The FDA should warn readers that J. D. Mullane isn't good for you

J. D. Mullane writes a great column, if you are looking for examples of illogic. This Thursday Mullane struck again. This time he was ridiculing the importance of the posting of nutritional information at restaurants. Ridicule is what Mullane does best. His argument was ... well, I'm not sure what his argument was. I have no idea what evidence he provided to support his argument.

He seems to be saying that labeling, as mandated by "ObamaCare," won't work. People ignore the labels. The real problem, he believes, is portions. The real problem is self control, and is not the responsibility of restaurants. I don't disagree that portions are often too big, but I'm not sure how that invalidates efforts to give consumers more information about what they are consuming at restaurants. I also don't know how relating a conversation he had with someone advocating labeling, and slyly ridiculing her, supports his argument. He cites two studies (about which we know nothing, so have no way of judging their worth), one of which finds that 38% of folks presented with more nutritional information in a restaurant setting chose healthier options than they would otherwise have. That seems significant to me. The other study looked at labeling at Starbucks, where nutrition labels did have an effect. Mullane quotes the researchers as saying that "Starbucks caters to an educated clientele," and then goes off on a wounded working man kick, without really saying how this study supports his argument, whatever it is. Mullane also talks of Philadelphia's effort to provide nutritional information at restaurants as an "experiment in big gummit." This is a wonderful way to invoke the specter of big government and also present himself as the common man ... one of us. He also manages to make it sound as if all the information being presented is common sense, and anyone who has health problems because of eating is an idiot. Pick up just about anything packaged in plastic at a grocery store and see if you can guess what is in it without looking. Turn on a television and see if you see advertisements for unhealthy food. The answers to those questions are you won't and you will. The idea that multimillion dollar corporations who employ scientists, lawyers, economists, advertising professionals, etc. have no responsibility to tell individuals what is in the high tech (yes, food these days is high tech) products they produce is, insulting. The idea that major health epidemics facing our country (like obesity, heart disease, cancer ...) are exclusively tied to the failure of individual self control is beyond insulting.

All of these little tricks, on their own, are quite clever. It doesn't, however, add up to a single logical premise that supports his argument. It doesn't add up to much more than a muddle of ridicule, hate, and clever phrasing. It's too bad Mullane's articles don't come with some labeling to warn the reader about what is contained inside.