Our Junk Food Nation
The recent conflict over what America eats is an example of how in Bush's America, corporate interests trump public health.

In recent months the major food companies have been trying hard to convince Americans that they feel the pain of our expanding waistlines, especially when it comes to kids. Kraft announced it would no longer market Oreos to younger children, McDonald's promoted itself as a salad producer and Coca-Cola said it won't advertise to kids under 12. But behind the scenes it's hardball as usual, with the junk food giants pushing the Bush Administration to defend their interests. The recent conflict over what America eats, and the way the government promotes food, is a disturbing example of how in Bush's America corporate interests trump public health, public opinion and plain old common sense. The latest salvo in the war on added sugar and fat came July 14- 15, when the Federal Trade Commission held hearings on childhood obesity and food marketing. Despite the fanfare, industry had no cause for concern; FTC chair Deborah Majoras had declared beforehand that the commission will do absolutely nothing to stop the rising flood of junk food advertising to children.

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Why obesity is winning

NATIONAL PUBLIC Radio, which Republicans love to flog for ''liberal bias," began a discussion this week about gasoline conservation with: ''When you go to McDonald's or Wendy's, park the car, get out, go in and buy your hamburger instead of sitting at the window, letting it idle." How American. Get out of the car to save gas. I figure if that happened on the ''liberal airwaves," it demonstrates how junk-food marketeers have conquered the national psyche. This is ironic because the majority of major fast-food chains, including McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Coca-Cola, Pizza Hut, Domino's, KFC, Taco Bell, and their lobbying arms, the National Restaurant Association and the American Beverage Association, give the vast majority of their political contributions to GOP causes. They are the very causes that keep trying to deep-six NPR and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Since 1990, the food and beverage industry and its executives have given $247 million to Republicans and $110 million to Democrats. More important, the politicians do the industy's bidding to enact bans on obesity lawsuits, defeat or water down attempts to provide healthier meals and drinks in schools, and decry any limitations to marketing. The National Restaurant Association, with GOP Senators Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Rick Santorum and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, and John Cornyn of Texas in its pocket, held a press conference in June at which NRA president Steven Anderson said food establishments ''should not be blamed for issues of personal responsibility and freedom of choice."

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  thanks to Bad Attitudes