2014-2015 Ethics Bowl Case #6: Heart Attack Grill

1. 2014-2015 Ethics Bowl Case #6

6. Just when the critics
said we couldn’t get any
more despicable…
The Deep Fried
Twinkie Shake!
Enough said.
Fried in Lard…
Dipped in Cream…
You know you want it!

7. Questions to Consider
❏ Should Basso continue to operate his business despite
the deaths?
❏ Does Basso have an obligation to close the restaurant
in light of his statement about the obesity epidemic?
Theories of Ethics:
-Virtue Ethics -Utilitarianism
-Deontology -Rights-based Ethics
-Care Ethics

8. The Heart of the Issue
How responsible are the businesses that
knowingly sell and promote unhealthy products
and eating habits for the health problems and
deaths of those who consume them, or for the
obesity epidemic in general?

9. The Heart of the Issue
How responsible are the people
who give these businesses money?

10. Day 2
Ethics Bowl Case #6: Heart Attack Grill

12. 1. As a table, read the article provided.
2. Prepare to summarize and give
some pros and cons of the proposed
ban/restriction in your article.

13. Article #1
City carry-out business
rapped for trans fat
violation
The Baltimore Sun, 2010

14. City carry-out business rapped for trans fat violation
(2010)
● Baltimore Health Department fined man $100 for using margarine that contained trans fat at his BBQ stand
● Limit is 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving
● In July, he was cited for using margarine with 3 grams of trans fat per serving. He say she discarded the product
and asked his vendor for a lower-fat replacement. In October, health officials found him serving margarine with 2
grams of trans fat per serving. He said he’s “crystal clear” with his vendor now, trying to get “only trans fat-free
margarine.”
● First enforcement action of the law; 1 year grace period
● Of 100 businesses found in violation in the first year, this is the only second violation.
● Repeated violations=closure and license revocation
● He switched to a fat-free margarine after being cited.
● Pros:
○ Aimed at making food healthier
■ High rate of compliance since ban took effect
● Cons:
○ Trans fat-free margarine costs $6 more per box
○ “I’m losing customers. When it’s publicized on a TV news show, people think I’m still using it

15. Article #2
Happy Meal toys no
longer free in San
Francisco
CNN, 2011

16. Happy Meal toys no longer free in San Francisco (2011)
● New law prevents fast food restaurants from giving away toys in kid’s meals unless their food
meets nutritional requirements
● Pediatricians and parents in low-income neighborhoods “were the main voices of [the]
campaign”
● To meet standards, meals have to be less than 600 calories, contain ½ cup of fruits, ¾ cup of
vegetables, have less than 35% of total calories from fat, less than 640 milligrams of sodium,
and less than 0.5 milligrams of trans fat
● At McDonald’s, parents have to request the toy and pay 10 cents; Donated to Ronald McDonald
house
● Pros:
○ “Geared towards addressing childhood obesity epidemic”
○ Inspires other cities to follow suit/Start a national dialogue
○ Long term goal=”move children’s meals toward lower fat, sodium, and calories”
● Cons:
○ “Legislates health and nutrition”

17. Article #3
New USDA rules ban
schools’ sales of sports
drinks, sugary snacks
Dallas News, 2013

18. New USDA rules ban schools’ sales of sports drink,
sugary snacks (2013)
● “Smart Snacks in Schools” standards eliminate sugary drinks and candy replacing
them with healthier alternatives; includes vending machines
● Will not apply to fundraisers, after-school concession stands, class parties, bake
sales, or food brought from home (but schools can make stricter rules)
● Stems from Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 aimed at fighting childhood
obesity; also requires breakfast and lunch offerings to meet higher nutritional
standards including more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat milks
● Most food sold in school subject to fat, calorie, sugar, and sodium limits
● Pros:
○ best interest of the students
● Cons:
○ students miss them
■ could significantly impact school budgets (due to lack of
revenue from a la carte items)

19. Article #4
NYC’s big-soda ban is
dead
New York Post, 2014

20. NYC’s big-soda ban is dead (2014)
● NYC’s highest court refused the ban on sales of sodas over 16 oz. (Portion Cap Rule) saying health officials
overstepped their boundaries
● Case was decided 4-2
● Ignored the “merits of the ban” insisting the health department engaged in “policy-making”
● Lawmakers around the country have proposed soda taxes; California proposed warning label on sodas
● Haven’t succeeded due to heavy lobbying by the beverage industry
● Coke and Pepsi making smaller cans and bottles thinking people would be more willing to drink soda if they can
control the portion
● Pros of ban:
○ “limit[s] the pernicious effects of aggressive and predatory marketing of sugary drinks”
○ “sugary drinks are a key driver in the obesity epidemic”
○ “sugary beverages are unique in their harmfulness because people don’t realize how much high fructose
corn syrup they’re guzzling”
○ steady decline in U.S. soda sales for more than a decade due to bad publicity
● Cons of ban:
○ “created an uneven playing field for thousands of small businesses in the city and limited

21. Article #5
For Your Health, Froot
Loops
The New York Times, 2009

22. For Your Health, Froot Loops (2009)
● “Smart Choices” green check mark food-labeling campaign backed by nation’s largest food
manufacturers aimed at “help[ing] shoppers easily identify smarter food and beverage choices”; “based
on government dietary guidelines and widely accepted nutritional standards”
● Government is interested in improving nutrition labeling because of nation’s obesity epidemic; “due in
part to diet heavy in processed foods loaded with calories, fats, and sugar”
● Influenced by research on human behavior
○ “Shoppers wanted more information…[but] did not want to hear negative messages or feel their
choices were being dictated to them.”
○ “The checkmark means the food item is a ‘better for you’ product, as opposed to having an x on it
saying ‘Don’t eat this.”
● Pros: helps consumers make smarter food choices, “Froot Loops is better than other things parents
could choose for their children.” (Ex: donut), “small amounts of sugar’ added to nutrient-dense foods
like breakfast cereals can make them taste better...encourag[ing] people to eat more of them.”
● Cons: labels appearing on sugary cereals that are “horrible choices”, labeling criteria is
flawed, “added nutrients could mask the shortcomings in food”, “makes highly processed
foods appear as healthful as unprocessed foods”

23. Questions to Consider
Do people have the right to eat
whatever food they want, even if it kills
them (or could kill them)?