Warning Labels on Ultra-Processed Foods: A Health Crisis

Bernie Sanders advocates for transparency and warning labels on unhealthy food to protect children's health.

### Addressing America's Obesity Epidemic: The Call for Transparency and Reform in Food Labeling
* 🥤 In a single bottle of Dr. Pepper, there are **15 teaspoons of sugar** and **240 calories**, highlighting the lack of warning labels that inform consumers, especially children, about unhealthy products.
* 📢 Bernie Sanders is advocating for warning labels on ultra-processed foods, emphasizing the **need for transparency in the food industry** and its **influence on politics**.
* 💰 Major industries, including food, spend significant amounts on campaign contributions, granting them **access and influence over lawmakers**, which undermines **ordinary citizens' voices**.
* 🌎 Compared to the U.S., countries like Mexico are ahead in nutrition policies, providing **clear labels on products that indicate excess sugars and calories**, which helps parents make **informed choices**.
* 🤔 Sanders argues that front-of-package labels are **essential for parents to understand the health impacts of products**, suggesting that awareness could **pressure companies to produce healthier options**.
* 🍏 With **40% of adults** and **20% of children** in the U.S. classified as obese, the obesity epidemic is linked to rising diabetes rates, costing the nation approximately **$400 billion annually**.
* ⚠ The increasing obesity rates, especially among children, pose a threat to national health, affecting **military recruitment and overall societal well-being**, which calls for **urgent reforms in food labeling and access to healthier options**.
* 🏥 Ultimately, the goal is to foster a **healthier society** where individuals can lead **productive and fulfilling lives**, free from the **chronic illnesses exacerbated by unhealthy food choices**.

In this little bottle of Dr. Pepper, there are 15 teaspoons of sugar. There's no warning label here telling you this is really something that kids should not be drinking, or that it has a whole lot of calories. This is 240 calories right in this one bottle. So the industry

has done a very good job in selling us products that are cheap to produce and make us unhealthy. That's something uh, Congress has got to deal with. Bernie Sanders is one of the loudest voices in the room when it comes to ultra-processed food, and now he's pushing for warning

labels on ultra-processed products. He's here with me today to talk about his plans. I'm M. DeGraff, Health editor at Business Insider. The first thing that I want to talk about has to do with transparency. I think it's a bit of a black box that, for your average citizen,

it's hard to understand what stronghold industry lobbyists have over our politics and our food system. Major industries in this country, whether it's Financial Services or in healthcare or in food, spend huge amounts of money on campaign contributions. So they give you a lot of

money when you run for Congress, and that gives them access to you in a way that ordinary citizens do not have. So they can come in and say, 'Look, these are my problems; this is what I need.' And you know what? I did put $50,000 through our

Super PAC into your campaign. Furthermore, they have lobbyists running all over Washington, D.C., and often these lobbyists are very well-paid; they're very smart; in some cases, former leaders of the Democratic or Republican party. So they have clout. Oh, you know, I was in Congress

I know what you're going through, and here's what you need to be doing. When it comes to other countries and their nutrition policies, are there any you're envious of?

Sure. I mean, there are many countries way ahead of where we are. Let me give you one example: This is a bottle of Coca-Cola in the United States—no nutritional information, no warning label. This is one in Mexico. Mexico is doing more than other countries.  It says 'excess sugars,' 'excess calories,' 'caffeine warning,' 'not recommended for children.' And there are other countries that I've seen...

So, what we need to do is ensure that when a parent goes shopping, they know which products aren't healthy for their kids. In the United States, we haven't reached that stage. Other countries are doing much better. What do you say to...

concerns that front-of-package labels will be a distraction, delaying further action? I think it's something you've got to do. It's important for parents to know the health impact of the products they're buying for...

their kids. I mean, that's common sense. I think if most parents knew that there were, again, 15 teaspoons of sugar in this drink, I suspect many would say, 'Sorry, Joe, you can't have that,' and would...

put pressure on the industry to start producing healthier products. Speaking of industry reform, I have to ask you about RFK Jr., who's been nominated for HHS Secretary. He says he's going to overhaul our food system and specifically remove processed foods from...

School meals: Do you think that's doable? Where do you agree and disagree? Well, I think a lot of what RFK is saying is kind of crazy and driven by conspiracy theories. Some of what he's saying is not crazy. Uh, I think the fact that in

America now, we have an obesity epidemic. 40% of adults are obese, uh, 20% of kids are obese, and that is directly related to the uh epidemic we have in diabetes. So you've got millions, billions of people struggling with diabetes; many of them are

overweight, uh, and uh it is costing us an estimated $400 billion a year to deal with diabetes—a huge amount of money. So it goes without saying that anybody with a brain in his or her head wants to deal with issues, get to the

cause of the problem. And I think access to food and the kind of sugar and salt that we have in products that our kids and adults are ingesting, uh, is an important part of addressing that crisis. Could you explain what the stakes are and why Americans should care about this matter?

When Kennedy talks about an unhealthy society, he's right. The amount of chronic illness that we have is just extraordinary. The obesity rates have risen for kids three times since the 1970s, so we're getting more and more obese, which leads to all kinds of other

health-related problems. We have a problem right now actually recruiting young people into the military because of health-related issues. Our kids are not healthy enough. So, in the long run, you want a healthy society as an end in itself; we want our people to have long

Lives productive lives, happy lives; that's what we want. And if the industry is giving our kids food that is making them overweight, leading to diabetes and other illnesses, clearly that's an issue that we've got to deal with.

Why Bernie Sanders Is Going After Ultra-Processed Foods | Business Insider

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Business Insider

The alarming amount of sugar in processed drinks and the industry's role in promoting unhealthy products.

A single bottle of Dr. Pepper contains 15 teaspoons of sugar and 240 calories, with no warning label.

The industry successfully sells cheap, unhealthy products, a problem Congress needs to address.

Bernie Sanders advocates for warning labels on ultra-processed foods.

The influence of industry lobbyists on politics and the food system.

Major industries heavily influence politics through campaign contributions and lobbying.

Lobbyists provide access to politicians, influencing policy decisions.

Well-paid and influential lobbyists often include former political leaders.

Comparison of US nutrition policies with other countries and the need for better transparency.

Other countries, like Mexico, provide more nutritional information and warnings on food products than the US.

The need for clearer labeling to inform parents about unhealthy products for their children.

Addressing concerns that front-of-package labels might delay further action.

The importance of informing parents about the sugar content in drinks to encourage healthier choices.

Discussion of RFK Jr.'s proposals for food system reform and the obesity epidemic.

Critique of RFK Jr.'s proposals, some aspects deemed unrealistic or based on conspiracy theories.

The severity of the obesity epidemic in America, affecting both adults and children.

The high cost of dealing with diabetes, a consequence of obesity and unhealthy diets.

The need to address the root causes of the health crisis, including access to unhealthy foods.

The long-term consequences of unhealthy eating habits on society.

The rise in chronic illnesses and obesity rates, impacting the health of the population.

The impact on military recruitment due to health issues among young people.

The need for a healthy society and the importance of addressing the issue of unhealthy food for children.