Lawmakers in Mississippi — the most obese state in the nation — have overwhelmingly approved what they’re calling the "anti-Bloomberg bill."
It would ban communities from requiring restaurants to post calorie counts on menus or limit portion sizes, as Mayor Bloomberg tried to do with his proposed ban on large sodas. Also forbidden: any local rule banning toys from being distributed with kids’ meals.
The governor is expected to sign it.
CHARLES KRUPA/AP
Under the law, which the state’s governor is expected to sign, communities couldn’t force restaurants to post signs listing the calorie counts of menu items.
Its author, state Sen. Tony Smith, owner of the Stonewall's BBQ chain, which serves dishes like the Lil' Piggy, said government has no business telling people what they cannot eat.
"If we give government a little more control of our personal rights - where does it stop?" he said.
JULIA XANTHOS/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
The author of the bill, state Sen. Tony Smith, who owns the Stonewall's BBQ chain, was inspired to write it because of Mayor Bloomberg’s push to cut down the size of sodas served in restaurants and convenience stores to 16 ounces. Smith said government has no business telling people what they cannot eat or drink.
Smith told the Daily News that Bloomberg‘s proposed ban on large sugary sodas in New York helped give impetus to his legislation. He said Bloomberg’s rule – which was written to attack obesity - doesn’t make sense.
If customers “want to supersize, they're going to figure out how to do it, whether that means buying two or whatever," said Smith, whose restaurants only service sodas 20-ounces at a time, a serving size that Bloomberg‘s ban would outlaw.
Smith‘s bill - which says nutritional requirements should only be decided at the state level - sailed through the Mississippi legislature with broad bipartisan support, overwhelming the arguments of a small group of opponents who said that local governments should be allowed to make their own rules.
VICKIE D. KING/THE CLARION-LEDGER VIA AP
Sen. Tony Smith, R-Picayune, checks his ribs and chicken barbecuing on the grill during the North vs. South Cookout held Monday, April 23, 2012 on the grounds of the Old Capitol in Jackson, Miss. Sens. Smith and Willie Simmons, D-Cleveland, showcased their cooking talents to raise funds for the Mississippi Military Family Relief Fund. (AP Photo/The Clarion-Ledger, Vickie D. King)
They include Chip Johnson, the mayor of Hernando, and president of the Mississippi Municipal League.
"We are still one of the most obese states in the nation and I think it's our job to help educate the public," he said. "Sometimes that might take the form of menu labeling."
STONEWALLSBBQ.COM
Smith owns the Stonewall’s BBQ chain, which features a dish called The Lil’ Piggy, a small split-top roll that sandwiches seasoned chopped pork.
But even Johnson said Bloomberg's proposed ban on large sodas was a step too far — even for a state where 1 in 3 people are not just overweight but obese.
"As a Mississippian, I am firmly a believer in personal choice," he said.
