NYT's Mark Bittman: Let's Tax Unhealthy Foods

In a July 23^rd editorial, Mark Bittman, who used to write food/cooking columns for the New York Times and now writes about food for the Times’ opinion section, wrote that we should “tax things like soda, French fries, doughnuts and hyperprocessed snacks. The resulting income should be earmarked for a program that encourages a sound diet for Americans by making healthy food more affordable and widely available.”

Yep, just what America needs: more ‘revenue increases’ to fund inefficient, ineffective, redistributive government programs. Bittman seems a bit out of step with the mood of the public that he’s so worried about, doesn’t he? And he cares only about the abstract ‘public,’ not the choices of individuals: “This program would, of course, upset the processed food industry. Oh well. It would also bug those who might resent paying more for soda and chips and argue that their right to eat whatever they wanted was being breached. But public health is the role of the government, and our diet is right up there with any other public responsibility you can name, from water treatment to mass transit.”

Bittman makes some dubious-sounding assertions to set up his case. Consider this: “Yet the food industry appears incapable of marketing healthier foods.” What? KFC (home of the dreaded Double Down) has done an extensive campaign for its grilled chicken and Carl’s Jr. (home of the Six Dollar Burgers) is currently marketing turkey burgers. Has Bittman never seen a commercial for bottled water, salads, or fiber products? Further on, he writes that “chips and Coke are a common breakfast”—and he knows this how?

Of course, the big question we’re left with is why not tax every unhealthy behavior, not just things like cigarettes and food?

What is it with the Mark Bittmans and Jamie Olivers of the world, who put on their chef hats to cook all manner of lavish dishes in their high-profile culinary careers and then put on their activist hats to try to bend public food policy to their liking? Did Julia Child or Martha Stewart ever pull this kind of stuff? Say what you will about Rachael Ray, but I don’t see her harassing people for eating what they want.