Michael F. Jacobson
Encyclopedia
Michael F. Jacobson who holds a Ph.D.
in microbiology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, co-founded the Center for Science in the Public Interest
in 1971, along with two fellow scientists he met while working at the Center for the Study of Responsive Law. When his colleagues left CSPI in 1977, Jacobson served as executive director. Today, Jacobson sits as secretary on the board of directors of the organization. He has been a national leader in the movement to require nutrition labels on all foods and most beverages to help consumers make informed decisions about what to consume. It was Jacobson who coined the now widely used phrases "junk food
" and "empty calorie
".
"Soda is the quintessential junk food—just sugar calories and no nutrients," says Jacobson. "Americans are drowning in soda pop—teenagers, in particular. The average teenage boy is consuming two cans of soda pop a day." Jacobson proposes several warning labels, including "Drinking (non-diet) soft drinks contributes to obesity and tooth decay," and "Consider switching to diet soda, water, or skim milk." He once asked a CBS News reporter: "Obesity is an epidemic. One-third of youths already are overweight or obese. Are we just going to sit around and do nothing? Or should we do something—a modest, sensible step of putting a health message on cans and bottles?"
In 2005, Jacobson's organization proposed mandatory warning labels on all containers of sugar-sweetened soft drinks, to warn consumers about the possible health risks of consuming these beverages on a regular basis.
To bring about changes in eating habits, Jacobson advocates higher taxes on unhealthy foods, greater use of warning labels on food and beverage packaging, restrictions on advertising and selling junk food
s (“snack foods"), and lawsuits against food producers and retailers whose practices he believes are detrimental to public health. He was instrumental in the passage of a Federal Law that mandated calorie labels on fast food chain menus and menu boards, which was passed in the Health Reform legislation signed into law by President Obama in March, 2010.
Michael F. Jacobson (b. 1943), who holds a Ph.D.
in microbiology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, co-founded the Center for Science in the Public Interest
in 1971, along with two fellow scientists he met while working at the Center for the Study of Responsive Law. When his colleagues left CSPI in 1977, Jacobson served as executive director. Today, Jacobson sits as secretary on the board of directors of the organization.CSPI Board of Directors as of 2004. Retrieved September 3, 2006. He has been a national leader in the movement to require nutrition labels on all foods and most beverages to help consumers make informed decisions about what to consume. It was Jacobson who coined the now widely used phrases "junk food
" and "empty calorie
".
"Soda is the quintessential junk food—just sugar calories and no nutrients," says Jacobson. "Americans are drowning in soda pop—teenagers, in particular. The average teenage boy is consuming two cans of soda pop a day." Jacobson proposes several warning labels, including "Drinking (non-diet) soft drinks contributes to obesity and tooth decay," and "Consider switching to diet soda, water, or skim milk." He once asked a CBS News reporter: "Obesity is an epidemic. One-third of youths already are overweight or obese. Are we just going to sit around and do nothing? Or should we do something—a modest, sensible step of putting a health message on cans and bottles?"
In 2005, Jacobson's organization proposed mandatory warning labels on all containers of sugar-sweetened soft drinks, to warn consumers about the possible health risks of consuming these beverages on a regular basis.
To bring about changes in eating habits, Jacobson advocates higher taxes on unhealthy foods, greater use of warning labels on food and beverage packaging, restrictions on advertising and selling junk food
s (“snack foods"), and lawsuits against food producers and retailers whose practices he believes are detrimental to public health. He was instrumental in the passage of a Federal Law that mandated calorie labels on fast food chain menus and menu boards, which was passed in the Health Reform legislation signed into law by President Obama in March, 2010.
Michael F. Jacobson (b. 1943), who holds a Ph.D.
in microbiology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, co-founded the Center for Science in the Public Interest
in 1971, along with two fellow scientists he met while working at the Center for the Study of Responsive Law. When his colleagues left CSPI in 1977, Jacobson served as executive director. Today, Jacobson sits as secretary on the board of directors of the organization.CSPI Board of Directors as of 2004. Retrieved September 3, 2006. He has been a national leader in the movement to require nutrition labels on all foods and most beverages to help consumers make informed decisions about what to consume. It was Jacobson who coined the now widely used phrases "junk food
" and "empty calorie
".
"Soda is the quintessential junk food—just sugar calories and no nutrients," says Jacobson. "Americans are drowning in soda pop—teenagers, in particular. The average teenage boy is consuming two cans of soda pop a day." Jacobson proposes several warning labels, including "Drinking (non-diet) soft drinks contributes to obesity and tooth decay," and "Consider switching to diet soda, water, or skim milk." He once asked a CBS News reporter: "Obesity is an epidemic. One-third of youths already are overweight or obese. Are we just going to sit around and do nothing? Or should we do something—a modest, sensible step of putting a health message on cans and bottles?"
In 2005, Jacobson's organization proposed mandatory warning labels on all containers of sugar-sweetened soft drinks, to warn consumers about the possible health risks of consuming these beverages on a regular basis.
To bring about changes in eating habits, Jacobson advocates higher taxes on unhealthy foods, greater use of warning labels on food and beverage packaging, restrictions on advertising and selling junk food
s (“snack foods"), and lawsuits against food producers and retailers whose practices he believes are detrimental to public health. He was instrumental in the passage of a Federal Law that mandated calorie labels on fast food chain menus and menu boards, which was passed in the Health Reform legislation signed into law by President Obama in March, 2010.http://www.rwjf.org/pr/pBold text
community, with the Center for Consumer Freedom
awarding him "nanny of the year" on three occasions. Some argue that parents have control over their children's diet can moderate their intake of sugar-sweetened soft drinks. However, Jacobson contends that "kids know about vending machines, and they can go to 7-Eleven
and get a big gulp which contains half a gallon—a thousand calories, almost!—of soda pop in a single serving... We've come a long way from the six-and-a-half ounce Coke
bottles some 50 years ago."
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in microbiology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, co-founded the Center for Science in the Public Interest
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Center for Science in the Public Interest is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit watchdog and consumer advocacy group focusing on nutritional education and awareness.-History and funding:...
in 1971, along with two fellow scientists he met while working at the Center for the Study of Responsive Law. When his colleagues left CSPI in 1977, Jacobson served as executive director. Today, Jacobson sits as secretary on the board of directors of the organization. He has been a national leader in the movement to require nutrition labels on all foods and most beverages to help consumers make informed decisions about what to consume. It was Jacobson who coined the now widely used phrases "junk food
Junk food
Junk food is an informal term applied to some foods that are perceived to have little or no nutritional value ; to products with nutritional value, but which also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten; or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all...
" and "empty calorie
Empty calorie
Empty calories, in casual dietary terminology, are a measurement of the energy present in high-energy foods with poor nutritional profiles, with most of the energy typically coming from processed carbohydrates, fats, or ethanol...
".
His views
Jacobson sits on the National Council of the Great American Meatout, an annual event sponsored by Farm Animal Rights Movement, that encourages people to "kick the meat habit" for a day. Jacobson and his organization have criticized a wide variety of foods and beverages as unhealthful. He and CSPI frequently use colorful terms to emphasize their opposition to certain foods, for instance referring to fettuccine alfredo as a "heart attack on a plate.""Soda is the quintessential junk food—just sugar calories and no nutrients," says Jacobson. "Americans are drowning in soda pop—teenagers, in particular. The average teenage boy is consuming two cans of soda pop a day." Jacobson proposes several warning labels, including "Drinking (non-diet) soft drinks contributes to obesity and tooth decay," and "Consider switching to diet soda, water, or skim milk." He once asked a CBS News reporter: "Obesity is an epidemic. One-third of youths already are overweight or obese. Are we just going to sit around and do nothing? Or should we do something—a modest, sensible step of putting a health message on cans and bottles?"
In 2005, Jacobson's organization proposed mandatory warning labels on all containers of sugar-sweetened soft drinks, to warn consumers about the possible health risks of consuming these beverages on a regular basis.
To bring about changes in eating habits, Jacobson advocates higher taxes on unhealthy foods, greater use of warning labels on food and beverage packaging, restrictions on advertising and selling junk food
Junk food
Junk food is an informal term applied to some foods that are perceived to have little or no nutritional value ; to products with nutritional value, but which also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten; or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all...
s (“snack foods"), and lawsuits against food producers and retailers whose practices he believes are detrimental to public health. He was instrumental in the passage of a Federal Law that mandated calorie labels on fast food chain menus and menu boards, which was passed in the Health Reform legislation signed into law by President Obama in March, 2010.
Michael F. Jacobson (b. 1943), who holds a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in microbiology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, co-founded the Center for Science in the Public Interest
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Center for Science in the Public Interest is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit watchdog and consumer advocacy group focusing on nutritional education and awareness.-History and funding:...
in 1971, along with two fellow scientists he met while working at the Center for the Study of Responsive Law. When his colleagues left CSPI in 1977, Jacobson served as executive director. Today, Jacobson sits as secretary on the board of directors of the organization.CSPI Board of Directors as of 2004. Retrieved September 3, 2006. He has been a national leader in the movement to require nutrition labels on all foods and most beverages to help consumers make informed decisions about what to consume. It was Jacobson who coined the now widely used phrases "junk food
Junk food
Junk food is an informal term applied to some foods that are perceived to have little or no nutritional value ; to products with nutritional value, but which also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten; or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all...
" and "empty calorie
Empty calorie
Empty calories, in casual dietary terminology, are a measurement of the energy present in high-energy foods with poor nutritional profiles, with most of the energy typically coming from processed carbohydrates, fats, or ethanol...
".
His views
Jacobson sits on the National Council of the Great American Meatout, an annual event sponsored by Farm Animal Rights Movement, that encourages people to "kick the meat habit" for a day."The Great American Meatout". March 12, 2009. Jacobson and his organization have criticized a wide variety of foods and beverages as unhealthful. He and CSPI frequently use colorful terms to emphasize their opposition to certain foods, for instance referring to fettuccine alfredo as a "heart attack on a plate."Kathryn Masterson. "Food Cop: Love Him or Hate Him". Chicago Tribune. 14 Oct 2007."Soda is the quintessential junk food—just sugar calories and no nutrients," says Jacobson. "Americans are drowning in soda pop—teenagers, in particular. The average teenage boy is consuming two cans of soda pop a day." Jacobson proposes several warning labels, including "Drinking (non-diet) soft drinks contributes to obesity and tooth decay," and "Consider switching to diet soda, water, or skim milk." He once asked a CBS News reporter: "Obesity is an epidemic. One-third of youths already are overweight or obese. Are we just going to sit around and do nothing? Or should we do something—a modest, sensible step of putting a health message on cans and bottles?"
In 2005, Jacobson's organization proposed mandatory warning labels on all containers of sugar-sweetened soft drinks, to warn consumers about the possible health risks of consuming these beverages on a regular basis.
To bring about changes in eating habits, Jacobson advocates higher taxes on unhealthy foods, greater use of warning labels on food and beverage packaging, restrictions on advertising and selling junk food
Junk food
Junk food is an informal term applied to some foods that are perceived to have little or no nutritional value ; to products with nutritional value, but which also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten; or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all...
s (“snack foods"), and lawsuits against food producers and retailers whose practices he believes are detrimental to public health. He was instrumental in the passage of a Federal Law that mandated calorie labels on fast food chain menus and menu boards, which was passed in the Health Reform legislation signed into law by President Obama in March, 2010.
Michael F. Jacobson (b. 1943), who holds a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in microbiology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, co-founded the Center for Science in the Public Interest
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Center for Science in the Public Interest is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit watchdog and consumer advocacy group focusing on nutritional education and awareness.-History and funding:...
in 1971, along with two fellow scientists he met while working at the Center for the Study of Responsive Law. When his colleagues left CSPI in 1977, Jacobson served as executive director. Today, Jacobson sits as secretary on the board of directors of the organization.CSPI Board of Directors as of 2004. Retrieved September 3, 2006. He has been a national leader in the movement to require nutrition labels on all foods and most beverages to help consumers make informed decisions about what to consume. It was Jacobson who coined the now widely used phrases "junk food
Junk food
Junk food is an informal term applied to some foods that are perceived to have little or no nutritional value ; to products with nutritional value, but which also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten; or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all...
" and "empty calorie
Empty calorie
Empty calories, in casual dietary terminology, are a measurement of the energy present in high-energy foods with poor nutritional profiles, with most of the energy typically coming from processed carbohydrates, fats, or ethanol...
".
His views
Jacobson sits on the National Council of the Great American Meatout, an annual event sponsored by Farm Animal Rights Movement, that encourages people to "kick the meat habit" for a day."The Great American Meatout". March 12, 2009. Jacobson and his organization have criticized a wide variety of foods and beverages as unhealthful. He and CSPI frequently use colorful terms to emphasize their opposition to certain foods, for instance referring to fettuccine alfredo as a "heart attack on a plate."Kathryn Masterson. "Food Cop: Love Him or Hate Him". Chicago Tribune. 14 Oct 2007."Soda is the quintessential junk food—just sugar calories and no nutrients," says Jacobson. "Americans are drowning in soda pop—teenagers, in particular. The average teenage boy is consuming two cans of soda pop a day." Jacobson proposes several warning labels, including "Drinking (non-diet) soft drinks contributes to obesity and tooth decay," and "Consider switching to diet soda, water, or skim milk." He once asked a CBS News reporter: "Obesity is an epidemic. One-third of youths already are overweight or obese. Are we just going to sit around and do nothing? Or should we do something—a modest, sensible step of putting a health message on cans and bottles?"
In 2005, Jacobson's organization proposed mandatory warning labels on all containers of sugar-sweetened soft drinks, to warn consumers about the possible health risks of consuming these beverages on a regular basis.
To bring about changes in eating habits, Jacobson advocates higher taxes on unhealthy foods, greater use of warning labels on food and beverage packaging, restrictions on advertising and selling junk food
Junk food
Junk food is an informal term applied to some foods that are perceived to have little or no nutritional value ; to products with nutritional value, but which also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten; or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all...
s (“snack foods"), and lawsuits against food producers and retailers whose practices he believes are detrimental to public health. He was instrumental in the passage of a Federal Law that mandated calorie labels on fast food chain menus and menu boards, which was passed in the Health Reform legislation signed into law by President Obama in March, 2010.http://www.rwjf.org/pr/pBold text
Criticism
Due in part to the zeal he brings to his efforts and in part to his de facto "zero-tolerance" policy, Jacobson's methods have been heavily criticized by the libertarianLibertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
community, with the Center for Consumer Freedom
Center for Consumer Freedom
The Center for Consumer Freedom , formerly the Guest Choice Network, is a non-profit American lobby group. It describes itself as "dedicated to protecting consumer choices and promoting common sense," and defending "the right of adults and parents to choose how they live their lives, what they eat...
awarding him "nanny of the year" on three occasions. Some argue that parents have control over their children's diet can moderate their intake of sugar-sweetened soft drinks. However, Jacobson contends that "kids know about vending machines, and they can go to 7-Eleven
7-Eleven
7-Eleven is part of an international chain of convenience stores, operating under Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Ltd, which in turn is owned by Seven & I Holdings Co...
and get a big gulp which contains half a gallon—a thousand calories, almost!—of soda pop in a single serving... We've come a long way from the six-and-a-half ounce Coke
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
bottles some 50 years ago."
Works written by Jacobson
- Eater's Digest: The Consumer's Fact-Book of Food Additives, Doubleday & Company Inc. (June 1972) ASIN B000H7GB4K
- Nutrition Scoreboard: your guide to better eating. Center for Science in the Public Interest (July 1973)
- How Sodium Nitrite Can Affect Your Health (1973)
- Booze Merchants: The Inebriating of America. Center for Science in the Public Interest (September 1983), ISBN 0-89329-099-8
- Salt: The Brand Name Guide to Sodium Content. Warner Books; Reissue edition (September 1985) ISBN 0-446-35513-5
- Charles P. Mitchell, Jacobson Tainted Booze. Center for Science in the Public Interest (June 1988) ISBN 0-89329-017-3
- Marketing Disease to Hispanics: The Selling of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Junk Foods. Center for Science in the Public Interest (September 1989) ISBN 0-89329-020-3
- Marketing Madness: A Survival Guide for a Consumer Society. Center for Science in the Public Interest (September 1989) ISBN 0-89329-020-3
- The Fast Food Guide. Center for Science in the Public Interest (December 1991) ISBN 99913-31-76-X
- The Completely Revised and Updated Fast-Food Guide: What's Good, What's Bad, and How to Tell the Difference. Workman Publishing Company; 2nd Revised & Updated edition (January 3, 1992) ISBN 0-89480-823-0
- Safe Food: Eating Wisely in a Risky World. Berkley Pub Group (February 1993) ISBN 0-425-13621-3
- What Are We Feeding Our Kids?. Workman Publishing Company (January 8, 1994) ISBN 1-56305-101-X
- Restaurant Confidential. Workman Publishing Company (May 6, 2002) ISBN 0-7611-0035-0