~ Fuck Nanny-State Weenies and the CSPI~
6/21/02

Please help me understand how to live my life. Without you to tell me what is bad or good my common sense would simply overload.....

The Center for Science in the Public Interest put out another study that should elicit a big "So What." Their report essentially states that when we Americans super-size our orders from a fast food chain, get this, we ingest more calories and fat! Well hot damn -- if they never told me eating a metric ton of french fries was bad for me, I would never have known....

Anyway, regardless of the "obviousness" of their study results, the press release filed by CSPI concentrates on french fries, coffee with whole milk, movie popcorn, and Cinnabuns. They argue that though a large Cinnabun only costs 24% more, the calories are 123% greater! They rant about the ill effect that this has on people and completely negelect the fact that having a choice in purchasing can easily bee seen as a good thing. Consider the following:

If a 20 oz. Diet Coke costs 99 cents and a 2 liter cost a $1.09, the consumer gets nearly 3 times as much product (300%) for a 10 cent increase in price -- and no added calories!
If the guy buying coffee isn't into whole milk, and prefers his coffe black, his 35% price increase nets him a full 67% more to drink with no extra fat and minimal calories....
If a super size fry costs $1.49 and is nearly 2x the size of a small costing $.99 mom and daughter can buy one super-size and share the fries with a $.50 savings rather than purchasing two smalls!

The list could go on and on noting that consumer choice is a good thing. Retailers big and small have always offered discounts to individuals who purchase more. But in not so many words, CSPI accuses everyone of being too stupid to know that eating poorly may contribute to poor overall health. They advocate eliminating choice and cost-savings to the consumer because a few folks are too brain-dead to comprehend that eating extra-large Cinnabuns all day may lead to an increase in pant size.

Regardless of what these nanny-staters advocate, having choice and being afforded the opportunity to receive discounts for buying in bulk is always a good thing.

Here is the release from CPSI:
http://www.cspinet.org/new/waistline_061802.html
And the study text (.pdf)
http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/final_price_study.pdf