August 29, 2001
Food Nanny wags her finger on C-SPAN
Margot Wootan, the nutrition director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), made an appearance on C-SPAN's "Washington Journal" program yesterday morning. After insisting that CSPI is "not talking about policies that restrict people's access to any kind of food," and denying that CSPI engages in "finger-wagging" or "telling [Americans] what they should eat," Wootan proceeded to do more than her share of nannying, pushing her organization's stances on food choices, portion sizes, heart disease, the "obesity epidemic," and a host of other subjects. Wootan's recurring theme was one of an increase on the federal government's involvement in the "promotion" of what we eat and drink.
One member of the public who got through to the call-in show wasn't impressed. "I'm a teacher," the caller offered, "and I know that this is taught from first grade on. It's not that the information has not been put out there for people. The idea that we can control people's choices, I think, is just wrong thinking."
