I was going to write something last week when I learned about the ordinance passed by the San Fransisco Board of Supervisors, but didn’t get around to it.  Did you hear about that, they’re going to ban toys in fast food happy meals in order to help combat the childhood obesity epidemic?

Give me a fuckin’ break.

No doubt, childhood obesity is a serious problem, but anyone who thinks that a largely symbolic measure like banning toys is going to do anything about it is delusional.  What about the parents role?  Do we take our kids to the golden arches once in a while? Sure we do, once in a while.  Veronica and I are the responsible ones, it’s up to us to set limits and enforce them.

The article I saw in the Boston Globe about this ordinance had this quote from a mother in reference to kids begging for happy meals: “If the babies don’t get what they want, then they won’t stop crying.”  Who is in charge lady, you or your kid?  Yeah, sometimes kids don’t like the decisions that their parents make, too bad.

Behind every overweight kid is (most likely) an overweight parent, an ordinance like this is nothing more than politicians and special interest groups paying lip service to a serious problem in order to make themselves look good.

[I realize that the ordinance doesn't outright ban toys, it sets restrictions on what kind of meals they can be offered with based on calories, sodium and fat content.  The core issue is the same.]

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Then it got better this week.  Have you heard of the drink called Four Loko?  This concoction is sold in a can and has both a significant amount of alcohol and a big dose of caffeine.  Here is an excerpt from a FDA press release the other day:

FDA Warning Letters issued to four makers of caffeinated alcoholic beverages

These beverages present a public health concern

November 17, 2010 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned four companies that the caffeine added to their malt alcoholic beverages is an “unsafe food additive” and said that further action, including seizure of their products, is possible under federal law.

FDA’s action follows a scientific review by the Agency. FDA examined the published peer-reviewed literature on the co-consumption of caffeine and alcohol, consulted with experts in the fields of toxicology, neuropharmacology, emergency medicine, and epidemiology, and reviewed information provided by product manufacturers. FDA also performed its own independent laboratory analysis of these products.

“FDA does not find support for the claim that the addition of caffeine to these alcoholic beverages is ‘generally recognized as safe,’ which is the legal standard,” said Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, Principal Deputy Commissioner. “To the contrary, there is evidence that the combinations of caffeine and alcohol in these products pose a public health concern.”

Experts have raised concerns that caffeine can mask some of the sensory cues individuals might normally rely on to determine their level of intoxication. The FDA said peer-reviewed studies suggest that the consumption of beverages containing added caffeine and alcohol is associated with risky behaviors that may lead to hazardous and life-threatening situations.

Let me ask you this- how are these drinks any different from any number of mixed drinks that you can get at just about any bar?  Captain and coke, Jack and coke, Seagrams and 7, Jager bombs, are these all now going to be banned?

My new favorite news blog, The Daily Dish, had this summary of the FDA’s actions

The manufacturer of Four Loko caves to federal pressure by agreeing to remove the caffeine. Sullum sums up the FDA’s approach:

In short, a caffeinated alcoholic beverage targeted at “young adults” is “adulterated,” while exactly the same beverage targeted at middle-aged drinkers is not. The FDA is not really banning drinks; it is censoring speech.

He follows up with some parting words:

For those who are worried about what will happen when their stockpiles of genuine Four Loko run out, BuzzFeed has instructions for making your own at home. For those who want to stay awake while they’re drinking but would not touch a declassé drink like Four Loko with a 10-foot tongue (why am I thinking of Freddy Krueger all of a sudden?), New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni reviews hoity-toity coffee cocktails served by boutique bars in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Something tells me these drinks, despite providing a pharmacologically identical experience, will never inspire a moral panic like the one that drove Four Loko and its ilk from the market.

So what do you think, dear readers, are these just more examples of the nanny state run wild or are the San Fransisco Board of Supervisors and the FDA’s actions justified?