George Orwell would have marvelled at the name, “The Center for Consumer Freedom.” Is that a great name or what? So why are they opposed to food labeling requirements? Why do they claim that the obesity epidemic is a contrivance? And why do they counsel consumers to get written waivers from guests before serving unlabeled Thanksgiving dinners that might have lots of calories and fats?

The “Center for Consumer Freedom” is a front for food processors, manufacturers, and fast food restaurant chains. It was started with seed money from tobacco giant Philip Morris.  According to the Center, it’s the evil trial lawyers that you need to fear at the Thanksgiving table. Full disclosure: While I don’t think of myself as evil, I am, in fact, a trial lawyer.

So here’s a question for the Orwellian people at Center for Consumer Freedom: What are you afraid of? What do you and your funders fear? Is it that informed consumers might make choices that hurt sales and profits? Is it that the calorie dense corn syrup-fueled commodities might lose their sweet and profitable allure once consumers have the ability to make choices? One of the things lost on the deregulation crowd (say, “oink!” all) is that disclosure rules provide the best form of regulation. When consumers have information, they can choose with knowledge. Isn’t that preferable to rules that prohibit things?

At bottom, the food industry makes choices in what it puts in its products. If you want to blame us for “being fat” then surely you can’t oppose giving us the information that allows us to make smart choices. Or can you?

In the end, it’s easy to demonize the trial lawyers. But we didn’t start spiking processed foods with high-fructose corn syrup. But even worse, the disclosure rules opposed by the “Center for Consumer Freedom” would lessen lawsuits.  If consumers know what they’re getting, they have literally no cause to complain. So–to quote one of their fund sources from an old campaign–Where’s the beef?

David Sugerman

Tags: Center for Consumer Freedom, Center for Science in the Public Interest, food labeling