nosh nook #95 - friday, july 24, 2009

hot dogs should carry a warning label, lawsuit says (link)
07.23.09 - los angeles times - by jerry hirsch

in the future! in the future, we will have a superbly super advanced society! the awesomeness of the whole thing will be totally awesome! life will be full of life. technology will become extremely technological. health advances will have advanced to a level where the average age will be somewhere around 120 & we'll have one thing to thank...labels pasted on to absolutely everything!

as the l.a. times reports, the cancer project, a vegan advocacy group, is suing hot dog makers to make them begin labeling their packages with the words "warning: consuming hot dogs and other processed meats increases the risk of cancer." um, what? apparently it's true, because neal barnard, president of the group, compares hot dogs to tobacco, arguing that "processed meats are linked to colon cancer."

the l.a. times isn't so sure. while the cancer project claims that studies show that nitrites play a role in the development of cancer, the times notes that "it's not clear whether it is because of the nitrites or other factors such as high fat content." regardless, it's ridiculous to be labeling everything. are we that dumb that we need labels on everything to know what's good & what's bad?

plus, it's like michael jacobson, executive director of the center for science in the public interest is quoted as saying, "the overuse of warnings can lead to 'warning fatigue.'" damn straight, mike. as far as i'm concerned, i'm already sick & tired of labels...but i've got time for one more. i label this whole effort "ridonkulous."