Have you ever tasted toasted grain flakes without sugar?

If you've ever seen the film "The Road to Wellville" you know that eating wheat or corn flakes without sugar is like eating cardboard. The scene where Matthew Broderick and his partner are trying to duplicate Dr. Kellogg's corn flake recipe is hysterical, as batch after batch of their imitation flakes comes out inedible. 

Well, the FDA is about to order food processors and manufacturers to drastically cut sugar and other "unhealthy" additives in the name of saving the children - from obesity.

Audrey Hudson at Human Events:

It's not just the usual suspected foods that are being targeted, such a thin mint cookies sold by scouts or M&Ms and Snickers, which sponsor cars in the Sprint Cup, but pretty much everything on a restaurant menu.

Although the intent of the guidelines is to combat childhood obesity, foods that are low in calories, fat, and some considered healthy foods, are also targets, including hot breakfast cereals such as oatmeal, pretzels, popcorn, nuts, yogurt, wheat bread, bagels, diet drinks, fruit juice, tea, bottled water, milk and sherbet.

Food industries are in an uproar over the proposal written by the Federal Trade Commission, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"The most disturbing aspect of this interagency working group is, after it imposes multibillions of dollars in restrictions on the food industry, there is no evidence of any impact on the scourge of childhood obesity," said Dan Jaffe, executive vice president of the Association of National Advertisers.

The "Interagency Working Group on Food Marketed to Children, Preliminary Proposed Nutrition Principles to Guide Industry Self-Regulation Efforts" says it is voluntary, but industry officials say the intent is clear: Do it, or else.

The "or else" is preventing non compliant companies from advertising to kids or teenagers. "Self Regulation" is a scam. The penalty for not obeying the Food Police is a large drop in sales and revenue.

Fiddling with my Frosted Flakes will make me very angry.

This could all be avoided if parents would, like, you know, do some parenting. Switch off the TV, the Wii, the computer, the i-phone, and all the other accouterments of modern teen and pre-teendom, and get your kid out into the fresh air. Go out with them and play badminton, lawn darts - something, anything to get kids to reject a sedentary lifestyle and become more active. Monitor what your kids eat. Snacks are nice but as with all things, should be eaten in moderation.

This is really a no brainer, parents. Cook, rather than take your kid to McDonalds. Yes, it's hard after a long day of work to make dinner but having a kid was your choice and it's up to you to see that the child is fed the right way. Take some responsibility for your kid's health and the Food Nazis' power will be broken.

Thomas Lifson adds:

Will we see bootleg Frosted Flakes coming in from overseas?

(photo by Matthew Lifson)