Once again, beyond parody:

If the City Council can ban foie gras, a fatty liver delicacy that most Chicagoans have never tasted and cannot afford, why not ban a product that’s known to cause obesity and heart disease? Chicago’s most powerful alderman raised that question Wednesday, then began to answer it — by thinking out loud.

Finance Committee Chairman Edward M. Burke (14th) has an ordinance pending that would ban Chicago grocers from selling meat treated with carbon monoxide to make it look pink and more appetizing.

Burke said it “might be a good jumping off point” to target french fries and other fast food that’s cooked in artery-clogging oil and food that’s processed or loaded with additives and preservatives.

[...]

“One side says we don’t have the legal authority to do it. The other side says we do. So, this might be an interesting test.”

I don’t really know how someone who supports the smoking bans coud argue against a measure like this. What’s the difference? And where’s the limit? Is there really anything of nutritional value in a Gino’s deep dish? A brat? A gooey Ann Sather cinnamon roll?

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 8th, 2006 at 12:13 pm by Radley Balko and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.