I just want to say that I'm not universally in favor of more government regulation. There are some regulatory ideas that I think are just plain awful, but this one I support.
Sorry, man, but that's complete bull****. The food isn't what's killing people. It's the fact that most people won't take responsibility for what they put in their bodies. Having a can of condensed soup once in a while does not hurt you in the least. Having a slice of processed cheese every now and then does not hurt you in the least. Having a snack bag of doritos every now and then isn't going to cause a heart attack. A soda a week isn't going to give you hypertension or diabetes.
I don't fully agree with your assessment. The percentage of daily values ranges greatly among food products. It's not simply a matter of not drinking 10 cans of pop a day. Each can of pop already contains an absurd level of sugar.
Also, there are additives in foods that are derived from sodium, such as MSG and other flavoring agents, which don't always get tabulated into the percentage value listed on the bottle. I would also like to see legislation for standardization of naming conventions for food additives on packaging. MSG has something like 10 different names that can appear in the ingredients list. Not everyone spends hours a day on the net researching things. How is the average joe supposed to know what all the contents mean, and the interactions?
I agree that excess is part of the problem, but people's educational resources are conflicting. The food industry routinely puts forth "studies" that validate the use of harmful additives in their foods. Even the daily food values chart that we all grew up with is skewed in favor of industry. It's hard for the average joe to know what is okay and what isn't since the media is giving out conflicting info. all the time. I respect that you and I know how to manage values, but this kind of regulation is for everyone.
Also, I don't see what's wrong with a multi-pronged approach. Corporations should not be able to add sodium to their pre-packaged foods that are at harmful levels.
What does cause heart attacks and diabetes is when the idiot notices his pants getting snug and keeps on making a meal out of doritos and soda. That's the problem. And that's not something the government should be getting involved with; that's a Darwin issue.
Bad food is cheaper and so the lower classes will tend to eat it more. That's a socioeconomic issue.
In the health arena, I could really care less what is "bad for business". What is "good for business" is often bad for public health. There has to be a happy medium, and I think limiting sodium content is not that outrageous.
If you want to add more salt to your food, then do it. This law is about trying to reduce comorbid factors for heart disease, a condition which is
epidemic in the U.S. It has to be attacked from all angles, not just the consumer choices angle.