Posner open-minded about trans fat ban
Judge Richard Posner, who more often than not sides against government regulation, is actually open-minded about the trans fat ban in New York City.
[E]ven those of us who distrust government regulation of the economy should be open to the possibility that the ban on trans fats would produce a net improvement in the welfare of New Yorkers by satisfying a preference that most of them would have if the cost of absorbing information about the good in question were not prohibitive.
But like his first commenter, I question the cost of opening the door to further regulation in this area, which Posner doesn't mention.
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Judge Posner also gave a talk in Second Life.
http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2006/12/the_second_life.html#more
I fail to see why requiring labeling wasn't an adequate solution to the trans-fat issue. Couldn't we at least have given that a whirl before going with an all out ban?
I'm impressed with Posner's thoroughness.
Ingen: Posner thinks labeling might scare off business. I wait on a lot of rich yuppies, so I don't, but maybe I'm just a left-coast freak.
I also think Posner is way overestimating many restaurants' willingness to give a shit when the customer makes special requests. Maybe it's just that I work in a pit with zero professionalism, but there's a lot of lying that I do to keep customers happy because my cooks will literally ignore certain requests.
You mean Posner thinks labeling would cause a downturn for the entire restaurant industry? If it was required in every restaurant, why would it affect business? Then again, it'd be funny to see a high-class menu with something like: Foie Gras Saute au Mais Doux, Asperges et Reduction de Vieux Madere, 4g trans fat.
What would be the cost of further regulation in this area?
If it's a cost issue, is it safe for me to assume that w/out the ban, there is a correlation between income level and trans-fat intake?
Potentially opening the door to other kinds of health regulations, such as banning food items with more than 5g of saturated fat, or limiting the size of dessert portions. These examples seem like a stretch, and they are, but they aren't that different in kind from banning all trans fat. Which would lead to a much suckier restaurant experience, potentially.
No idea about the income correlation. Somehow I doubt it, except maybe at the top .5%.
I guess I think the state of affairs in this country re: phsyical health w/r/t diet are such that it's a conversation that seriously needs to be had (clearly market forces benefit no one on this front, "green/organic" trends notwithstanding thusfar)- it seems much more likely that the issues that would arise are on the level of ingredients w/r/t cost, and it's about time.