Freedom to eat

If you eat lousy food and get fat, it’s your fault. That’s the gist of a bill introduced at the Legislature today that puts the responsibility on you — and only you — for being overweight.

The bill, HF264, was filed by a group of House Republicans, and aims to suppress any action against others for the health of the eating public. It reads:

A producer, grower, manufacturer, packer, distributor, carrier, holder, marketer, or seller of a food or nonalcoholic beverage intended for human consumption, or an association of one or more of such entities, must not be subject to civil liability based on any individual’s or group of individuals’ purchase or consumption of food or nonalcoholic beverages in cases where liability arises from weight gain, obesity, or a health condition associated with weight gain or obesity and resulting from the individual’s or group of individuals’ long-term purchase or consumption of a food or nonalcoholic beverage.

The bill is called the Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act.

It would still allow lawsuits based on marketing — and other areas — if a state or federal law is broken and the weight gain is the result of that marketing or other area.