Mad Cow Facts

CNN Interview with John Banzhaf, Richard Berman
CNN Sunday Morning
August 4, 2002

Excerpt…

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Consumer advocates say Americans are losing choices when it comes to what they eat and drink. And that means they’re also losing the fight against obesity. Part of the problem, say some, is that it starts in the school lunchroom. Joining us now from Washington, Richard Berman from the Center for Consumer Freedom and John Banzhaf, a professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University.

Thank you, gentlemen, for joining me…this Sunday morning. Well Richard, let me begin with you. In Texas and in California, school systems want to phase out junk food, perhaps to promote more leaner kids. At the same time, we’re seeing that schools across the country are phasing out after-school sports and physical education. Are you seeing that there is a mixed message being sent to our school kids about being lean, being fit?

RICHARD BERMAN, CENTER FOR CONSUMER FREEDOM: There clearly is a mixed message. And in fact, most meals are still consumed at home. And when we have in the ’90s over 31 percent — over 31 percent drop in physical activity on a daily basis in schools, and then kids come home and they’re on the Internet, they’re playing video games instead of playing basketball games, you’re going to have much lower energy expenditures over time.

And it’s really no surprise that people aren’t as physically fit as they were, either as kids or adults who are also investing in labor-saving devices from remote controlled TV’s, to society providing moving sidewalks, escalators, elevators. All the way around, we are enough of a lazy society, if you will, that the term couch potato has become popularized over the years. And that has got to have a large component attached to it when we talk about people getting heavier.

JOHN BANZHAF, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR: And clearly lack of exercise is one of the causes, but every study I’ve seen also identifies the proliferation of fast food companies and their advertising as the other major cause. That’s why we’re trying to use legal action, which was so effective against the problem of tobacco, now against the epidemic of obesity. We’ve brought five fat suits so far. One, we’ve won. One is almost won. Three are still in the courts.

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