Jackson City Councilman De'Keither Stamps wants to tell Jackson restaurants what they can serve to children. He said at this morning's meeting of the Jackson city council that the city should require fast food restaurants to offer a "healthy" choice to kids.
"A happy meal of chicken nuggets, fries, and a coke are not a meal" said Mr. Stamps as he promoted his idea. He said the requirement was something Mayor Lumumba supported. He did say parents should be able to order the um, less-nutritious meals for their children but that the restaurant should only provide it upon request.
However, the legislature might have something to say about the recruit's Bloomberg-esque efforts. Here is a section from SB #2687 that was signed by the Governor last year:
(2) The regulation of consumer incentive items and nutrition labeling for food and nonalcoholic beverages that are menu items in restaurants, retail food establishments, and vending machines is reserved to the Legislature and may be regulated only by legislation of statewide application enacted after the effective date of this act....Mike Cashion, Executive Director of the Mississippi Hospitality & Restaurant Association, said his association is opposed to the proposed ordinance. He also said Mr. Stamps had not contacted the association about his proposal.
(3) No political subdivision shall do any of the following:...
(c) Ban, prohibit, or otherwise restrict food at food service operations based upon the food's nutrition information or upon the provision or nonprovision of consumer incentive items;...
(d) Condition any license, permit or regulatory approval for a food service operation upon the existence or nonexistence of food-based health disparities;....
(f) Restrict the sale, distribution, growing, raising or serving of foods and nonalcoholic beverages that are approved for sale by the USDA or other federal or state government agencies. Bill
Kingfish note: Mr. Stamps means well. Let's face it. We are a fat state. Nutrition isn't exactly a buzzword in Mississippi. Paula Deen is queen in terms of butter-dripping cuisine in the South. However, telling restaurants what they can or can't serve or even worse, how to serve them, has no place in a free society. One can foresee Mr. Stamps complaining about the lack of restaurants in Jackson after he drove them out in the first place with these misguided rules.
Mayor Bloomberg called the bill "ridiculous" a year ago. Doesn't look quite so ridiculous now.
22 comments:
Please tell me he is of the Stamps superburger clan
ah yes....it's all about the chirens huh? It sounds to me like duh'keffur has been drinking michelle my bell's cool aid again!
Why don't you be concerned with the physical activity of the children as well because we all know that physical activity and good nutrition go hand and hand.
That's outrageous. The man has no knowledge of history, of freedom of contract nor of the constitution.
Memo to De'Keither: We are over taxes, over borrowed and over regulated. Get out of our lives and leave us heck alone.
He must have gotten a call from
De'Michelle.
How about Mr. Stamps focus on something that could be slightly more productive---I.E. the crumbling infrastructure in Jackson or heaven forbid he address all of the murders and robberies!! IDIOT!!!!!!!!!
So, DeKetha are you saying the parents in the city of Jackson are too stupid to ensure their kids get nutritious meals. City of Jackson motto " make life difficult for private business".
The inactivity of children and the inability of children to even play outside safely to exercise is the biggest problem.
My generation ate everything sugary and fried, but we were outside all the time playing, playing sports, riding bikes, etc., and we all stayed thin.
How about some playgrounds and parks with security?
Dear Mr. Stamps,
Please stop trying to blame every damn thing on someone else. If we want your help in our family affairs, then we will ask.
Sincerely,
The Public
The Jackson City Counsel is anti business.
What we have here,is.... an elected official who ran for office with no real goals or objectives. He finds himself in public office, wanting to make a name for himself, making some kind of difference, totally unaware of or ignoring the areas needing immediate attention and knowing not how to enact real, positive change.
I'm assuming he feels relatively impotent regarding his ability to impact the real problems of the city. Otherwise, he'd be digging into them one at a time, trying to change things.
But, instead, he wades off into deep water knowing he cannot tread it.
When did fastfood chains start taking SNAP cards?
A loaf of whole-grain bread: as low as $2.00 on sale. A 15-ounce jar of peanut butter: around $3.00. A knife: in your kitchen drawer. An apple or a banana, maybe a bunch of grapes. Put 'em all together and hey presto! About as "fast" as food gets. But wait---there's a problem. Responsible parents must actually purchase these things, and tell little Suzy and Johnny, "NO" when they whine for a Super Junkburger and Outsize Fries. No need for silly laws when adults use the brains God gave 'em, and do their jobs right.
I have noticed that many overweight kids have overweight mothers and or fathers.
Although, in some cases it may be genetic- in many cases it is willful pigging-out.
Children see- children do...
Go after parents, not businesses.
It is a form of child abuse!
Home rule is a foreign concept in Mississippi where the planter class has ruled the farmland and the town for almost 200 years. Our beloved Jackson has had multiple charters dispensed by the State of Mississippi. The concept of liberty itself and capitalism for that matter was born in the European city charter. Cities have had sex workers and various vice industries with the general governments looking the other way. But when a governor like J.P. Coleman wanted to regulate gambling on the coast to get north Mississippi votes, he did so. Municipal leaders should have some leeway to utilize their own local, democratic powers for us to have a robust representative polity. Stamps will be a force in Jackson government and to the better.
The doctors and other professional associations like the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics have made pretty strong statements such as this 2013 position paper quote "It is the position of the Academy...that prevention and treatment of pediatric overweight and obesity require systems-level approaches that include the skills of registered dietitians, as well as consistent and integrated messages and environmental support across all sectors of society to achieve sustained dietary and physical activity behavior change."
If LaRita is elected county Judge, the young men of the council will dominate city government...should they agree. I guess Yarber is philosophically like Barrett-Simon. Political philosophy doesn't matter in local government...its more tribal and earthy. Stamps and Melvin are alike in that their families have deep roots here. Both carried water for Lumumba. The three could make a private political deal that would confound all the other political forces (all former candidates and state kingmakers) of this place if they chose to do so.
I wonder how many of the children are driving through the drive-through, and how many feasibility studies have been done on this subject? I bet McDonalds has looked at their ingredients.
Mississippi a preemption law passed in the 3013 legislature which addresses this. The Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Assn spearheaded this after the New York soda debacle. State law trumps city. Mike Cashion, executive director, is also a Clinton alderman. He says in a post to members he will talk to Stamps.
Fortunes have been made killing people slowly and legally. Its a hospitable Mississippi talent. Ask Mr. Aldridge, the lobbyist for the sugar industry. Ask the Apostles. Ask Malcolm White. Ask barkeepers. They only sell fried food to help their clients not drink too much.
@12:02
Honey, you dropped your pacifier. Be sure to give it a quick rinse before reinserting it.
You seem to be attacking everyone but the responsible party.
Free choice. Free will.
Unless you believe that the government should be raising the kids.
The Stamps proposal did include the healthy and french fried menu items. The media and industry lobby control the statehouse, adults and the kids. Stamps is asking the city to insure there is a choice on the menu.
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