Officials Blaming Obesity On food Industry, Want Medicaid Help

PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA) - Attorney Generals from 16 states are considering placing the blame for obesity on the food industry.

POLITICO reports that it could go down in a way resembling Big Tobacco in the '90s -- which resulted in it shelling out hundreds of billions of dollars -- because of growing healthcare costs related to obesity.

A law firm in Chicago is arguing that, to some extent, the food and beverage industry is to blame for the nation's obesity crisis. The problem stands that the industry isn't taking responsibility for the results of their choices, they argue.

According to the website EcoWatch, the food industry has made changes with the introduction of 20,000 products, considered to be healthier and full calorie drinks are no longer offered in schools.

But Agriculture Reporter for POLITICO Helena Bottemiller Evich reports that even though there are those who don't think suing will help, there are those nutrition and legal experts who think this strategy could work. She explained further that the Chicago law firm proposed the idea that states begin to receive reimbursement from the food industry for their Medicaid costs.

"Basically the proposal that they gave to many states' attorney generals was budgetary,y it was very fiscal, fiscally oriented, and didn't really address personal responsibility it just said, 'Hey, maybe we can calculate what percentage of responsibility the food industry bears then get some of that money back,'" said Evich.

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