[thebean11]

20 years ago the sugar lobby told everyone that sugar was good and fat was bad.

I'm all for banning specific ingredients and processes that are known poisonous (like BPAs for example are banned in many countries, deservedly) but unilaterally deciding what's healthy and having quotas for healthy foods is extreme. It will be the sugar vs fat thing all over and only the rich will benefit.

Just to make sure I understand what you’re proposing, taco trucks and ice cream shops would be illegal in your ideal world yeah?

[oblio]

> 20 years ago the sugar lobby told everyone that sugar was good and fat was bad.

And we're 20 years from that and now we know better. Which lobby is it this time, the healthy living one, that's lying to us? ...

> Just to make sure I understand what you’re proposing, taco trucks and ice cream shops would be illegal in your ideal world yeah?

Did I stutter? Did I propose bans anywhere?

And why is having quotas for healthy foods extreme? Sell 20% healthy foods out of your entire stock. How hard is that?

We have quotas for all sort of things <<all>> the time. The roof hasn't fallen.

Separate note: I guess this is the risk of arguing with libertarians :-) I'd venture you're one.

[Aerroon]

>And why is having quotas for healthy foods extreme?

Because there is no such thing as a universally healthy food. "Healthy food" is a buzzword used to make people feel good about the food choices they make that (usually) don't taste that great.

The primary concern with healthy eating is to eat enough and in a decent balance of a laundry list of things: protein, fats, (carbs), vitamins, minerals and probably some more. You can't eat all of them at once either, because some of the vitamins and minerals can end up blocking each other from absorption. Missing any of these for long enough in large enough quantities (or large enough imbalances) is going to cause health issues.

Some people like calling foods that have few calories and little nutritional value as "healthy", but the value those foods provide comes from limiting the average person from eating something else. Eating a cucumber doesn't give you much, but you're less likely to have those fries after you've had the cucumber. But you certainly wouldn't be fine with only eating cucumbers long-term.

[thebean11]

I’m not a libertarian at all, I think taxes should be pretty high and there should be universal healthcare. Pretty silly I need to say that, though, and bringing it up is a non sequitur. I’m curious, do you think most non libertarians would agree with what you’re proposing?

But yeah, if you think forcing an ice cream shops to sell sides of broccoli (that nobody will order) to comply with some silly 20% law, we probably won’t get anywhere discussing. It takes a pretty active imagination to picture something like that having a positive outcome.