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Chamber of Commerce: Quit Blaming Fast Food, Take Responsibility for Yourself

Aired July 02, 2003 - 14:32   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Too fat, well the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says quit blaming the fast food industry and take a little responsibility for yourself. Eat less and exercise your body, not your attorney.
CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen takes a closer look at the obesity blame game. We were talking about this yesterday. Do you take responsibility for yourself or fat food -- oops.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Fast foods, there you go. Give you more options. What are you supposes to do?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, exactly. Personal responsibility versus corporate responsibility, what is going on here. The Chamber of Commerce today said that they support legislation that would ban these lawsuits like the one where the man said McDonald's makes him fat. An author after study by the Chamber of Commerce says fast food isn't making you fat. He actually blamed homecooking and other kinds of food.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BUCHOLZ, AUTHOR, "BURGERS, FRIES AND LAWYERS": We're going to be suing not just fast foot companies, not just restaurants, but schools and PTAs are going to be sued for serving fat and hamburgers and fries in the cafeterias. We need to get kids exercising, everybody ought to be exercising. But you shouldn't need a doctor's prescription to buy a cheeseburger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: But many nutritionists say that fast food restaurants are partly to blame for the nation's obesity epidemic. They say portion sizes like those supersizes that you see all the time have gotten out of control.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARGO WOOTAN, CTR. FOR SCIENCE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST: People are eating out more than ever. When they eat out, studies show they don't eat as well. They eat more calories, more saturated fat, less calcium, less fiber than when they eat at home. The portion sizes are huge. They very aggressively market unhealthy foods to children that their practices and products are big contributors to obesity. No one is disagreeing they are the only contributor, but they are a major contributor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: Now Margo Wootan who we just heard from and other support a different legislation. They say why not make the fast food restaurants put their calorie and their content right up there on the menu board? So let's say you go to McDonald's, you look up, you see a Big Mac and it would say 580 calorie, 33 grams of fat, and that might help you decide whether or not you want to eat that Big Mac.

PHILLIPS: Now McDonald's and Kraft, they say they plan on bringing out healthier food. Do you want fruit or french fries in that Happy Meal? I can't to hear what the kids are going to say. I am sure this is making nutritionists happy.

COHEN: It is making them happy to an extent. They say yes, it is a good thing McDonald's for example just said that that we're going to be testing whether or not we should offer sliced apples at McDonald's, would anyone actually buy them?

However these nutritionists say wit a minute. Last year McDonald's said that they were going to change the oil that they fry their fries and other kind of fried food in. They said this last year they said it would happen by March of 2003 and it hasn't happened. McDonald's says they are still testing it.

So many nutritionists say you know what? We'll believe the changes when we see them. Not when they say they are planning on doing them but when they actually do it.

PHILLIPS: All right, you talked a lot about lawsuits. How is this having an effect on food companies?

COHEN: This lawsuits, a lot of people laughed at them. they say how can anyone accuse McDonald's of getting fat? As if you didn't know that a SuperSized fires was going to get you fat. And so a lot of people kind of scoffed at them.

But when we talked to Kraft and said what effect did these lawsuits have on you, and they said, we're going to make changes in our food because we think it's going to be the right thing to do. But they added, you know what? If we make changes and that disways (ph) plaintiff's attorneys from suing us that would be all right with us. So they've taken note of them. they know they're out there.

PHILLIPS: And so it goes. We'll be following this. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Responsibility for Yourself>


Aired July 2, 2003 - 14:32   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Too fat, well the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says quit blaming the fast food industry and take a little responsibility for yourself. Eat less and exercise your body, not your attorney.
CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen takes a closer look at the obesity blame game. We were talking about this yesterday. Do you take responsibility for yourself or fat food -- oops.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Fast foods, there you go. Give you more options. What are you supposes to do?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, exactly. Personal responsibility versus corporate responsibility, what is going on here. The Chamber of Commerce today said that they support legislation that would ban these lawsuits like the one where the man said McDonald's makes him fat. An author after study by the Chamber of Commerce says fast food isn't making you fat. He actually blamed homecooking and other kinds of food.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BUCHOLZ, AUTHOR, "BURGERS, FRIES AND LAWYERS": We're going to be suing not just fast foot companies, not just restaurants, but schools and PTAs are going to be sued for serving fat and hamburgers and fries in the cafeterias. We need to get kids exercising, everybody ought to be exercising. But you shouldn't need a doctor's prescription to buy a cheeseburger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: But many nutritionists say that fast food restaurants are partly to blame for the nation's obesity epidemic. They say portion sizes like those supersizes that you see all the time have gotten out of control.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARGO WOOTAN, CTR. FOR SCIENCE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST: People are eating out more than ever. When they eat out, studies show they don't eat as well. They eat more calories, more saturated fat, less calcium, less fiber than when they eat at home. The portion sizes are huge. They very aggressively market unhealthy foods to children that their practices and products are big contributors to obesity. No one is disagreeing they are the only contributor, but they are a major contributor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: Now Margo Wootan who we just heard from and other support a different legislation. They say why not make the fast food restaurants put their calorie and their content right up there on the menu board? So let's say you go to McDonald's, you look up, you see a Big Mac and it would say 580 calorie, 33 grams of fat, and that might help you decide whether or not you want to eat that Big Mac.

PHILLIPS: Now McDonald's and Kraft, they say they plan on bringing out healthier food. Do you want fruit or french fries in that Happy Meal? I can't to hear what the kids are going to say. I am sure this is making nutritionists happy.

COHEN: It is making them happy to an extent. They say yes, it is a good thing McDonald's for example just said that that we're going to be testing whether or not we should offer sliced apples at McDonald's, would anyone actually buy them?

However these nutritionists say wit a minute. Last year McDonald's said that they were going to change the oil that they fry their fries and other kind of fried food in. They said this last year they said it would happen by March of 2003 and it hasn't happened. McDonald's says they are still testing it.

So many nutritionists say you know what? We'll believe the changes when we see them. Not when they say they are planning on doing them but when they actually do it.

PHILLIPS: All right, you talked a lot about lawsuits. How is this having an effect on food companies?

COHEN: This lawsuits, a lot of people laughed at them. they say how can anyone accuse McDonald's of getting fat? As if you didn't know that a SuperSized fires was going to get you fat. And so a lot of people kind of scoffed at them.

But when we talked to Kraft and said what effect did these lawsuits have on you, and they said, we're going to make changes in our food because we think it's going to be the right thing to do. But they added, you know what? If we make changes and that disways (ph) plaintiff's attorneys from suing us that would be all right with us. So they've taken note of them. they know they're out there.

PHILLIPS: And so it goes. We'll be following this. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Responsibility for Yourself>