The Problem With a Ban On Trans Fat

Starting tomorrow, New York City will join a list of large cities, including Philadelphia, who have inacted a ban on trans fats. Boston and several other cities are lined up to follow suit.

There is little question over whether or not trans fats are bad for you. There is a consensus that they are unhealthy, though, from time to time, you may hear otherwise. Trans fats are unhealthy, but there is more at stake than the loss of good-tasting food. Cities that have banned restaurants from using trans fat are taking away the personal freedom of the consumers and the businesses.

Who is the government to tell businesses owners how to run their company? Who is the government to tell us what we can and cannot eat? Do we really want the government taking care of us from the cradle to the grave? I know I don’t. Essentially, that is what is happening in our society. Laws like these that ban trans fats are laws that overstep the authority of federal, state, and local government. I’m glad that we haven’t seen a similar federal ban just yet, but I do fear it’s on its way. The fact that there’s trans fat in food a restaurant serves should be of no business to the government.

Most importantly, business owners should have the right to manage their business as they see fit – after all, it is their business. We’re not a fascist country (yet). So why should our government tell its citizens how they can or can’t run their business? Additionally, why should our government tell its citizens what they can and can’t eat?

Now, one may argue that it’s for the greater good. Since trans fats are unhealthy, the government is doing us a beneficial service by banning them. Yes, perhaps they are doing us a service, since trans fats are unhealthy. However, the question I ask is this: is such a service worth the loss of our personal liberties?

Why do we need the government to tell business not to serve trans fat? Shouldn’t that be a decision left up to the individual? Shouldn’t we choose ourselves if we want to eat unhealthy? Following the pro-ban argument that trans fats are bad and should be banned, one could argue the same for a score of other things. More broadly, junk food, smoking, alcohol or dozens of other things could likewise be banned, following the same argument that they are “bad for us.” Are we really unintelligent enough that we need the government to govern our decisions about what we eat and consume? My problem with issues such as this is not the fact that the government is “trying to do good” by banning something harmful. My problem with this issue is that it’s taking away our choice. It’s micromanaging our lives in a way that government never should.

If trans fats are bad for us, it should be the duty of the individual to exercise judgment on what one eats and to eat it in moderation; it should not be the duty of the government. Essentially, what is happening with bans such as these is that the government is, as I previously said, taking away our choice. What is happening is that instead of the individual being able to exercise their intelligence and personal convictions by actively choosing to not eat food with trans fat, the government decides what is best for us. This is something that is dangerous, and I fear that it will soon extend beyond mere health concerns.