Washington lobbyists have been enjoying a multi-million-dollar sugar rush from the food industry.
Soft drink makers, supermarket companies, agriculture and the fast-food business have poured millions into campaigning against what they fear could be a burgeoning national movement to raise money for health care reform by taxing sweetened beverages.
During the first nine months of 2009, the industry groups stepped up their lobbying in Congress. They have spent more than $24 million on the issue of a national excise tax on sweetened beverages and on other legislative and regulatory issues, according to an examination of lobbying reports filed with the Senate Office of Public Records. The review shows that 21 companies and organizations reported that they lobbied specifically on the proposed tax on sugar-sweetened beverages - which among other things would include sodas, juice drinks and chocolate milk.
About $5 million of the money was spent on a national advertising campaign aimed at Capitol Hill lawmakers and promoting a newly formed coalition called Americans Against Food Taxes . The group bills itself on its website as a coalition of "responsible individuals, financially-strapped families, [and] small and large businesses" but its 400-plus membership list is dominated by industry heavyweights such as Burger King Corporation, Coca Cola, Pepsico and Domino's Pizza.
Many health officials and advocacy groups have argued for years that sugary drinks, particularly those with high-fructose corn syrup, have been key contributors to a rise in obesity rates in the United States, especially among children. Some argue that the time is right for a soda tax, which they say could not only cut consumption but also generate revenue to close state budget gaps and pay for new health care programs.
A proposal for a national excise tax on soft drinks surfaced in a May funding policy options paper during the Senate Finance Committee's deliberations on health care reform. Food lobbyists attacked then and continued their efforts in July when President Obama raised the possibility of a soda tax in an interview with Men's Health magazine. The proposal has not emerged in any of the health care reform bills still in play on Capitol Hill.
But the issue may be gaining traction in some key states. This week, California lawmakers are holding a high-profile hearing in Los Angeles to examine the link between childhood obesity and sugary drinks. In New York, Gov. David Paterson has revived the idea of a sugared beverage tax after a previous proposal was shot down by the legislature earlier this year in the face of industry opposition.
Saturday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch the show here on CURRENT TV on Tues, Thurs & Sats
In today's show :
Ordering men & lads by post.
Minor disaster in the kitchen.
I sniffed.
Suko's emails are in pieces.
What is your neighbours garden like ?
Full of content.
A ruined box.
Time for a flu injection.
Japanese supermarkets.
Carl moans again.
Get out and do something.
A small pool of water.
Is the cat having an accident ?
Win a holiday to the Isle Of Wight.
Cast in a bad light.
Sneeze as much as you like.
Is the rust an indicator ?
It's all very rushed.
A new gadget is on the way.
TEXT the show : UK - 078... Int - +44...Saturday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch the show here on CURRENT... more
Thursday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch or listen to the show on Tues, Thurs & Sats here at WWW.UNITEDKINGDOMTALK.CO.UK
In today's show :
Katie in the shed.
Not feeling too well.
No music in Aldi.
Dinner out with Ron.
A man and his 5 dogs.
The watching doorman.
Posh Islington.
Ron pays a man to kick him around.
Damaged wheel.
What's happened to this body.
Money for grief.
Something internally attacks me.
Trouble sleeping.
Be careful when using the "hole in the wall".
Window cleaning.
Suko moans.
Nial - you must get out a bit more.
DIY - Phone on the wall.
I'm concerned about your health.
Supermarkets in Japan.
Gwen thanks you for the audio emails.
Saturday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch or listen to the show here on CURRENT TV on Tues, Thurs & Sats.
In today's show :
Jimmy does it all.
An apple a day.
The most pointless show on the web.
Waitrose Vs Aldi.
They could probably make conversations with you.
Turn it up loud in the car.
Gwen.
I have met Millie from Minnesota.
Why are there no solar panels on the roofs of electric cars ?
Water Butt.
Are bagels better than bread ?
What are the supermarkets like where you are ?
Are you not connected to the water mains ?
A stupid place to put a Sat Nav.
Lost bank card.
How long do things stay on the internet ?
Saying's that you parents said.
"Are you interested" ?
Regenerative braking.
Staff at "Route 2" in Birmingham.
Revolving number plates.
Waffles & maple syrup.
Things that people complain about.
Sexy Liverpool accent.
Will a tree grow in my tumnmy ?
Why is it so expensive ?
Sue on the tannoy system.
TEXT the show : UK - 07815 907 896
Int - +44 7815 907 896 chris@unitedkingdomtalk.co.uk
WWW.UNITEDKINGDOMTALK.CO.UKSaturday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch or listen to the show here... more
Saturday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch the show here on CURRENT TV on Tues, Thurs & Sats.
In today's show :
Not fast enough.
Too much noise at night.
Quietly minding my own business.
I thought it was a slug.
Ross's podcast sinks to new levels.
Cropping heavily.
Why no corn ?
Short stories.
Are they failed Olympians ?
Fast pizza.
Older woman.
They like being looked at.
Waiting for the bed to be taken away.
Facebook & Twitter - ChrisReardonUK.
We need the space.
A nice dinner and walk with posh Wayne.
The pickers.
Not as friendly.
2 for 1 !
Different supermarkets have different appeals.
It tasted too sweet.
chris@unitedkingdomtalk.co.uk
WWW.UNITEDKINGDOMTALK.CO.UKSaturday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch the show here on CURRENT... more
Thursday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch the show here on CURRENT TV on Tues, Thurs & Sats.
In today's show :
Wrong position.
"The Elves Of Iceland" Part 1.
A pair of tatty old trainers.
James Dean tries to get me to lie to you.
An advantage to just listening ?
Careful when charging your mobile phone.
Stuck in Dubai.
Who would you like murdered here on the show ?
Beautiful arrangement of expensive flowers.
How does a transformer work ?
He didn't like the lamp.
Instant messenger things stop you from doing things.
Original Mona Lisa.
I've been accused of being in peoples pockets.
Which side are you on ? Peter Andre or Jordon ?
It might be useful one day.
Can she sing ?
Ronny is in Sri Lanka.
Coils.
Service fom John Lewis.
Payment ?
How many Gas bottles ?
An eye operation.
Who do you trust on the television ?
Eaten from the head down.
Nothing wrong with a supermarket carrier.
chris@unitedkingdomtalk.co.uk
WWW.UNITEDKINGDOMTALK.CO.UKThursday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch the show here on CURRENT... more
It's not going to take over Facebook but supermarket chain Asda is getting all social as it plans to make its operation more transparent to customers. There will be a blog (where customers can talk about specific queries), a Poll so you can vote for products you want in your local store, a Twitter feed and a photo gallery.
Wonder if it will give you the chance to throw real sheep at people in its Butcher's section?It's not going to take over Facebook but supermarket chain Asda is getting all social... more
Tuesday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch the show here on CURENT TV on Tues, Thurs & Sats.
In today's show :
I need to decide.
Into the other room.
It's not appreciated.
Wrong tickets.
Trying something new.
A big picture.
A mistake.
Being appreciated.
It's an insult.
Washing the hands - was it all a waste of time ?
My sister is turning into Nanny Hayes.
Hitting the wrong keys.
Ae you looking like your parents ?
How do you deal with cat periods ?
The new Aldi in Bracknell.
My new book.
No trolleys.
An expensive journey.
Spanish with Maureen.
Not well.
The old sat nav.
A strange thermometer.
Still not seen Harry Potter !
A gap in the hedge.
Don't drag yourself into work.
It's easy to get lost.
chris@unitedkingdomtalk.co.uk
WWW.UNITEDKINGDOMTALK.CO.UKTuesday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch the show here on CURENT TV... more
Supermarkets in Britain are giving out almost half as many plastic shopping bags as they were three years ago after a campaign to slash use of the environmental hazards, officials have saidSupermarkets in Britain are giving out almost half as many plastic shopping bags as... more
Thursday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch the show here on CURRENT TV on Tues, Thurs & Sats.
In today's show :
No strawberry's.
Fit lads everywhere.
Birmingham.
Odd looking food.
How I put the show together.
Where are the sunglasses ?
Rubbishy subjects.
Katie watches.
United Kingdom Talk dealers.
A waste of food.
Bracknell big day out.
Latin mass.
Write it down.
Addicted to the show ? The NHS may try to help.
Giving to charities.
We don't use those silly little Euro's here.
Emails from the dead.
Nothing in the supermarket.
chris@unitedkingdomtalk.co.uk
WWW.UNITEDKINGDOMTALK.CO.UKThursday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch the show here on CURRENT... more
Sales of ethical food, such as organic produce grown without chemicals, and Fairtrade products for which farmers in poor countries are paid more to help improve living standards, are both slowing.
"There is a huge propensity for people wanting things to be done in an ethical manner," said Jonathan Banks, U.K.-based business insight director with market research firm the Nielsen Company.
"But they are not going to make repeat purchases on something that is not good value for money," he said.
After years of rapid growth, organic sales in supermarkets fell 11.6 percent year-on-year to June 14, 2009 and Fairtrade sales rose just 5.7 percent, according to statistics from research company TNS Worldpanel.
In 2008, organic sales totaled 2.1 billion pounds in the UK and Fairtrade sales were in excess of 700 million pounds, according to organic and Fairtrade industry sources.
Organic foods in supermarkets are typically marked up 25 percent, Neilsen's Banks said, adding that the premium is turning price-conscious shoppers against purchases.
(Full article at link)Sales of ethical food, such as organic produce grown without chemicals, and Fairtrade... more
Tesco is putting metal strip security tags - usually reserved for pricier items like alcohol, razor bladed and CDs - on cheese.
Apparently, since the recession hit, there has been an increase in shoplifting at the stores and cheese is one of the top stolen items.
The Tesco in Brockworth, Gloucester, is one store implementing the change.
Godfrey Browning, a parish councillor in Brockworth, said: "Anything to discourage shoplifters is a good thing, and this is something I would certainly encourage. Meat and cheese is getting very expensive now, so this could be seen as necessary."Tesco is putting metal strip security tags - usually reserved for pricier items like... more
Sainsbury’s, the self-proclaimed eco-conscious superstore that dots the UK, installed “kinetic road plates” in the car park of its latest store in Gloucester. They work a lot like speed bumps, and the store says vehicles passing over them can generate enough power to run the cash registers.Sainsbury’s, the self-proclaimed eco-conscious superstore that dots the UK,... more
Thursday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch or listen to the show here on CURRENT TV on Tues, Thurs & Sats.
In today's show :
Little bits everywhere.
Plant factories.
Sticks.
A change of sheets.
Avoiding the bees.
Benidorm.
Early Sunday morning.
The elf house.
Gary is doing OK.
The staircase.
Remote control.
Dynasty.
Mouldy blueberries.
Robert has been buying properties.
A new way of growing vegetables.
Where are you going on holiday ?
Katie waits to greet me.
Cutting the hedge.
Buy local.
chris@unitedkingdomtalk.co.uk
WWW.UNITEDKINGDOMTALK.CO.UKThursday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch or listen to the show here... more
Saturday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch the show HERE ON CURRENT TV on Tues, Thurs & Sats.
In today's show :
Only half of my face.
Post Office.
A white screen.
Ringing a hospital bedside phone.
Gary is in hospital.
A definate connection.
Nasty slimy creatures.
Attack of the files.
Blood, Sweat, & Takeaways.
Trying to sell me things.
Rat droppings.
M.O.T.
Outside theatres.
What else is in the cupboard ?
Come dine with me.
They wait until you've gone to bed.
High mileage.
A new kitchen.
An eye opener.
An entire loaf of bread.
A Morrisons breakfast.
A well respected community.
Falseness.
chris@unitedkingdomtalk.co.uk
WWW.UNITEDKINGDOMTALK.CO.UKSaturday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch the show HERE ON CURRENT... more
Inside the supermarket, uniformed workers are stacking pineapples into neat rows across from bundles of fresh mustard greens, tamarind pods and nopalitos — sliced cactus ears common in Mexican dishes. In much of the country, Farmers Best Market would not be an extraordinary sight. But here on 47th Street, a gritty stretch of Chicago's South Side flush with Golden Arches and purveyors of Colt 45 Malt Liquor, the store is an oasis. It's also raising an intriguing proposition: Can an inner-city supermarket profitably specialize in fresh produce and meats — and, ultimately, be a model solution to urban America's health crisis?
For years, major supermarket chains have been criticized for abandoning densely populated, largely black and Latino communities in cities like Detroit, Los Angeles, Memphis and Newark, N.J. — contributing to what many experts call food deserts. Many of these communities are, quite literally, starving for broader and healthier food options beyond the seemingly ubiquitous fast-food chains and corner stores selling barely a handful of fruits and vegetables — at relatively high prices.
Simply put, people eat what is convenient and affordable — and if it's fat-heavy fast food, that's what they'll chow down on. The prevalence of obesity among American youth overall increased to 16.3% in 2006, from 5% in 1980, but some 28% of non-Hispanic black females between ages 12 and 19 are obese, as are about 20% of Mexican-American females (the statistic for non-Hispanic white females in the same age group is 14.5%). In congressional testimony earlier this year, a top official from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified food deserts as a cause of these grim statistics.
Experts have declared roughly half of Detroit (pop. 916,000) a food desert and estimate that nearly 633,000 of Chicago's 3 million residents live in neighborhoods either lacking or far away from conventional supermarkets like Jewel, Pathmark and Winn-Dixie. The paucity of affordable, healthy food options in urban communities is ironic in a country with an abundance of food. "Everyone deserves to eat," says Mari Gallagher, president of the National Center for Public Research, a Chicago group that studies urban issues. The crisis, she adds, "really is a matter of life and death."Inside the supermarket, uniformed workers are stacking pineapples into neat rows... more
Tuesday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch or listen to the show here on CURRENT TV on Tues, Thurs & Sats.
In today's show :
Clean cut.
Making the show twice !
Giving out the baskets.
The wrong microphone !
He ignored me.
A different position.
Happy people.
It bothered me.
Is it another launguage ?
I didn't look.
Have the birds returned ?
They are green and they move.
Are you hen pecked ?
Who are they ?
Do you do as your told ?
It was the chair squeaking.
People watching.
Going on holiday ? Send a postcard.
The winter plants gone.
How do you want your grave ?
Cadbury's chocolate rasins.
Broken trowel.
No matter what supermarket, it's the same voice.
It's gone rotten.
A litle cupboard.
A smartly dressed elderly gentleman.
A gift from my sister.
Lunch at Asda.
chris@unitedkingdomtalk.co.uk
WWW.UNITEDKINGDOMTALK.CO.UKTuesday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch or listen to the show here... more
When Marks & Spencer refused to axe a £2 surcharge on bras over DD cup size, one woman bought a share in the retailer to vent her frustrations and one supermarket chain came to the rescue!
Beckie Williams, founder of Busts 4 Justice, bought a share in M&S so she could fight the chain's decision to charge bigger breasted women more saying, "They won't listen to me as a customer but they might listen to me as a shareholder"
M&S commenting on Ms William's campaign, "Our bras are much less expensive than many other larger cup size retailers, where they could cost around £60 or more."
In response, supermarket ASDA have announced not only flat pricing for bras they sell, but a recession-busting £4 bra. Fiona Lambart, brand director said that the bra, available in A-F cup sizes will support their customer's wallets "as well as their breasts"When Marks & Spencer refused to axe a £2 surcharge on bras over DD cup size, one... more
I don't know how this is really gonna work, my mum didn't even know how to work a VHS an she's not elderly!I don't know how this is really gonna work, my mum didn't even know how to work a VHS... more
The John Lewis supermarket chain Waitrose, says they'll scrap all delivery charges for online shopping from Wednesday 15th April. It may cose them £50,000 per week, but it will be the first supermarket to do so in the UK as they make 10,000 deliveries per week.
