? A recent CDC report appears to show that the growth in Americans’ consumption of calories (which has, incidentally, leveled off) comes primarily not from fat (although Americans are consuming more of that naughty substance too), but from carbohydrates.
The answer is clear. We must protect ‘the children’ from ravioli. I call on Congress (if it can spare any time from its immensely important contemplation of Janet Jackson’s breast) to act at once against this threat to the nation’s young.