Latest Articles

Activism vs. The Rule of Law

May 22, 2013  •  Defining Ideas; Hoover Institution

In May of last year, the New York Times did something extraordinary: On the front page, the paper not only ran a photo of a Massachusetts woman in flagrante delicto committing multiple federal and state felonies and civil torts, but also identified her and the scene of the crime. You would think an ensuing investigation and prosecution would be a slam-dunk, but federal regulators and law enforcement officials have been nowhere to be found.

The crimes? This woman and other activists were defacing food labels to "warn" consumers about alleged dangers of genetically modified foods.

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Free market has real solutions to obesity crisis

May 21, 2013  •  Washington Examiner

Obesity is a public health time bomb. But is curbing it primarily the responsibility of the government? The food police think so. Along the way, their extreme rhetoric demonizes industry and characterizes food marketers as little better than child molesters.

Weighing in from the Left are regulation-obsessed activists like Dr. Yoni Freedhoff of the University of Ottawa. He blames obesity on the failure of public health officials and lawmakers to "legislate change" -- not enough statutes, regulations, public monies spent, or taxes on foods that he thinks are bad.

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How Much Of Food Activism Is New Age, Airy-Fairy Nonsense?

May 15, 2013  •  Forbes

What was once a cottage industry is now big business.  Authors, columnists, television personalities and others whose total exposure to science was college "rocks for jocks" and who never took a nutrition class are conjuring up loony notions about how we ought to be eating.  Their suggestions range from "raw foodism" and extreme variations on vegetarianism to exotic herbal supplements, weird "cleanses" and extended fasting.

Most genuine experts in nutrition echo your grandmother's advice: Eat a variety of foods, including many varieties of produce, all in moderation, then go outside and get some exercise.

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Ideologically Contaminated Produce Shopper's Guide Undermines Health

May 3, 2013  •  Huffington Post

"Many of the 'healthiest foods' we eat may not be as healthy as we think" was the lede of a recent Channel 11news story out of Pittsburgh. It was based on the Environmental Working Group's just released 2013 "Dirty Dozen" report on pesticide residues on produce, which is trotted out every year by the NGO. These misleading pseudo-analyses frighten consumers and actually discourage them from buying healthy fruits and vegetables.

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review of The Food Police: A Well-Fed Manifesto About the Politics of Your Plate

April 21, 2013  •  New York Post

In "The Food Police," Oklahoma State University Professor Jayson Lusk takes a rational look at where our food comes from and whose right and responsibility it is to decide how and what we eat. An agricultural economist and food technologist by training, Lusk focuses his research on predicting and understanding consumer behavior as it relates to food. The conclusions from his research will do more to advance healthy eating than would a nation of Mayor Bloombergs.

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