A few weeks ago, the FDA announced it plans to ban transfats. I wrote about the proposed ban here.

If you're outraged by this newest case of government overreach, why not tell them?

That's right. How about sending the FDA a message. Many dismiss the comment portion of the regulatory process but I think it's important. It's critical that the agency hear from the public it seeks to "protect." And amazingly, it sometimes results in a reversal. For instance, after the FDA announced it was taking comments on proposed plans to regulate the sodium level in processed foods, the agency was blasted with thousands of negative comments (and thankfully, some quite serious health warnings explaining how the effort to lower people's sodium intake could lead to deaths). Eventually the FDA backed off. Was it entirely because of those negative comments? Maybe. Maybe not, but certainly the FDA understood the proposed salt regulations weren't a popular. That matters especially in an age when politics is increasingly influencing policy decisions.

So, if you're complaining about this transfat ban, take your complaints to the source and tell the FDA to stick a sock in their newest regulatory scheme.

It's simple. Go to this link and hit the blue "comment" button located in the upper right hand corner to insert or write your comment. The message doesn't have to be complicated: Saying "this is a bad idea" or "I don't need the government banning things it deems unhealthy" or "I like my pies and pastries they way they are" is perfectly acceptable.

Of course, feel free to also mention that the food industry is already phasing out transfats. Why not take a moment to mention this proposed ban would be a harsh regulation for certain ethnic restaurants and smaller food producers that rely on cheaper transfats that produce products with a longer shelf life. Go ahead and mention that there's a lot of bad things in the big scary world and that it's up to the consumer to make the best decision for their own health. You might also mention that if consumers want to avoid transfats, they already have lots of options–thanks to food manufacturers who constantly monitor what consumers want (yeah, yeah, cue the accusations of me being a shill for big business…blah blah). You might also take a moment to explain basic market forces to these FDA nitwits (and their food nanny pals Mark, Marion, MicheleMichael and the wonder twins Margo and Micheal…good god, has anyone ever noticed food nannies' names all start with the letter M…odd) who seem to have no understanding of the concept of consumer demand and the idea that if the few businesses and packaged food producers that currently use transfats don't switch, they'll eventually find their consumer base crumbling as more and more consumers take transfats out of their own diets.

IWF will submit comments next week and we'll be sure to post them. In the meantime, we encourage our readers to raise their voices in opposition to these new regulations.  

While we're not pro-transfats (in fact, I avoid them myself except in pie crusts!), we're confident that people are perfectly capable of making their own food decisions without the guiding hand of government. We know that the "starts with M" crew mentioned above can't grasp that concept but people must fight for these basic freedoms and submitting comments is one way to be heard.