State pizza? Stay away from my food!

“Dear state, it’s good that you know what’s right for me,” sang Farin Urlaub from the punk combo “Die Ärzte”, which was still a little bit punk back then, in his “hymn of praise” to the “terribly caring “The state that “guides all of our lives every day” – and without which we wouldn’t know what to do or what not to do. The Berlin musician said this ironically at the time.

Today he could play the song completely unironically at any Green party conference. And, as the development of the former fun punkers who are now “censoring” their own songs suggests, they would probably do this without hesitation.

Should the state pizza come now?

In its irony-free version, the song would also be ideal as an advertising tune for the new “nutrition plan” with which Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir wants to turn the Germans into a nation of “better eaters”. There is still some disagreement about how exactly this culinary metamorphosis should take place.

Some people think – how do they come up with that? – that the Green Minister for Food has one like that Picture-Zeitung wrote that they wanted to start a “supermarket revolution”, which could result in a kind of “state pizza” in which politics determines the recipe. The ministry vehemently denies this and, when asked by ZDF, had a spokesman clarify: “The representation by certain media that the food industry will have to adapt its recipes for certain processed foods to state requirements in the future is incorrect.”

This is somewhat reminiscent of the now legendary internet post with which the Federal Ministry of Health, on March 14, 2020, warned the population about alleged “fake news” according to which the government would “soon announce massive further restrictions on public life”. “That is NOT true!” wrote those responsible in Berlin at the time, asking citizens to help stop the spread of this supposed false report. The following weekend, those in power announced the nationwide Corona lockdown, which was intended to largely bring public life in Germany to a standstill for a long period of time.

❗️Attention fake news ❗️
It is claimed and quickly spread that the Federal Ministry of Health / the Federal Government would soon announce massive further restrictions on public life. That’s not true!
Please help stop its spread. pic.twitter.com/h8bG7ued9N

— Federal Ministry of Health (@BMG_Bund) March 14, 2020

Scientifically proven?

So there are good reasons to be suspicious if people in the capital want to save our health again – and emphasize that politicians want to rely on voluntary action. Especially when, as with Corona, there is talk of a “joint scientific process” in which, in the current case, “the food industry is also involved,” as the ministry says.

One thing is clear: Özdemir and his officials want to “help” Germans eat healthier. A press release from the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture states: “A good, balanced diet becomes difficult if processed foods contain a lot of sugar, salt or fat. In the worst case, high consumption of such products contributes to overweight and obesity as well as other diet-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes.”

In order to change or prevent this, the government is working on “further development of recipes” for ready-made foods in order to reduce their sugar, fat and salt content. Of course, everything is completely voluntary and without politicians wanting to impose any new rules on the industry. No, it is more likely that the industry itself has an interest in further processing the food it produces in order to then have an argument for selling it at an even higher price. The traffic light coalition builds on a “national reduction and innovation strategy” of its previous government from 2018. In the course of the project, the food industry had to volunteer – on its own and completely voluntarily! – committed to reducing these ingredients in their products accordingly by 2025.

Özdemir is outraged

The excitement surrounding his “recipe suggestions” apparently caught the Green Party minister off guard. On that the population has the opportunity to eat well and healthily.”

Of course you can see it that way. If the representatives of the nanny state have their way, you probably have to see it that way. Others would probably be of the opinion that politics should simply stay out of citizens’ private eating habits. But even those who believe that a government should take care of such things may have an interest in the fact that this care is not purely an end in itself, but at least in the sense that those concerned strive for functions. Even that, however, is doubtful in the case of Özdemir’s supposedly scientifically based nutritional strategy.

“Good idea if you want to make the Germans fat”

The American pediatrician and nutritionist, Professor David Ludwig, conducts research at the renowned Harvard University and is one of the leading experts in his field with his work. In particular, his publications on the causes of human obesity are widely recognized worldwide. When asked about the German federal government’s plans, the doctor says: “That could be a good strategy if you want to make the German population fat.” Ludwig’s criticism primarily refers to the fat reduction that Özdemir is aiming for. The expert is referring to research results that have actually been known for a long time – at least outside the German Ministry of Nutrition – and which in their entirety could be summarized as follows: Fat doesn’t make you fat.

Of course, the professor puts the whole thing in a more scientific way: “Low-fat products are inferior to high-fat comparison products. It doesn’t matter whether this comparison product is a Mediterranean diet with 35 or 40 percent fat, whether it is a low-carbohydrate diet with 50 or 60 percent fat, or a ketogenic (low carbohydrate) diet with 70 percent fat.”

Less fat doesn’t mean it’s healthier

Many nutritionists today see the claim that a low-fat diet is an adequate means of combating obesity and chronic illnesses as a relic of the 1980s. It is also clear to Ludwig that this approach was “not only ineffective, but also harmful”. “Less fat does not necessarily have to be good for your diet. At least in the United States, these recommendations were abandoned 20 years ago because they were pointless,” said the Harvard professor.

The reason nutritionists have turned around on the fat issue is the realization that a diet less rich in fat often leads to more carbohydrates. The result: “You increase blood sugar levels, you increase insulin levels and you program the body, at least in many people, for weight gain and for diseases that are related to insulin resistance,” warns Ludwig. The nutrition strategists in the Green Ministry probably won’t be impressed by any of this. In contrast to old scientific dogmas, timeless ideologies are not easily shaken by new findings. Therefore, dear state, it’s better to keep your hands off our food!