politics 2: issues fights, who controls the frame?

Question 1

what are the risks of acting prematurely?

Answer 1

o Damage credibility (if doesn’t work well)
o Move down wrong path
o Use resources unwisely
o Unintended consequences

Question 2

what are the risks of inaction?

Answer 2

o Policy makers turn elsewhere
o Scientists dismissed as indecisive
o Gateway opportunities missed
o Public spotlight window closes

Question 3

food and tobacco are different:

Answer 3

• Food companies want to avoid parallels being drawn
• Smoking is not necessary for survival
• Many more players in food industry

Question 4

both the food industry and the tobacco industry:

Answer 4

1. Claim products okay for health (American Beverage Association)
2. Claim concern for health of public
3. Pay scientists, professional organizations, ethnic organizations to distort science
4. Fund disgraceful front groups
5. Aggressive marketing
6. Weak self-regulatory pledges

Question 5

what are the lessons we learned from tobacco?

Answer 5

• Companies lied, stalled, hurt public health
• Action began at local and state levels
• Legal action and legislation essential

Question 6

key legal actions from tobacco?

Answer 6

1. Plaintiff’s lawsuits

2. Collective actions of Attorneys General

Question 7

key legislation from tobacco?

Answer 7

1. Taxes (main part – highest in NY, lowest in Missouri
2. Clean indoor air laws
3. Smoking in public places (but stigmatizing smoking works, unlike stigmatizing obesity)

Question 8

can we trust the food industry?

Answer 8

o Coca Cola CEO Claims “must consume responsibility”
• Consumer ad organization sued coca cola for misleading Vitamin Water ads
• Response: “No consumer could reasonably believe vitamin water was a healthy beverage”

Question 9

self-regulatory history in five industries

Answer 9

• Declining Reputation, Products Questioned
o Alcohol, Tobacco
o Self-regulation as a response to gov’t involvement
o Not effective
• Products Fine, Depleted Resources
o Forestry, Marine Fisheries
o Self-regulation to try to sustain resources b/c too little gov’t involvement
o Somewhat effective
• The Question at Hand – Food!

Question 10

what are the self regulation examples we have from the food industry?

Answer 10

• School Beverages – unknown
• Marketing - failure
• Labeling – failure
• Beverage Calorie labels – unknown

Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative
• Criteria of what could be marketed to children
• Industry claims progress, but health researchers deny this

Question 11

reasonable conclusions about food industry?

Answer 11

• Industry and public health interests differ
• Industry protects status quo
• Self-regulation hasn’t worked
• Gov’t must become involved in regulation

Question 12

what is the proposed soda tax?

Answer 12

• A National Penny Per Ounce Tax
o Decrease consumption
o Reduce health care costs
o Generate lots of revenue
• Industry worried – Coke, Pepsi, ABA spent millions lobbying
• More and more people considering Soft Drink Tax Legislation